Terms of Service

1. General

Your use of the Paperstars platform (https://paperstars.org) is subject to these Terms of Use ("Terms"), which include our Privacy Policy. By accessing or using the Platform, with or without an account, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use the Platform.

We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Platform in accordance with these Terms.

2. Account

Some features require you to create an account. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your login credentials and for all activity under your account. If you suspect unauthorised use, you must notify us immediately and change your password.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that appear compromised or are in breach of these Terms. We are not liable for any damages resulting from your failure to safeguard your account information.

3. Ratings, Reviews and Comments

Users may rate and review scientific publications (defined as any public, uniquely referenceable research output).

By submitting a review or rating, you confirm that:

  • You have read the publication in full.
  • You have no conflict of interest (e.g., personal, professional, or financial relationship with the authors).

You agree to:

  • Review based on the content of the publication, not the identity or affiliation of its authors.
  • Be honest, constructive, and specific in your critique.
  • Avoid inflammatory, discriminatory, or defamatory language.

All content must adhere to our moderation guidelines/ code of conduct and is subject to review prior to publication or moderation after publication.

4. Your Content

You retain ownership of the content you post, including reviews and comments. However, by posting, you grant Paperstars a non-exclusive, royalty-free, global licence to use, display, distribute, and adapt your content for the purposes of operating and improving the Platform.

Public reviews and comments are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.

5. Use of the Platform

You agree not to:

  • Impersonate others or provide false information.
  • Harass, threaten, or abuse other users.
  • Upload or share any illegal, harmful, or offensive content.
  • Attempt to access or use another user's account.
  • Use the Platform for commercial or advertising purposes without consent.
  • Introduce viruses, malware, or automated scripts.
  • Attempt to reverse engineer or copy the Platform's functionality.

6. Moderation and Account Termination

We reserve the right to remove content and suspend or delete accounts that violate these Terms or any applicable law. Where possible, we will provide notice before termination, unless there is an urgent security or legal issue.

7. Intellectual Property

Paperstars owns all legal rights to the Platform, including the software, design, branding, and any metrics or features generated by it. You may not copy, modify, or reverse engineer any part of the Platform without express permission.

8. External Services

We may link to or integrate third-party services. We are not responsible for the content or policies of those services, and your use of them is at your own risk.

9. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Paperstars and its team from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement of any third-party rights.

10. No Warranty

The Platform is provided "as is" and "as available." We make no warranties, express or implied, regarding accuracy, availability, or suitability for any purpose. Use of the Platform is at your own risk.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Paperstars is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Platform.

12. Privacy policy

We take your privacy and the protection of your data very seriously. We may gather and/or use certain information about you in accordance with our privacy policy. Please see our separate privacy policy for more information.

13. Entire agreement

These Terms of Use are the entire agreement between us and you, and supersede any and all prior terms, conditions, warranties or representations to the fullest extent permitted by law.

14. Disputes

This Agreement shall be governed by the law of Scotland and courts of Scotland will have exclusive jurisdiction in relation to these Terms of Use.

15. Changes

We may update these Terms occasionally. Significant changes will be announced via the Platform. Continued use of the Platform after changes means you accept the updated Terms.