Terms of Use

1. Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms:

• "Scholar Data" or "Platform" means the open platform for discovering, indexing, and measuring the impact of research datasets, operated by the Scholar Data Team.
• "Services" means all functionality provided through the Platform, including dataset discovery, researcher profiles, S-index calculation, FAIR score evaluation, and related tools.
• "User" or "you" means any individual or entity that accesses or uses the Platform.
• "Dataset Record" means a dataset entry in the Platform catalog, consisting of metadata and impact signals aggregated from external repositories and scholarly infrastructure.
• "Contributor" means a User who creates a profile or claims datasets on the Platform.

2. Eligibility and Accounts

By using the Platform, you represent and warrant that you are legally permitted to do so under applicable law and any institutional policies that apply to you.

Certain features of the Platform require you to create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate and up-to-date registration information;
• Maintain the confidentiality of your login credentials; and
• Be responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

3. Nature of the Service

Scholar Data is designed to make research datasets more findable, impactful, and properly credited. The Platform:

• Indexes and tracks over 70 million datasets sourced from repositories including DataCite and EMDB;
• Computes the S-index, a metric that measures a researcher's data sharing impact across their dataset portfolio;
• Calculates Dataset Index (D-index) scores and FAIR scores for individual datasets using F-UJI and other tools;
• Tracks dataset citations from OpenAlex, Make Data Count, and DataCite, as well as mentions in code, patents, and policies;
• Enables researchers to create profiles, claim their datasets, and share their data sharing impact publicly; and
• Provides integration tools for repository maintainers to embed impact scores directly in their platforms.

The Platform is under active development. Features may change, be added, or be removed without prior notice.

4. Dataset Records and Access

4.1 Public Records

All dataset records on the Platform are publicly discoverable. Each record includes metadata and impact signals aggregated from external repositories. Access to and reuse of dataset files is subject to the license specified by the original data repository. Scholar Data does not control the licensing terms for individual datasets.

4.2 Attribution and Citation

You agree to follow any citation or attribution instructions associated with a dataset record, including citing DOIs or other identifiers provided on the dataset record page.

5. Contributor Responsibilities

If you create a profile or claim datasets on the Platform, you agree that:

• The information you provide about yourself and your datasets is accurate and complete;
• You have a reasonable basis for claiming datasets as yours (e.g., you are a named author or creator);
• You will not misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or contributions; and
• You understand that your profile and claimed datasets will be publicly visible on the Platform.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Platform or Services to:

• Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or institutional policies;
• Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or the origin of submitted content;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Platform or other users' accounts;
• Interfere with or disrupt the normal operation of the Platform, including through excessive automated requests or scraping beyond what is reasonably necessary for research purposes;
• Upload or distribute malware, malicious code, or content that could harm systems or data; or
• Use the Platform in any way that could harm other users, contributors, or the scientific community.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Platform and Software

The Scholar Data software, design, and infrastructure are made available as open source. The source code is available at data-S-index/web-app and may be used subject to the terms of the applicable license(s).

7.2 Dataset Content and Metadata

Ownership and licensing of datasets and associated metadata remain with their original authors and/or institutions. Each dataset record links to the original repository where licensing terms are specified. You agree to comply with the applicable license when accessing or reusing dataset content.

8. Privacy and Data Protection

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect personal information. Please review the Privacy Policy at /privacy.

9. Service Availability and Changes

We aim to provide a reliable service, but the Platform may experience downtime, maintenance windows, or technical issues. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time, with or without notice, including in response to security concerns, technical issues, or changes in funding or project scope.

10. Disclaimers

• The Platform and all dataset records are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.
• We do not guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or suitability of any dataset record, impact score, or metadata for a particular purpose.
• Impact scores including the S-index, D-index, and FAIR scores are computed automatically and may contain errors or reflect incomplete data from external sources.
• To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall the Scholar Data Team or their respective institutions, funders, employees, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, profits, or opportunities, arising out of or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Platform or any dataset record.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Scholar Data Team and their collaborators and institutions from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the Platform, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights.

13. Third-Party Services

The Platform integrates with and links to third-party services and data sources, including DataCite, EMDB, OpenAlex, Make Data Count, F-UJI, Software Heritage, and Hugging Face. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, policies, or practices of any third-party services. Your use of such services is subject to their own terms and policies.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do so, we will update the "last updated" date below. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us through our contact form. You may also report technical issues or feature requests via our GitHub repository at data-S-index/web-app.