How to avoid stealing of my idea before publishing it?

[SpiderET]

After some years of work I have somewhere in first stage of creating a new gravity theory which would extend General relativity theory. There are many similar attempts from serious physicists and even many more from crackpots. I have no academic association and have only MSc in Computer sciences, doing physics as my hobby. Some years ago, I have estimated my chances to actually invent some new revolutionary theory as 1 to 1000 000, but after gradual improvements I am now in stage where my theory can make predictions which are new and can be confirmed by astronomical evidence, calculations based on GPS satellites data and now I am working on lab experiment, which could be easily repeated by any other lab. So after first aproximate calculations which confirmed predictions I am quite confident that I am on right track.

But I have some serious issues. I am nearing to a stage, where I need to contact some physicists which have published related papers to obtain exact data for calculating theory predictions and also to gain potential endorsers on arxiv or potential co-authors. To motivate them to cooperate I would have to explain predictions and details of my theory and then maybe some of them would cooperate.

But if I send my work for example to ten selected physicists, it can easily end in nine of them rejecting it and the tenth, which would really get to understand it, could improve it within one month and publish it under his name.

How to avoid this scenario? Should I publish this theory in basic version without experimental confirmations first in vixra to have it time stamped with my name and then proceed trying to get some cooperation with physicists to polish it to be published in arxiv?

 

[TumblingDice]

@SpiderET : I applaud your motivation and desire. And yet, PF's mission is to help people understand current, mainstream physics and science. The forum rules that you agreed to when you registered mention that personal theories and speculation are not allowed.

With that said, I encourage you to consider posting questions that might help you better understand any current ideas that you're having a problem with as you consider your alternate 'theory'. Also, you should read this recent thread with input/feedback to a similar post, "How to Publish a New Theorem": https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-to-publish-a-new-theorem.770922/

 

[SpiderET]

@SpiderET : I applaud your motivation and desire. And yet, PF's mission is to help people understand current, mainstream physics and science. The forum rules that you agreed to when you registered mention that personal theories and speculation are not allowed.

With that said, I encourage you to consider posting questions that might help you better understand any current ideas that you're having a problem with as you consider your alternate 'theory'. Also, you should read this recent thread with input/feedback to a similar post, "How to Publish a New Theorem": https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-to-publish-a-new-theorem.770922/[/QUOTE

I undestand, that I can not post a new theory on PF. And I did not. There is only short description of the circumstances before I get to the main topic.
And main focus on my post is the same as the name of the thread: How to start cooperation without risking to get your idea stealed. I really hope this topic can be discussed.

I have been reading the "How to Publish New Theorem" and see nothing which is directly related to the main topic of my thread.

 

[Dale]

Generally I think this is a non issue for professional scientists. The professional physics community is good at proper attribution.

However, in general the only surefire way to prevent an idea from being stolen is to only share it with trustworthy people.

 

[LudusRex]

I understand your concerns about protecting your idea before publishing it. It is important to take steps to safeguard your work, especially in a competitive field like physics.

One option is to publish your theory in a preprint server, such as arXiv or vixra, before sharing it with any potential collaborators. This will establish a time stamp and prove that the idea was originally yours. However, be aware that preprint servers are not peer-reviewed and your work may be subjected to criticism and scrutiny from other scientists.

If you do decide to share your work with potential collaborators, it is important to have them sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before sharing any details. This legally binds them to keep your idea confidential and prevents them from stealing it.

Another option is to seek the advice and guidance of a trusted mentor or colleague who can help you navigate the process of publishing your theory. They can also provide valuable insights and advice on how to protect your idea and collaborate with other scientists.

Ultimately, it is important to remember that collaboration and sharing of ideas is an essential aspect of scientific progress. While there is always a risk of someone stealing your idea, it is also important to trust in the integrity of the scientific community and have confidence in your own abilities as a scientist.