Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Account Information

When you register, we collect your name, email address, institution, department, professional role, phone number (optional), and password (stored as a secure hash).

1.2 Research Data

We store paper titles, sections, phases, milestones, references, activity logs, collaborator relationships, and any notes or content you add to your research projects.

1.3 Chrome Extension Data

If you use the PaceReseacher Chrome extension, it reads metadata from academic pages you visit (title, authors, DOI, journal, publication date) only when you actively click to save a reference. This metadata is sent to your PaceReseacher account. The extension does not track your browsing history or collect data passively in the background.

1.4 ORCID Data

If you link your ORCID account, we store your ORCID iD and public profile data (name, institution, publications) to pre-fill your researcher profile.

1.5 Uploaded Files

CVs, affiliation letters, and profile photos you upload are stored securely on Cloudflare R2 object storage.

1.6 Usage Data

We log activity within papers (e.g. section status changes, collaborator joins) for the purpose of displaying an activity feed to project members. We do not collect browser telemetry, analytics, or advertising data.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

• Provide and operate the PaceReseacher platform
• Authenticate your identity and manage your session
• Enable collaboration features (inviting co-authors, sharing papers)
• Send transactional emails (invitations, deadline reminders, OTP verification)
• Display your profile to collaborators on shared papers
• Improve platform reliability and fix bugs

We do not sell your personal data, use it for advertising, or share it with third parties except as described in Section 3.

3. Data Sharing

We share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

• With co-authors and collaborators — your name, email, institution, and role are visible to other members of papers you collaborate on.
• Service providers — we use Resend (email delivery) and Cloudflare R2 (file storage). Each processes only the data necessary for their function.
• Legal requirements — if required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users.

4. Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored on a secured private server (Hetzner VPS) located in Europe, running PostgreSQL 16. We implement the following security measures:

• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt — never stored in plain text
• All traffic is encrypted in transit via HTTPS / TLS (Cloudflare)
• Sessions use signed JWT tokens with a 7-day expiry
• Database access is restricted to the application server only

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. If you request account deletion, we will delete your personal information within 30 days, except where retention is required by law. Research papers you contributed to will retain activity log entries (anonymised) for the benefit of remaining collaborators.

6. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction — update your profile information at any time via your profile page
• Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated data
• Portability — request an export of your research data

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected].

7. Cookies

We use only essential cookies:

• pr_token — your authentication session (httpOnly, 7-day expiry)

We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics.

8. Children's Privacy

PaceReseacher is designed for medical and academic professionals and is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email or by a notice on the platform. Continued use of PaceReseacher after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us: