1. Who We Are

ScholarVault is operated by the Institute of Artificial Intelligence & Scientific Research (IAISR), a research institution based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. References to "ScholarVault", "we", "us", or "our" in this document refer to IAISR and its ScholarVault platform.

Contact: thescholarvault@gmail.com

2. What Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Email address (when creating a Gold or Institution account)
• Institution name and designation (Institution Plan only)
• Payment information (processed by third-party payment provider — we do not store card details)
• Conference URLs you submit for auditing
• Vault saves, notes, and preferences you store in your account

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and device type
• Pages visited and features used within ScholarVault
• Audit query history (URLs submitted)
• Session duration and usage patterns

2.3 Information We Do Not Collect

• We do not collect your full name unless you choose to provide it
• We do not collect passport, Aadhaar, or national ID information
• We do not track your activity on third-party websites

3. How We Use Your Information

4. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We share data only with:

• Payment processors (CCAvenue, Razorpay, or equivalent) to process subscriptions
• Cloud infrastructure providers for hosting and data storage
• Legal authorities when required by law or to protect rights

All third-party processors are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for the specified purpose.

5. Data Retention

We retain your account data for as long as your account is active. Audit query logs are retained for 24 months for platform improvement. Payment records are retained as required by Indian tax law (typically 7 years). You may request deletion of personal data at any time — see Section 7.

6. Cookies

ScholarVault uses essential session cookies to keep you logged in and remember preferences. We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking pixels. You can disable cookies in your browser but this may affect platform functionality.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to access, correct, export, or delete your personal data. To exercise any right, email thescholarvault@gmail.com with subject line "Data Request — [Your Email]". We will respond within 14 working days.

8. Security

We use industry-standard encryption (HTTPS/TLS) for all data in transit. Passwords are hashed and never stored in plain text. Payment data is handled entirely by our payment processor and never touches our servers.

9. Children

ScholarVault is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe a minor has created an account, please contact us immediately.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy periodically. Significant changes will be notified via email to registered users. Continued use of ScholarVault after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

1. ScholarVault as a Data Fiduciary

Under the DPDP Act 2023, any entity that determines the purpose and means of processing personal data is a Data Fiduciary. ScholarVault / IAISR is the Data Fiduciary for all personal data collected through scholarvault.iaisr.com.

We collect and process personal data for the specific, lawful purposes described in this document and our Privacy Policy. We do not process personal data beyond these stated purposes.

2. Grounds for Processing Personal Data

Under the DPDP Act, personal data may only be processed on lawful grounds. ScholarVault processes personal data on the following grounds:

3. Your Rights under the DPDP Act

As a 'Data Principal' (the individual to whom the personal data relates), you have the following rights under the Act, which ScholarVault fully supports:

3.1 Right to Information

You have the right to obtain a summary of the personal data being processed by us and the processing activities undertaken.

3.2 Right to Correction and Erasure

You have the right to correct, complete, or update your personal data. You also have the right to request the erasure of your personal data when it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

3.3 Right of Grievance Redressal

You have the right to have your grievances addressed by the Data Fiduciary. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India.

3.4 Right to Nominate

You have the right to nominate any other individual, who shall, in the event of your death or incapacity, exercise your rights under the Act.

4. Our Duties as a Data Fiduciary

In accordance with the Act, ScholarVault ensures:

• Accuracy: We take reasonable efforts to ensure personal data processed by us is accurate and complete.
• Security: We implement reasonable security safeguards to prevent personal data breaches (see Security section in Privacy Policy).
• Notification: In case of a breach, we will notify the Data Protection Board and affected individuals.
• Cessation: We stop retaining personal data as soon as the purpose of collection is solved or when consent is withdrawn.

5. Consent Manager

The DPDP Act introduces the concept of a 'Consent Manager'. ScholarVault will integrate with registered Consent Managers as and when the technical ecosystem for such managers is established by the Government of India.

6. Grievance Redressal

If you have any questions or grievances regarding the processing of your personal data under the DPDP Act, please contact our Data Protection Officer:

DPO Name: Legal Compliance Cell, IAISR
Email: thescholarvault@gmail.com
Address: Chennai, India

We will acknowledge your grievance within 48 hours and provide a resolution within 14 working days.

1. Current Plans & Pricing

2. Billing Cycle & Renewal

2.1 Gold Plan

Gold subscriptions are billed monthly on the date you first subscribed. Your subscription renews automatically unless you cancel. You will receive a renewal reminder email 3 days before each billing date. The renewal charge will appear on your statement as "IAISR SCHOLARVAULT".

2.2 Institution Plan

Institution Plan billing is governed by the signed service agreement. Standard billing is monthly on the 1st of each calendar month. Annual billing is available at a 10% discount — contact us for an annual invoice.

2.3 Failed Payments

If a payment fails, we will retry once after 3 days. If the retry also fails, your account will be downgraded to Free tier and your vault data preserved for 60 days. You may resubscribe at any time within this window without losing data.

3. Refund Policy

3.1 Gold Plan — 7-Day Refund Window

3.2 Institution Plan Refunds

Institution Plan refunds are governed by the signed service agreement. In the absence of a specific clause, the following applies:

• Cancellation within 7 days of first payment and before onboarding is complete: full refund
• Cancellation after onboarding: no refund for the current month; subscription ends at next billing date
• Technical failures that render the service unusable for more than 72 consecutive hours: pro-rated credit for downtime period

3.3 How to Request a Refund

Email thescholarvault@gmail.com with subject: "Refund Request — [Your Email]" and include your payment reference number, the date of charge, and the reason for your request. We will respond within 5 working days and process eligible refunds within 7 working days.

4. Cancellation

4.1 Cancelling Gold Plan

You may cancel your Gold subscription at any time from your account settings. Cancellation stops future renewals. You retain Gold access until the end of the current paid period. No partial refunds for unused days after the 7-day window.

4.2 What Happens to Your Data on Cancellation

5. Free Plan — Permanent Guarantee

The ScholarVault Free plan is permanently free. Unlimited conference URL audits and full 18-point breakdowns will always be available at no cost. This is core to our mission of protecting India's research community. We will provide 90 days notice and migration assistance if we ever change this commitment.

6. GST & Tax

All prices displayed are inclusive of applicable GST. IAISR is a registered entity under Indian tax law. A GST-compliant invoice will be issued for every paid subscription. Institution clients requiring specific invoicing formats for procurement purposes should contact thescholarvault@gmail.com.

7. Payment Methods

We accept UPI, credit/debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay), net banking, and wallet payments via our payment gateway. International Gold subscribers may pay by card or PayPal equivalent. We do not store payment card details — all payment processing is handled by our certified payment processor.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using ScholarVault at scholarvault.iaisr.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform. These terms apply to all users including free, Gold, and Institution plan subscribers.

2. Description of Service

ScholarVault provides automated academic conference integrity assessments using publicly available information. Our 18-point audit engine analyses conference URLs and returns trust scores and informational breakdowns. The service is provided by IAISR, Chennai, India.

3. Accounts and Registration

• Free tier use requires no account registration
• Gold and Institution plans require a valid email address and account creation
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials
• You must not share your account or allow multiple users to access a single individual account
• Institution Plan allows up to 10 named seats per subscription

4. Subscription Plans and Billing

4.1 Free Plan

The Free plan provides unlimited conference URL audits, full 18-point breakdowns, and 3 vault saves at no charge, permanently. No credit card is required.

4.2 Gold Plan

Gold is billed monthly at ₹199 (India) or $2.99 (international). Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled. You may cancel at any time; access continues until the end of the paid period.

4.3 Institution Plan

Billed monthly at ₹4,999. Annual billing available on request. Onboarding requires a signed agreement. Contact thescholarvault@gmail.com.

4.4 Refunds

We offer a 7-day refund on first-time Gold subscriptions if you have not used PDF report generation or CFP alerts. Institution plan refunds are governed by the signed service agreement. No refunds for partial months after the 7-day window.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Use ScholarVault for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or automate queries beyond normal use
• Submit URLs for purposes other than legitimate conference verification
• Use audit results to defame, harass, or make false claims against conference organisers
• Misrepresent audit results or fabricate ScholarVault scores
• Circumvent any technical restrictions or access controls

6. Intellectual Property

The ScholarVault name, logo, audit methodology, threat database, and all platform content are the exclusive property of IAISR. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without prior written consent. Audit reports generated for your account are licensed to you for personal or institutional use only — not for republication or commercial distribution.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

ScholarVault is provided "as is" and "as available". We do not warrant that audit results are complete, error-free, or current at all times. Conference information changes — a score reflects data available at the time of audit. ScholarVault scores are informational tools. They do not constitute legal, financial, or academic advice. Decisions to submit papers or pay registration fees are entirely your own.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Indian law, IAISR and ScholarVault shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the platform, including but not limited to financial loss from conference registration decisions made using ScholarVault data.

9. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms. You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Upon termination, your data will be handled per our Privacy Policy.

10. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of India. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

11. Contact

For any questions regarding these terms, contact thescholarvault@gmail.com.

1. What ScholarVault Publishes

ScholarVault publishes automated audit results derived from publicly available data about academic conferences. Our content includes trust scores, integrity breakdowns, verdict labels, and threat database entries. All published audit content is:

• Based on verifiable, publicly available signals
• Generated by our automated audit engine, not human editorial opinion
• Subject to update as new information becomes available
• Disputable through our formal Dispute & Score Review procedure

2. Verdict Labels — What They Mean

3. Language and Tone Standards

All content published by ScholarVault uses precise, neutral, evidence-based language. We do not use inflammatory language, personal accusations, or unverified claims. We describe observed signals, not intentions or character.

Examples of our language standard:

• We say: "Domain registered within 90 days of conference date" — not "the organiser created a fake website"
• We say: "Scopus indexing claim unverifiable against official Scopus database" — not "lying about Scopus indexing"
• We say: "Payment processor identified as high-volume reseller with limited dispute resolution" — not "scam payment gateway"

4. Prohibited Content

Users interacting with ScholarVault (via feedback, support, or community features) must not submit:

• Personal attacks on conference organisers or academic staff
• Unverified claims presented as fact
• Content that could constitute defamation under Indian law
• Spam, promotional content, or irrelevant submissions
• Any content that violates these guidelines or applicable law

5. Reporting Inaccuracies

If you believe any content on ScholarVault is factually inaccurate, use our Dispute & Score Review procedure. Disputes with verifiable supporting evidence are reviewed within 21 working days.

6. Enforcement

ScholarVault reserves the right to moderate, edit, or remove any user-generated content that violates these guidelines. Accounts that repeatedly violate these standards may be suspended.

1. Nature of Audit Results

ScholarVault uses an automated 18-point engine that analyses publicly available information including domain registration records, indexing claims, payment system transparency, refund policies, and venue documentation. Our scores reflect signals present at the time of audit.

Conference information changes. A score of "High-Risk" today does not mean the conference will always be high-risk. A score of "Safe" today does not guarantee the conference cannot become problematic after the audit date. We strongly recommend verifying critical information directly with the conference organisers and through official indexing databases before making payment decisions.

2. No Legal or Financial Advice

Nothing on ScholarVault constitutes legal, financial, academic, or professional advice. The platform is an informational tool only. We are not lawyers, certified financial advisors, or academic accreditation bodies. Decisions to submit papers, pay registration fees, or seek reimbursements are entirely your own responsibility.

3. Accuracy of Information

While we make every effort to maintain accurate, current data in our threat database and audit engine, we cannot guarantee completeness or absolute accuracy. Errors may exist. If you believe a specific data point in your audit is factually incorrect, please use our Dispute & Score Review procedure.

4. Third-Party Websites

ScholarVault audits analyse third-party conference websites. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of any conference website we audit. Links to external sites are provided for reference only.

5. No Endorsement

A positive trust score (Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Verified) from ScholarVault does not constitute an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation of any conference. It indicates that the publicly available signals at the time of audit did not raise integrity concerns.

6. Limitation of Responsibility

IAISR and ScholarVault are not responsible for any financial loss, academic setback, or reputational harm arising from reliance on audit results. The responsibility for verifying conference legitimacy before making payment or submission decisions rests with the researcher.

7. Changes to Scores

Trust scores may be updated as new information becomes available or our audit methodology improves. Historical scores are archived and may differ from current scores for the same URL. Always run a fresh audit before making a decision.

1. Who Can Request a Review?

Review requests are only accepted from verified representatives of the conference in question. Verification requires:

• An email from the official domain of the conference (e.g., info@conferencewebsite.com)
• Proof of authority (e.g., link to Organising Committee page showing the requestor's name)
• Specific identification of the data points believed to be inaccurate

2. Valid Grounds for Review

Reviews are conducted only on the basis of factual inaccuracies in the audit data. Valid grounds include:

• Incorrect domain registration date cited in the audit
• Failure of the engine to detect a valid Scopus/WoS/DBLP index (evidence required)
• Presence of a physical venue that was marked "unverifiable" (evidence of booking required)
• Documentation of a refund policy that was marked "missing"

3. The Review Process

Once a valid request is received at thescholarvault@gmail.com with the subject "Score Review Request [URL]":

• Phase 1: Verification (3 working days): We verify the requestor's identity and authority.
• Phase 2: Data Validation (7 working days): An independent auditor manually checks the specific points of dispute against the evidence provided.
• Phase 3: Final Determination (11 working days): We issue a final decision. If inaccuracies are found, the score is updated immediately. If the audit is found to be accurate, the score remains as is.

4. Finality of Decisions

Decisions made following a manual review are final and represent ScholarVault's definitive assessment of the conference's integrity signals at that point in time.

1. Manifestly Unlawful Content

ScholarVault will remove "manifestly unlawful" content upon receiving a valid notice. This includes content that is:

• Defamatory, obscene, or pornographic
• Infringes intellectual property rights (Copyright, Trademark)
• Violates any applicable law in India or the jurisdiction of publication
• Contains hate speech or promotes violence

2. How to File a Notice

Send a detailed email to thescholarvault@gmail.com with the subject "Official Takedown Notice". The notice must contain:

• Clear identification of the content to be removed (include URL/Screenshot)
• Evidence that the content is unlawful (e.g., link to your original copyright work)
• Your contact information and a statement under penalty of perjury that you are authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner
• Your digital signature

3. Processing Time

We acknowledge receipts within 48 hours and typically process takedown requests within 7 to 14 working days, depending on the complexity of the legal verification required.

4. Counter-Notices

If content you submitted was removed, you may file a counter-notice explaining why the content is not unlawful. We reserve the final right to determine platform content based on our Content Guidelines.

1. Proprietary Methodology

The 18-point Dynamic Audit Methodology used to calculate integrity scores is a proprietary analytical framework. Any attempt to reverse-engineer, replicate, or commercially exploit this methodology without written consent from IAISR is strictly prohibited.

2. Database Rights

The database of audited URLs, historical scores, and threat signals constitutes a protected database under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957. Unauthorized scraping, bulk downloading, or redistribution of this data is a violation of platform terms and legal statutes.

3. Permitted Use

Researchers and students are permitted to cite individual ScholarVault scores in academic papers, provided full attribution is given to ScholarVault by IAISR. Commercial entities (Publishers, Conferences) may display their score badge only after purchasing the licensed Gold Verification Plan.

4. Trademarks

ScholarVault®, the ScholarVault Logo, and IAISR™ are trademarks of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence & Scientific Research. Any unauthorized use of these marks is prohibited.

ScholarVault is part of our "Vision to Reality" initiative, providing automated solutions for complex verification problems in the global academic landscape.