Privacy Policy
Effective Date: April 20, 2026 Last Updated: May 26, 2026
1. Introduction and Who We Are
Welcome to ScienceNet Reviewers ("the Platform", "we", "us", or "our"). ScienceNet Reviewers is an academic peer-review collaboration platform that connects editors, publishers, and journals with qualified scientific reviewers.
The Platform is operated by:
Science Net sp. z o.o.
ul. Starodworska 1, 80-137 Gdańsk, Poland
Data Controller Contact: office@sciencenet.online
This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, who we share it with, and what rights you have over your information. By using ScienceNet Reviewers, you agree to the practices described in this policy.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information that you provide directly, information generated by your use of the Platform, and information we receive from third-party services where applicable.
2.1 Account Information
When you register, we collect:
- Full name
- Email address
- Password (stored as a one-way cryptographic hash — your actual password is never stored)
- Role on the Platform (reviewer, editor)
- for reviewer user: ORCID, University name, main research field and other professional information provided voluntarily
- for editor user: publisher name, journal name and other professional information provided voluntarily
- Registration status and, where applicable, the reason for any account decision
2.2 Professional Profile Information
Depending on your role, you may provide:
- University or institution affiliation (for reviewer accounts)
- ORCID identifier (for reviewer accounts)
- Bio (for reviewer accounts)
- Main research field (for reviewer accounts)
- Keywords (for reviewer accounts)
- LinkedIn profile URL
- Personal or professional website URL
- Profile photograph
- Journal name and position (for editor accounts)
- Publisher name (for editor accounts)
Providing profile information beyond what is required for basic registration is voluntary, but it improves the quality of review matching.
2.3 Documents and Manuscripts
Editors may upload manuscripts and associated files for the purpose of facilitating peer review. These files are stored on your behalf and are accessible only to authorised participants in the review process.
2.4 Review and Communication Data
We collect information related to peer-review activities, including:
- Review invitations (sent and received), their status, and associated timelines
- Review reports and comments
- Agreed compensation amounts and reviewer pricing information
- Internal notifications and messages related to review engagements
2.5 Usage and Technical Data
When you access the Platform, we automatically collect:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device type and operating system
- Pages visited and features used
- Login timestamps and session duration
This data is used for security, performance monitoring, and analytical purposes.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:
| Purpose | Information Used |
|---|---|
| Creating and managing your account | Account information |
| Verifying and approving registrations | Account information, professional profile |
| Matching editors with qualified reviewers | Professional profile, expertise areas, ratings |
| Facilitating the peer-review process | Documents, review data, communication data |
| Calculating reviewer compensation and editor/publisher fees | Pricing data, agreed compensation amounts |
| Sending platform notifications and alerts | Email address, notification preferences |
| Ensuring platform security and preventing fraud | Usage and technical data, account information |
| Analytics and platform improvement | Usage and technical data (see Section 10) |
| Responding to support requests | Account information, communication data |
| Complying with legal obligations | Any information relevant to the applicable obligation |
We do not use your personal information for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects without human oversight.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your personal information only when we have a legitimate reason to do so. Depending on the nature of the processing, we rely on one or more of the following bases:
- Contract performance: Processing is necessary to provide the services you have registered for, including account management, review matching, and compensation calculation.
- Legitimate interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests (such as improving the Platform, ensuring security, and preventing abuse), provided those interests are not overridden by your privacy rights.
- Legal obligation: Processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
- Consent: Where we rely on consent (for example, for optional profile information or certain communications), you may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us as described in Section 12.
5. Data Sharing and Third Parties
We DO NOT sell your personal information. We share information only as described below.
5.1 Other Users of the Platform
Your professional profile information (name, institution, expertise, ORCID, etc.) may be visible to editors and administrators as part of the review-matching process. You control what optional profile fields you complete.
Shareable profile links (time-limited, token-based) may be generated at your request and can be shared outside the Platform.
5.2 Cloud Storage Provider
Uploaded documents, manuscripts, and profile photographs are stored using Google Cloud Storage (Google LLC). Files are stored in private buckets with access restricted to authorised Platform operations. Google processes this data on our behalf under a data processing agreement.
For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.
5.3 Analytics Provider
We use PostHog (PostHog Inc.) to collect and analyse usage data for the purpose of understanding how the Platform is used and improving its features. PostHog may collect usage events, page interactions, and technical data as described in Section 2.5.
