Terms of Service

1. Introduction and Agreement to Terms

Welcome to Scholara. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Scholara platform (the "Service"), an automated systematic review and meta-analysis platform for academic research. By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

The Service is operated by Stematic Labs ("we," "us," or "our"). These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Stematic Labs.

2. Description of Service

Scholara is an automated platform designed to assist researchers in conducting systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines.

The Service provides the following features:

• Automated literature search across databases including PubMed/NCBI, Web of Science, and EMBASE
• AI-powered screening, data extraction, and analysis using advanced language models from Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT-4, and Google Gemini
• PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework implementation for defining review criteria
• Creation and management of systematic review sessions
• Generation of search queries optimized for medical and scientific literature databases
• Screening decision workflows for inclusion/exclusion of research articles
• Data extraction and synthesis tools for published medical and scientific literature

The Service processes published medical and scientific literature only. It does not collect, process, or store patient health data, medical records, or protected health information.

3. Account Registration and Access

Invitation-Based Access

Access to the Service is restricted and requires a valid invitation code. The Service is not open for public registration. You may only create an account if you have received an invitation code from Stematic Labs or an authorized partner.

Email Verification

All users must verify their email address before accessing the Service. By registering for an account, you consent to receive verification emails and service-related communications.

Authentication Methods

You may create an account using one of the following authentication methods:

• Email and password combination
• Google OAuth authentication
• GitHub OAuth authentication

Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account or any other breach of security.

No Payment Required

The Service is currently provided free of charge to users with valid invitation codes. There is no payment system, subscription fees, or billing associated with the Service at this time.

4. User Responsibilities

As a user of the Service, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and account use
• Use the Service only for lawful academic and research purposes
• Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and professional ethics standards in your jurisdiction
• Not share your invitation code with unauthorized individuals
• Not attempt to circumvent access controls, security measures, or usage limitations
• Not use the Service to conduct research involving human subjects without appropriate ethical approval
• Not use automated scripts, bots, or other tools to abuse or overload the Service
• Independently verify all AI-generated outputs before using them in research or publications
• Properly attribute the Service in any research outputs where it was used, following appropriate citation practices

5. AI-Generated Content Disclaimer

CRITICAL: The Service uses artificial intelligence models to assist with screening, data extraction, and analysis. AI-generated outputs may contain errors, inaccuracies, or hallucinations.

You acknowledge and agree that:

• Verification Required: You must independently verify all AI-generated content, including but not limited to screening decisions, extracted data, search queries, and analysis results
• No Warranty of Accuracy: We make no warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated outputs
• Professional Judgment: The Service is designed to assist, not replace, professional academic judgment and expertise
• Research Responsibility: You bear sole responsibility for the accuracy and validity of any research outputs produced using the Service
• Publication Standards: You must apply the same rigorous review standards to AI-assisted work as you would to manually conducted research
• No Medical Advice: The Service does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. It is a research tool only.

6. Intellectual Property

Your Research Data

You retain all intellectual property rights to your research data, PICO criteria, screening decisions, extracted data, and other content you create or input into the Service. By using the Service, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to process your data solely for the purpose of providing the Service to you.

Scholara Platform

The Service, including all software, algorithms, user interfaces, documentation, and other materials (excluding your research data), is owned by Stematic Labs and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, or create derivative works based on the Service without our express written permission.

Third-Party Content

Published articles, abstracts, and other scientific literature accessed through the Service remain the property of their respective publishers and copyright holders. You must comply with all applicable copyright laws and licensing terms when using such content.

7. Third-Party Services and Databases

The Service integrates with and accesses the following third-party services and databases:

• PubMed/NCBI: National Library of Medicine's database of biomedical literature
• Web of Science: Clarivate's multidisciplinary research database
• EMBASE: Elsevier's biomedical and pharmacological database
• AI Services: Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT-4, and Google Gemini language models
• Authentication Providers: Google OAuth and GitHub OAuth services

By using the Service, you acknowledge that:

• You are responsible for complying with the terms of service, usage policies, and licensing agreements of all third-party services
• Access to third-party databases may be subject to additional restrictions, subscription requirements, or institutional access agreements
• We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or terms of third-party services
• Third-party services may collect and process data according to their own privacy policies
• Disruptions to third-party services may affect the functionality of the Service

8. Limitation of Liability

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or accuracy of results.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Stematic Labs, its officers, directors, employees, or agents be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to:

• Loss of data, research, or intellectual property
• Errors or inaccuracies in AI-generated outputs
• Research delays, publication rejections, or academic setbacks
• Decisions made in reliance on the Service
• Unauthorized access to or disclosure of your data
• Interruption or unavailability of the Service

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties or limitation of liability for incidental or consequential damages. In such jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

9. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, for any reason including but not limited to:

• Violation of these Terms
• Fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity
• Misuse of invitation codes
• Failure to verify email address
• Extended periods of inactivity
• Technical or security concerns

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us. Upon termination, your right to access and use the Service will immediately cease. We will make reasonable efforts to provide you with an opportunity to export your research data before permanent deletion, but we do not guarantee data availability after account termination.

Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including but not limited to intellectual property provisions, disclaimers, and limitations of liability.

10. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by:

• Posting the updated Terms on the Service with a new effective date
• Sending email notification to your registered email address
• Displaying a prominent notice within the Service interface

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service and may request account termination.

11. General Provisions

• Governing Law: These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable laws, without regard to conflict of law principles.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Stematic Labs regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
• No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
• Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights hereunder without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms without restriction.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms or the Service, please contact us at:

By using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service.