Terms of Use

Last updated: September 2026

These Terms of Use form an agreement between you and Mahesh Kumar, who currently develops and operates ScholarList as an individual. They govern your access to and use of the website at scholarlist.org, including its researcher profiles, search functionality, WatchLists, ReadingLists, and related features (together, the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Service.

Who can use ScholarList

You must have an ORCID account to create a ScholarList account. Anyone may browse public parts of the Service, such as researcher profiles and public ReadingLists, without an account. You agree to use the Service only in ways that are lawful and that do not impersonate another person or misrepresent your affiliation with any researcher or institution.

What ScholarList is

ScholarList is a research discovery and tracking tool. It helps you find researchers, follow the ones you care about, and organize saved publications. ScholarList is not a university, publisher, funding body, or academic credentialing authority, and it does not evaluate or certify the quality, reputation, or accuracy of any researcher's work.

ScholarList may change, add to, or discontinue features at any time, including data sources, synchronization schedules, or particular functionality. Where a change would significantly affect how you use the Service, we will try to give reasonable notice.

Researcher data comes from third parties

Researcher profiles on ScholarList are built from publicly available information obtained from ORCID, OpenAlex, Crossref, and DataCite. This information may be incomplete, outdated, duplicated, or occasionally incorrect, since it originates from those sources rather than from ScholarList itself. A researcher's appearance on ScholarList does not mean that researcher has registered with, reviewed, or endorsed ScholarList in any way.

Citation counts, h-index values, and similar bibliometric figures shown on ScholarList come from OpenAlex and depend on that service's own coverage and methodology. Different databases often produce different numbers for the same researcher. You should not treat any single figure on ScholarList as a complete or authoritative measure of a researcher's academic standing, and you should independently verify information before relying on it for decisions such as hiring, funding, admissions, or publication.

If a researcher's own ORCID record changes, ScholarList's copy will update the next time that profile is synchronized. To correct the underlying record itself, changes should be made directly through ORCID, OpenAlex, Crossref, or DataCite, whichever source the information came from.

ORCID and other third-party services

ScholarList uses ORCID exclusively for account sign-in and researcher identification. ORCID is an independent organization, and ScholarList is not owned, operated, or endorsed by ORCID. Your use of ORCID's own sign-in service is governed by ORCID's own terms. ScholarList never receives or stores your ORCID password. If ORCID, OpenAlex, Crossref, or DataCite change, restrict, or discontinue the services or APIs that ScholarList relies on, some ScholarList features may be affected, and ScholarList is not responsible for those third-party changes.

Your account

Signing in with ORCID creates a ScholarList account tied to your ORCID iD. You are responsible for keeping your ORCID account secure, since that is how ScholarList authenticates you. If you believe your account has been accessed without your permission, please contact us as soon as possible.

You may delete your account at any time from Settings. Deletion is scheduled with a thirty-day grace period, during which signing back in with ORCID will fully restore your account. After that period, your account and associated data are permanently removed, as described in our Privacy Policy.

WatchLists, ReadingLists, and public lists

ScholarList lets you follow researchers, organize them into custom WatchLists, save papers, and organize those papers into custom ReadingLists. These are personal organizational tools, and you are responsible for what you choose to save or name within them.

If you choose to make a ReadingList public, anyone with the link can view it without signing in, and it may be found by search engines or copied by visitors before you remove it. Please do not place confidential, sensitive, or private information into a public ReadingList. Deleting a public list from ScholarList does not guarantee the removal of any copies others may already have made.

You retain ownership of the content you add to lists, such as list names and descriptions. By making a ReadingList public, you allow ScholarList to display it to other visitors for as long as it remains public. You may make it private or delete it at any time.

Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to another user's account or to ScholarList's systems
• Circumvent rate limits, authentication, or other access controls
• Scrape, bulk-download, or systematically extract data from ScholarList beyond normal individual browsing
• Upload malicious code or attempt to disrupt or overload the Service
• Use ScholarList to harass, defame, or misrepresent any researcher or user
• Use the feedback or contact forms to send spam or unsolicited advertising

If we find that an account has violated these Terms, we may restrict, suspend, or remove the account. Where practical, we will try to let you know why.

Intellectual property

The ScholarList name, design, and original code are the property of its developer. We grant you a limited, personal license to use the Service for its intended purpose; you may not copy, resell, or build a competing service from ScholarList's own design or software. Researcher data, publication metadata, and other third-party content displayed on ScholarList remain the property of their respective sources, including ORCID, OpenAlex, Crossref, and DataCite, and are shown here under the terms of their respective public APIs.

Copyright concerns

If you believe that content displayed on ScholarList infringes a copyright you hold, please contact us through the form linked in the footer with enough detail to identify the material and your claim, and we will look into it. Because ScholarList is a small, independently run project, we do not currently maintain a formally registered copyright agent under any specific national safe-harbor scheme, and we handle reports on a good-faith, case-by-case basis.

No warranty

ScholarList is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE OR ANY RESEARCHER DATA, CITATION COUNT, OR OTHER INFORMATION DISPLAYED THROUGH IT WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, UNINTERRUPTED, OR ERROR-FREE. Nothing in this section excludes any warranty that cannot lawfully be excluded under the law that applies to you.

Limitation of liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SCHOLARLIST AND ITS DEVELOPER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA, OPPORTUNITY, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING DAMAGES RESULTING FROM INACCURATE RESEARCHER DATA, THIRD-PARTY SERVICE OUTAGES, OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO YOUR ACCOUNT. Since ScholarList is provided free of charge, our total liability to you for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Nothing in this section limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited, such as liability arising from fraud or wilful misconduct.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold ScholarList and its developer harmless from claims, losses, or expenses arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Service, or content you submit, except to the extent a claim arises from ScholarList's own fraud or wilful misconduct.

Ending your access

You may stop using ScholarList and delete your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate access where we reasonably believe an account has seriously or repeatedly violated these Terms, poses a security risk, or where required by law. Provisions which by their nature should continue after your account ends, such as those covering intellectual property, disclaimers, and limitation of liability, remain in effect.

Your rights under local law

Nothing in these Terms is intended to remove any right that cannot be waived under the law that applies to you, including consumer protection or data protection rights available where you live.

Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time as ScholarList evolves. Material changes will be reflected by updating the date at the top of this page. Continued use of the Service after an update takes effect means you accept the revised Terms, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of India, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory local law provides otherwise for users located elsewhere. If ScholarList is later operated by an incorporated legal entity, this section will be updated accordingly.

General

If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining parts continue to apply. Our failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of it. These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the entire agreement between you and ScholarList regarding the Service.

Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent using the contact form linked in the footer of any page.