Terms of Service

Effective Date: June 26, 2026  |  Last Updated: June 26, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Global Journal Club browser extension and website (collectively, the "Service"), operated by Global Journal Club ("we," "us," or "our"). Please read these Terms carefully before using the Service.

By installing the Extension, creating an account, or using the Service in any way, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Eligibility

The Service is intended for adults aged 18 and over. By creating an account, you represent that you are at least 18 years old. If you are under 18, you represent that you have obtained consent from a parent or legal guardian. The Service is primarily designed for researchers, academics, scientists, and other professionals engaged in scholarly work.

2. Accounts

2.1 Registration

You must create an account to use most features of the Service. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering and to keep your information up to date.

2.2 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at [email protected] if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.

3. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You must not:

• Post content that is defamatory, harassing, threatening, abusive, hateful, or discriminatory based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
• Spam, flood, or repeatedly post the same content across papers or groups.
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with a person, institution, or organisation.
• Post content that infringes any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.
• Use the Service to distribute malware, phishing links, or other malicious content.
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Service, other user accounts, or our infrastructure.
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to access the Service without express written permission.
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service or its servers.
• Use the Service for commercial advertising or promotional purposes without our express written consent.
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service.
• Post confidential, embargoed, proprietary, or otherwise non-public material — including unpublished manuscripts or data, peer-review communications, or anything you are bound to keep confidential — that you do not have the right to share.

4. User Content

4.1 Your Content

"User Content" means comments, notes, profile information, images, and any other material you submit to the Service. You retain ownership of your User Content.

4.2 Licence Grant

By submitting User Content, you grant Global Journal Club a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to store, display, and distribute your content as necessary to operate and provide the Service. This licence ends when you delete your content or account, subject to any copies made in backups or shared by other users.

4.3 Your Responsibility

You are solely responsible for your User Content and the consequences of posting it. We do not endorse any User Content or represent its accuracy or completeness.

4.4 Academic Integrity

You must not use the Service to plagiarise, misrepresent research findings, spread scientific misinformation, or engage in any activity that undermines academic integrity.

4.5 Your Rights to Post Content

By submitting User Content, you represent and warrant that:

• (a) you own the content, or have obtained all rights, licences, consents, and permissions necessary to post it and to grant the licence in Section 4.2;
• (b) your posting of the content does not infringe or violate any third party's intellectual property, privacy, publicity, contractual, or other rights;
• (c) the content does not disclose any confidential, embargoed, proprietary, or non-public information — including unpublished research, data, or manuscripts, peer-review materials, or information subject to a confidentiality or non-disclosure obligation — that you are not authorised to share; and
• (d) your posting complies with all applicable laws and with any embargoes, policies, or agreements that apply to you or to the underlying material.

You must not post content you do not have the right to share. If you are unsure whether you have that right, do not post it.

5. Content Moderation

5.1 Our Rights

We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, review, edit, or remove any User Content that we determine, in our sole discretion, violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate.

5.2 Reporting

If you encounter content that you believe violates these Terms, please report it through the in-extension feedback form or by emailing [email protected].

5.3 No Liability for User Content

We are not liable for any User Content posted by users. Our decision to moderate or not moderate any specific content does not waive our rights to act on similar content in the future.

5.4 DMCA / Copyright Infringement

If you believe your copyright is being infringed, please send a notice to [email protected] including: a description of the copyrighted work, the location of the infringing content, your contact information, and a statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorised.

5.5 Confidentiality and Rights Complaints

If you believe User Content discloses your confidential, embargoed, proprietary, or non-public information, infringes your rights, or was posted without the authorisation required to share it, you may request removal by emailing [email protected] with: (a) a description of the content and where it appears on the Service (e.g., the paper, group, or a link); (b) an explanation of the right or confidentiality obligation you believe has been breached, and your relationship to the material; (c) your contact information; and (d) a statement, made in good faith, that you believe the content was posted without authorisation or in breach of an obligation.

We will review such requests promptly and may remove or restrict access to the content at our discretion, including on an interim basis while we investigate. We may share the substance of your complaint with the user who posted the content. This process is in addition to the copyright process in Section 5.4.

6. Groups

Users may create and join groups organised around a lab, journal club, or research focus area. Groups allow members to tag their public comments so that other group members are notified about relevant discussion.

• Group owners and moderators are responsible for the content posted within their groups and for enforcing these Terms among group members.
• We reserve the right to dissolve any group that violates these Terms or that we determine is being used for harmful purposes.
• Group owners may transfer ownership or appoint moderators within the Service. We are not responsible for moderation decisions made by group owners or moderators.

7. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, software, graphics, and branding, is owned by Global Journal Club and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, or create derivative works from any part of the Service without our express written permission.

The academic papers you view through the Extension belong to their respective publishers and authors. Global Journal Club does not claim any rights over third-party papers. Discussions and annotations you create are your own User Content.

8. Privacy

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Service, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

9. Disclaimers

We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.
• The results obtained from using the Service will be accurate or reliable.
• Any defects in the Service will be corrected.

The Service is not a substitute for professional scientific peer review. Comments and annotations on the Service represent the views of individual users only and should not be relied upon as authoritative scientific opinion.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Global Journal Club and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages — including loss of data, loss of revenue, or loss of goodwill — arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us (if any) in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) USD $50.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or liabilities. In such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Global Journal Club and its operators from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your User Content; (b) your breach of these Terms, including the representations and warranties in Section 4.5; or (c) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party.

12. Account Termination

12.1 Termination by You

You may stop using the Service at any time by uninstalling the Extension. To request account and data deletion, email us at [email protected].

12.2 Termination by Us

We may suspend or permanently terminate your account without prior notice if:

• You materially breach these Terms.
• Your conduct causes harm to other users or the Service.
• We are required to do so by law or regulation.
• We decide to discontinue the Service.

12.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination — including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law — remain in effect.

13. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify you via email or through the Extension. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with applicable law. Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service shall be resolved through good-faith negotiation where possible. If you have a dispute you cannot resolve directly, you may contact us using the contact details below.

15. Contact

For questions about these Terms, please contact us: