The policy covers registered researchers and authors; peer reviewers; editors and editorial administrators; organization and institution administrators; visitors browsing public content; and institutional or industry partners interacting with published records or organization profiles.

It applies to data processed through Inquisra websites, applications, APIs, support channels, and integrated third-party services configured to operate the Platform. It does not govern third-party websites linked from Inquisra unless those services are expressly identified as processors acting on Inquisra's behalf.

Where institutional agreements or data processing addenda exist with universities or research organizations, those agreements supplement this charter for covered activities.

Account information includes name, email address, authentication identifiers from Clerk, account role, and security settings. Profile information includes biographical text, photo, education, employment, research interests, languages, opportunities preferences, and visibility choices.

Professional identity data includes ORCID identifiers and linked metadata, institutional affiliations, verification status, badges, publications attributed on profiles, and public researcher page content you choose to display.

Research and publication data includes manuscript files, abstracts, metadata, datasets, figures, supplementary materials, source code uploads, submission declarations, conflict and AI disclosures, peer review assignments and reports, editorial decisions, correction history, and published outputs.

Operational data includes support requests, correspondence with Inquisra staff, billing and subscription records processed through Stripe, payment status synchronized to the platform, and technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, session identifiers, and security logs.

Draft manuscripts, in-progress submissions, and private supplementary files are stored in private storage accessible only to the author, authorized co-authors, and editorial workflow participants with role-based need. They are not indexed for public search.

Datasets, figures, and source code uploaded as part of a submission inherit the confidentiality of the parent workflow until publication or explicit author release. Reviewer reports and editorial decision records are visible to authorized editors and, where policy permits, to authors — but not to the public except in open-review models clearly labeled as such.

Researchers should not upload identifiable human subjects data, protected health information, or legally restricted materials unless they have lawful basis, ethics approval, and technical safeguards appropriate to sensitivity. Inquisra provides infrastructure controls but authors remain responsible for compliance with IRB, GDPR, HIPAA, and institutional requirements.

Public researcher pages may display publications, education, employment, research areas, projects, and verification badges according to your settings. Unlisted or private profiles limit discovery while preserving account functionality.

ORCID linking, when enabled, may synchronize identifiers and selected metadata through ORCID APIs subject to your authorization. Institutional affiliation claims may be subject to verification before badges are displayed.

Professional identifiers and affiliations help discovery and attribution. They are not shared with unrelated third parties for marketing purposes.

Uses include account authentication and authorization; manuscript submission and editorial workflow routing; peer review assignment and reporting; publication hosting and discovery; researcher search and collaboration features; identity and affiliation verification; customer support; billing and subscription management; fraud and integrity investigation; security monitoring; and compliance with legal obligations.

Aggregated, de-identified analytics may be used to understand platform performance and usage patterns without identifying individual researchers in external reports.

Inquisra does not use manuscript content to train public third-party artificial intelligence models. AI features, where offered, operate under the Responsible AI in Research & Scientific Publishing Charter.

Private drafts are visible to the author and authorized collaborators only. Submitted manuscripts enter confidential editorial processing visible to assigned editors, reviewers, and administrators — not to the public or unrelated users.

Peer review materials remain confidential in blind review models; reviewer identities may be revealed only where the review model and policy explicitly provide open or transparent review. Accepted and published works become part of the public scholarly record with metadata, trust signals, review labels, and disclosures designated for reader visibility.

Withdrawn or rejected submissions remain non-public unless authors choose to publish elsewhere. Retracted publications remain visible with retraction notices except where law requires restriction.

In single-blind and double-blind models, reviewer identities are withheld from authors and, in double-blind, author identities are withheld from reviewers to the extent technically feasible. Editors may know identities for assignment and conflict management.

Confidential manuscripts must not be shared outside the platform workflow without authorization. Editorial discussions, internal notes, and integrity investigations are accessible only to authorized editorial and administrative personnel.

Review history is preserved for editorial accountability and may be referenced in appeals or integrity cases under access controls.

Essential cookies and session tokens maintain logged-in state and protect against cross-site attacks. Security logging records authentication events and suspicious activity to protect accounts.

Analytics and performance monitoring may measure page load, error rates, and feature usage to improve reliability. Where non-essential analytics are used, Inquisra will provide notice and choices where legally required.

