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ScholarLetters legal

Policies and important information

Privacy and Cookie Notice

Last updated: 20 September 2026

1. Who controls your information

ScholarLetters is a trading name operated by Chung Yin Tsang, a sole trader established in the United Kingdom (the “operator”, “we”, “us”). Contact: [email protected].

2. Information we process

Account information, including your email address, user identifier and authentication records.
Your research fields, keywords, daily-paper setting, recommendation history, saved papers and saved explanations.
Membership information, such as Stripe customer/subscription identifiers, plan, trial and payment status. Stripe processes card and payment details; ScholarLetters does not store complete card numbers.
Technical and security information, including IP address, request timing, security-check results, browser/session information and service logs.
Content sent for AI functions: a paper title and abstract for summaries, or a selected phrase and surrounding paper context for explanations.
Messages you send to customer support.

3. Why we use it

We use this information to provide and secure ScholarLetters, personalise daily papers, save your choices, administer subscriptions, prevent repeated trials and abuse, respond to support requests, meet legal/accounting duties and improve reliability. Our principal UK GDPR bases are performance of our contract, legitimate interests in operating and protecting the service, and compliance with legal obligations. Where consent is legally required, we will ask for it separately.

4. Providers and disclosures

We use service providers including Supabase (accounts and database), Stripe (checkout, billing, fraud prevention and tax-related transaction information), Google Gemini (AI summaries and explanations), OpenAlex (academic search), Cloudflare Turnstile (bot and abuse prevention), our hosting provider, and transactional-email providers when configured. Keyword searches are sent to OpenAlex without your ScholarLetters user identifier. AI inputs are sent to Google when you request an AI feature. We may also disclose information where legally required or to protect users and the service.

5. International transfers

Some providers process information outside the UK. Where UK data-protection law requires it, we rely on an adequacy decision or approved contractual safeguards. Provider privacy terms also apply to their processing.

6. Retention

We retain account and preference data while your account is active and for a reasonable period needed for security, disputes and recovery. Billing and transaction records may be kept for the period required by tax and accounting law. Shared AI caches may retain a generated summary or contextual explanation without your account identity so another request can reuse it. You may request deletion; some records may be retained where the law requires it or where necessary to establish or defend legal claims.

7. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, erase, restrict or object to processing, and to receive a portable copy of certain information. Email us to exercise a right. UK users may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

8. Cookies and local storage

ScholarLetters currently uses browser local storage and similar strictly necessary technology for sign-in sessions, security, daily-edition caching, interface state and feature onboarding. We do not currently use advertising or analytics cookies. If non-essential analytics or advertising technology is introduced, we will update this notice and request consent where required.

9. Security and changes

We use access controls, encryption in transit, rate limits and security checks, but no online service can promise absolute security. We may update this notice as the service or law changes and will show a new effective date.

Terms of Service

Last updated: 20 September 2026

These terms form an agreement between you and Chung Yin Tsang, trading as ScholarLetters. Contact: [email protected].

1. The service

ScholarLetters is a research-discovery service that searches third-party academic data and presents selected papers, abstracts and optional AI-generated summaries or explanations. It does not provide medical, scientific, legal, investment or other professional advice. Always consult the original paper and an appropriately qualified professional before relying on information.

2. Accounts

You must provide accurate information, keep your login secure and have legal capacity to enter this agreement. You are responsible for activity performed through your account. Notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access.

3. Free and Plus access

Free functionality and Plus functionality are described on the membership page. We may improve or change features, search sources and reasonable usage limits. Material reductions to a paid service will not remove mandatory consumer remedies.

4. Acceptable use

You must not misuse, scrape, reverse engineer, disrupt or overload the service; evade limits, payment or trial controls; create accounts fraudulently; upload malicious material; or use ScholarLetters in violation of law or third-party rights. Automated or resale use requires written permission.

5. Papers and third-party material

Paper titles, abstracts, links, journal information and other academic metadata come from third parties and may be incomplete, delayed or inaccurate. Rights in papers and third-party content remain with their respective owners. Access to linked full text may be subject to publisher terms or payment.

6. AI features

AI output can omit context, misunderstand research or state incorrect information. It is generated for convenience, is not peer reviewed and must be checked against the original paper. Do not submit confidential, personal, patient-identifiable or otherwise sensitive material for explanation.

7. Availability

We aim to provide a reliable service but do not guarantee uninterrupted availability, a fixed number of eligible papers for every field, or continued availability of any external source. Maintenance, provider limits and events outside our reasonable control may interrupt service.

8. Suspension and termination

We may restrict or suspend access where reasonably necessary for security, suspected fraud, non-payment, material breach or legal compliance. You may stop using the free service at any time and may manage a Plus subscription through the membership page.

9. Liability

Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, or your mandatory consumer rights. Subject to that, ScholarLetters is not responsible for decisions made from papers or AI output, third-party sites, or losses that were not reasonably foreseeable when the contract was formed.

10. Governing law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales. If you are a consumer elsewhere, you retain any mandatory protection and court rights provided by the law of your habitual residence.

11. Changes

We may update these terms. Material changes affecting an active paid subscription will be communicated reasonably in advance where required. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance only to the extent permitted by law.

Subscription, Cancellation and Refund Policy

Last updated: 20 September 2026

Free trial

Eligible new customers may receive one seven-day ScholarLetters Plus trial. A payment method is required. Trial eligibility is limited to one trial per account and one trial per payment-card fingerprint. Unless cancelled during the trial, the monthly subscription automatically begins and Stripe charges $2.99, plus any tax shown at checkout, when the trial ends.

Renewal

ScholarLetters Plus costs $2.99 per month, plus any tax shown at checkout, and renews automatically each month until cancelled. The checkout page shows the currency, total amount and next charge timing before you confirm payment. We will provide any renewal reminder required by applicable law.

Cancellation

You can cancel through Membership → Manage subscription. Cancelling during a free trial ends Plus access immediately. Cancelling an already-paid monthly subscription stops future renewal while Plus access continues until the end of the paid billing period, unless the law requires a different result.

Refunds and statutory rights

Payments are non-refundable and we do not provide refunds or credits for partially used billing periods, except where required by applicable law. This policy does not limit cooling-off rights, remedies for a service not supplied with reasonable care and skill, or any other mandatory consumer right. To exercise a statutory right or report an incorrect or unauthorised charge, email [email protected].

Failed payments and price changes

If payment fails, Stripe may retry it and ask you to update your payment method. Plus access may be restricted when the subscription is no longer active. Any price change applies no earlier than the next renewal after legally sufficient notice; you may cancel before it takes effect.

Taxes

Displayed prices may be inclusive or exclusive of VAT, GST, sales tax or similar charges as stated at checkout. Taxes are determined using the customer and transaction information available to Stripe and ScholarLetters.