Privacy Policy

1. About this policy

This Privacy Policy explains how OpenScholar-Web collects, uses, stores and processes information when you use the service.

OpenScholar-Web is operated by DVS Analytik, Ahikaura, Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh, India.

2. Information we may collect

Depending on the features you use, OpenScholar-Web may process information such as:

• account information, including your email address and authentication identifiers;
• researcher-profile information that you provide or manage;
• publication information and publication-management records;
• saved papers, collections, research notes, reading-related records and other research-workspace information;
• research alerts and alert preferences;
• search queries and information necessary to provide research discovery features;
• subscription plan, billing cycle, subscription status and related payment-reference information;
• support communications that you send to us; and
• technical, security and diagnostic information reasonably necessary to operate and protect the service.

3. Payment information

Payments for OpenScholar Scholar are processed through Razorpay or another payment provider identified at checkout.

Where payment credentials are entered directly into the payment provider's payment interface, OpenScholar-Web does not need to receive or store your full card number, CVV or similar sensitive payment credentials.

We may receive and retain information necessary to administer a subscription, such as payment or subscription identifiers, billing cycle, payment status, subscription status, transaction-related references and cancellation information.

4. How we use information

We may use information as reasonably necessary to:

• authenticate users and maintain accounts;
• provide scholarly search and research discovery services;
• maintain saved papers, collections, notes, alerts and other workspace features;
• provide and manage researcher-profile and publication-management features;
• administer Free and Scholar plans;
• verify payments and subscription status;
• process cancellation, billing and refund-related requests;
• provide customer support;
• prevent fraud, abuse and security incidents;
• diagnose technical problems and maintain service reliability; and
• comply with applicable legal obligations.

5. Research information and third-party sources

OpenScholar-Web uses scholarly information from external academic sources and services, which may include services such as OpenAlex and Crossref.

OpenScholar-Web may also use essential browser storage to maintain authentication and session continuity. This includes maintaining signed-in state for supported features and retaining locally stored information such as recent searches and recently viewed research items to improve usability on the device used to access the service.

OpenScholar-Web uses Supabase for authentication and related data services, and the browser may store a local Supabase authentication token to keep the user session available across refreshes and navigations.

When a user initiates subscription or payment processing, the Razorpay checkout script may be loaded from the Razorpay domain to support secure payment processing. OpenScholar-Web does not currently use advertising pixels or behavioural-advertising trackers.

Browser storage may be cleared through the user's browser settings. Clearing essential authentication storage may sign the user out or reset locally stored preferences, recent-search history and recently viewed items.

Researcher names, affiliations, publications, citation information and other scholarly metadata may therefore originate from public or third-party scholarly sources rather than directly from the individual concerned.

Third-party services operate under their own terms and privacy practices.

6. Service providers

OpenScholar-Web may use service providers to operate parts of the platform, including infrastructure, authentication, database, deployment, scholarly-data and payment-processing services.

Information may be processed by such providers where reasonably necessary to deliver their services to OpenScholar-Web.

7. Data sharing

DVS Analytik does not sell your personal information.

Information may be disclosed where reasonably necessary to service providers acting in connection with OpenScholar-Web, to process or verify payments, to protect the service and its users, to investigate fraud or abuse, or where disclosure is required by applicable law or lawful process.

8. Public researcher profiles

Certain researcher-profile or scholarly information may be displayed publicly when a feature is designed to create or display a public researcher profile or public scholarly record.

Users should avoid placing private, confidential or sensitive personal information in fields intended for public display.

9. Data retention

Information is retained for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the service, maintain account and subscription records, resolve disputes, prevent fraud, meet legitimate operational needs and comply with applicable legal obligations.

Different categories of information may require different retention periods.

10. Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures intended to protect information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or loss.

However, no internet service, transmission method or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

11. Your choices and requests

Depending on the relevant feature and applicable law, users may be able to update certain account or profile information through OpenScholar-Web.

You may also contact us regarding reasonable requests concerning your personal information, including correction, account-related questions or deletion requests where applicable.

Some information may need to be retained where required for legitimate billing, fraud-prevention, dispute, security or legal purposes.

12. Browser storage, cookies and similar technologies

OpenScholar-Web uses browser storage for functional purposes. This may include maintaining authentication sessions and supporting features such as search history, recently viewed research and other research-workspace preferences or state.

OpenScholar-Web does not currently use advertising cookies or third-party behavioural advertising or analytics trackers.

Third-party services used when you choose to access particular functionality, such as payment processing through Razorpay, may use cookies, browser storage or similar technologies in accordance with their own privacy and security practices.

If OpenScholar-Web later introduces non-essential analytics, advertising or similar tracking technologies, this policy and any consent mechanism required by applicable law may be updated before or when those technologies are introduced.

13. Children

OpenScholar-Web is intended primarily for researchers, students and academic users. The service is not specifically directed to young children.

If we become aware that personal information has been collected in a manner that requires deletion or other action under applicable law, we will take reasonable steps to address it.

14. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in OpenScholar-Web, service providers, business operations or applicable requirements.

The latest version will be published on this page with an updated date.

15. Contact

Operator: DVS Analytik
Owner: Suman
Address: Ahikaura, Chandauli, Uttar Pradesh, India
Privacy & Support Contact: suryakantmehta39@gmail.com