PostHog operates as a data processor on our behalf. For more information, see PostHog's Privacy Policy.
5.4 Email Delivery Provider
Currently we DO NOT use email delivery providers to send transactional emails (account notifications, review invitations, approval communications) so your email addres is not shared. However in the future we may take advantage of EDP and in such case, your email address will be shared with this provider solely for the purpose of delivering messages.
5.5 Payment and Compensation Processing
The Platform calculates payout amounts owed to reviewers and fees payable by editors, publishers, and journals based on agreed pricing and completed review engagements. The actual processing of payments (including disbursements and collections) is managed by ScienceNet sp. z o.o., the company operating this service, or by a designated payment processor appointed by that company. Information relevant to compensation calculations (reviewer rates, agreed amounts, engagement records) may be shared with the payment-processing service for this purpose.
5.6 Legal and Regulatory Disclosures
We may disclose personal information to law enforcement, regulatory authorities, or other third parties when required to do so by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Platform, its users, or the public.
5.7 Business Transfers
In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our business, personal information may be transferred to the acquiring party as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer via the email address associated with your account.
6. International Data Transfers
6.1 Where Your Data is Stored
Personal information collected by ScienceNet Reviewers is stored on servers located in the European Union and the United States. We do not persistently store personal information in any other regions.
Our infrastructure and third-party service providers (including Google Cloud Storage and PostHog) operate under data processing agreements that include appropriate transfer mechanisms — such as standard contractual clauses or equivalent safeguards — to ensure personal information transferred between the EU and US is adequately protected.
6.2 Communications to Users Outside the EU and US
ScienceNet Reviewers is a worldwide service. When we send transactional communications — such as invoices, review invitations, or notifications — to users located outside the EU and US, this necessarily involves transmitting that user's personal data (for example, their name, email address, and billing details) to their jurisdiction.
Such transmissions are inherent to providing the service and are treated as transfers to the data subject themselves for the purpose of performing our contract with them. This does not constitute persistent storage or ongoing processing of that person's data in their jurisdiction; data remains stored in EU and US infrastructure.
If you are located outside the EU or US and have concerns about how your data is handled in transit, please contact us at office@sciencenet.online.
7. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this policy, including to maintain your account, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.
| Data Category | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Active account and profile data | Duration of your account plus 2 years after closure |
| Review records and communication data | 5 years after the completion of the review engagement |
| Uploaded manuscripts and documents | Duration of the associated review engagement plus 5 years |
| Usage and technical data | 3 months on a rolling basis |
| Legal and compliance records | As required by applicable law |
When retention periods expire, we delete or anonymise the data in a secure manner. You may request deletion of your account and associated data at any time (see Section 9).
8. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:
- Encryption of data in transit using TLS
- Encryption of data at rest for stored files
- One-way hashing of passwords (passwords are never stored in recoverable form)
- Role-based access controls limiting which users and systems can access specific data
- Private, access-controlled file storage buckets
- Regular review of security practices
No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, we will notify you and, where required, relevant authorities in accordance with applicable law.
9. Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Deletion: Request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal obligations and legitimate interests.
- Data portability: Request that we provide your information in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Objection: Object to the processing of your personal information for certain purposes (including analytics).
- Restriction: Request that we restrict the processing of your information in certain circumstances.
- Withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at office@sciencenet.online. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe and in accordance with applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests.
If you believe your rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction.
10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
ScienceNet Reviewers does not use cookies. We do not place any cookies on your device for tracking, advertising, analytics, or session management purposes.
Analytics
We use PostHog to collect usage and behavioural data (see Section 5.3). PostHog operates using first-party event tracking rather than browser cookies. Data collected includes page views, feature interactions, and technical metadata as described in Section 2.5. This data is used solely to improve the Platform and is not used for advertising or sold to third parties.
If you wish to opt out of PostHog analytics, you may contact us at office@sciencenet.online to request that your account be excluded from analytics tracking.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
- Notify registered users via the email address associated with their account
Your continued use of ScienceNet Reviewers after notification of changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. If you do not agree with the updated policy, you should discontinue use of the Platform and request deletion of your account.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
12. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
Science Net sp. z o.o.
ul. Starodworska 1, 80-137 Gdańsk, Poland
Email: office@sciencenet.online
We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 30 days of receipt.