Several` “classical” results on algebraic complete lattices extend to algebraic posets and, more generally, to so called compactly generated posets; but, of course, there may arise difficulties in the absence of certain joins or meets. For example, the property of weak atomicity turns out to be valid in all Dedekind complete compactly generated posets, but not in arbitrary algebraic posets. The compactly generated posets are, up to isomorphism, the inductive centralized systems, where a system of sets is called centralized if it contains all point closures. A similar representation theorem holds for algebraic posets; it is known that every algebraic poset is isomorphic to the system i(Q) of all directed lower sets in some poset Q; we show that only those posets P which satisfy the ascending chain condition are isomorphic to their own “up-completion” i(P). We also touch upon a few structural aspects such as the formation of direct sums, products and substructures. The note concludes with several applications of a generalized version of the Birkhoff Frink decomposition theorem for algebraic lattices. © 1987, Australian Mathematical Society. All rights reserved.