Users may control browser cookie settings; disabling essential cookies may impair platform functionality.

Clerk processes authentication data including email, name, and session information to secure account access. Supabase provides database, storage, and related infrastructure for application data including profiles, submissions, and publications subject to access policies configured by Inquisra.

Stripe processes payment card and billing information for subscriptions and submission fees; Inquisra receives payment status and customer identifiers, not full card numbers stored on Inquisra servers. Resend or comparable email providers deliver transactional and support email when configured.

Cloud hosting providers operate compute and network infrastructure. Analytics providers, when used, receive limited technical and usage data under contractual data protection terms. Inquisra selects processors with security practices appropriate to research platforms and limits data shared to what each service requires.

Measures include encryption in transit (TLS), authentication through Clerk, role-based access controls for editorial workflows, private storage for unpublished files, audit logging of sensitive editorial actions, backups for disaster recovery, and infrastructure monitoring.

Access to production systems is limited to authorized personnel with business need. Security practices evolve with threats and platform growth.

Users share responsibility for strong passwords, protecting credentials, and reporting suspected compromise promptly.

Researchers worldwide use the Platform. Data may be stored or processed in countries where Inquisra or its processors maintain infrastructure, including the United States and other regions where cloud providers operate.

Where the European Economic Area, United Kingdom, or other regions require transfer mechanisms, Inquisra relies on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses, processor agreements, and supplementary measures where assessed as necessary.

Institutions with specific data residency requirements should contact Inquisra to discuss available configurations and agreements.

You may request access to personal data Inquisra holds about you, correction of inaccurate profile or account information, export of data in available formats, and deletion of account data subject to exceptions for published scholarly records, audit logs, billing records, legal holds, and integrity investigations.

Profile visibility settings allow control over public researcher pages and discovery participation. ORCID and affiliation settings can be updated or disconnected according to product capabilities.

Requests may be submitted to privacy@inquisra.com. Inquisra will verify identity before fulfilling requests and respond within timeframes required by applicable law.

Account and profile data are retained while accounts are active and for a reasonable period after closure to support reactivation, disputes, and legal requirements. Unpublished drafts may be deleted upon account closure subject to export opportunities.

Editorial records, reviewer reports, and audit logs may be retained for extended periods to support appeals, integrity investigations, and accountability. Published content is retained as part of the scholarly record unless retracted or removed by law.

Billing records are retained as required for tax, accounting, and payment dispute resolution. Backup copies may persist for limited periods before overwrite.

Inquisra does not knowingly collect personal information from children under eighteen (18) or the age of majority in applicable jurisdictions. Accounts require eligibility attestation consistent with the Terms of Service.

If Inquisra learns that personal information from an ineligible minor has been collected without appropriate authorization, steps will be taken to delete the account and associated data except where retention is legally required.

Research involving minors as study subjects is governed by ethics and legal requirements on authors and institutions, not by child-directed platform services.

Incidents may include unauthorized access to accounts, exposure of confidential manuscripts, or compromise of infrastructure. Upon confirmation, Inquisra will contain the incident, assess scope, remediate vulnerabilities, and document lessons learned.

Notification to affected users and regulators will occur without undue delay where required by law and when the incident poses meaningful risk to individuals. Notifications will describe what occurred, what data may be involved, and recommended protective steps.

Researchers should report suspected incidents to privacy@inquisra.com promptly.

New features undergo review for data minimization, role-appropriate access, and alignment with this charter before release. Default settings favor confidentiality for unpublished research.

Public-by-default exposure of submissions, reviews, or profile fields is avoided. Researchers opt in to visibility rather than hunting for privacy controls after exposure.

Privacy impact of third-party integrations is assessed before deployment.

Material changes affecting researcher rights will be communicated through the Platform or email where practicable before the effective date. Version number, effective date, and last updated date appear at the top of this document.

Prior versions may be available on request to privacy@inquisra.com. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance where permitted by law.

Privacy Officer and data protection inquiries: privacy@inquisra.com. Include sufficient information to verify identity and describe your request.

General support and account assistance: /support or admin@inquisra.com.

Legal notices: legal@inquisra.com. Editorial governance and integrity matters affecting confidentiality: admin@inquisra.com with subject line Editorial Inquiry, referencing the Editorial Ethics & Publication Governance Charter where relevant.