Terms of Service

Last Updated: December 11, 2024

Welcome to RefExtract! By using our service, you agree to these Terms of Service. Please read them carefully.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using RefExtract, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our service.

2. Description of Service

RefExtract provides two main academic tools:

• Reference Search: Searches academic papers via OpenAlex database and formats citations in multiple styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, BibTeX)
• Smart Citation Assistant: AI-powered tool that analyzes your essay and automatically adds relevant academic citations with explanations

3. User Accounts and Authentication

You can create an account using:

• Google OAuth (sign in with Google)
• Email and password (with password reset via email)

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

4. Subscription Plans

4.1 Free Tier

• 3 reference searches per month
• 1 smart citation analysis per month (500 words max)
• No payment required
• Search history saved

4.2 Student Plan ($5.99/month)

• 50 reference searches per month
• Up to 400 smart citations per month (20,000 words/month limit)
• Search history saved
• Citation explanations included
• Monthly recurring subscription
• Can be cancelled anytime

4.3 Pro Plan ($19.99/month)

• Unlimited reference searches
• Up to 1,000 smart citations per month (50,000 words/month limit)
• Search history saved
• Citation explanations included
• Priority support
• Monthly recurring subscription
• Can be cancelled anytime

5. Payment Terms

All payments are processed securely through Stripe. By subscribing to a paid plan, you agree to:

• Pay the monthly subscription fee for your selected plan
• Automatic renewal each month until cancelled
• All fees are in USD and non-refundable except as required by law
• Prices may change with 30 days notice

6. Refund Policy

Due to the nature of our service (instant digital delivery), we generally do not offer refunds. However:

• If you experience technical issues preventing service use, contact us within 7 days
• Refunds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis
• Unused searches and citations do not roll over to the next month
• Monthly limits reset 30 days after your subscription start date

7. Acceptable Use

You agree NOT to:

• Use the service for any illegal purposes
• Attempt to bypass usage limits or restrictions
• Reverse engineer or copy our service
• Share your account with others
• Use automated tools to abuse the service
• Resell or redistribute search results or citations commercially
• Create multiple accounts to circumvent usage limits
• Submit copyrighted content you don't have rights to

8. Data Collection and Usage

By using RefExtract, you acknowledge that:

• We collect and store your account information (email, name, profile picture if using Google)
• Your search history and citation history are stored in our database
• Usage statistics are tracked to enforce tier limits
• Essay content submitted for smart citations is processed but not permanently stored
• This data persists across sessions and devices
• You can request deletion of your data at any time

9. Academic Integrity

RefExtract is a citation tool, not a replacement for proper research. You are responsible for:

• Verifying the accuracy of all citations
• Reading the actual papers you cite
• Following your institution's academic integrity policies
• Proper attribution in your work
• Ensuring citations are relevant to your research

10. AI-Generated Content

The Smart Citation Assistant uses OpenAI's GPT-4o-mini to analyze essays and suggest citations. Please note:

• AI suggestions should be reviewed for accuracy and relevance
• You are responsible for verifying all AI-generated citations
• Citation explanations are generated automatically and may not be perfect
• We do not guarantee AI suggestions will always be appropriate for your specific use case

11. Service Availability

We strive for 99.9% uptime but cannot guarantee uninterrupted service. We are not liable for:

• Temporary service outages
• Third-party service failures (OpenAlex, OpenAI, Stripe, Railway)
• Force majeure events

12. Accuracy of Results

RefExtract aggregates data from OpenAlex and uses AI to suggest citations. We make reasonable efforts to provide accurate results, but:

• We do not guarantee 100% accuracy of citations or references
• Users must verify all citations before use
• We are not responsible for errors in source data from OpenAlex
• AI-generated suggestions may occasionally be irrelevant or inaccurate

13. Cancellation

You can cancel your subscription at any time:

• No cancellation fees
• Access continues until the end of your billing period
• No refunds for partial months
• Cancel through your dashboard or Stripe customer portal

14. Termination

We reserve the right to terminate or suspend access immediately, without prior notice, for:

• Violation of these Terms of Service
• Fraudulent payment activity
• Abusive or harmful behavior
• Excessive abuse of service resources

15. Rate Limiting and Security

To protect our service and all users:

• Authentication endpoints are rate-limited (5 attempts per 15 minutes)
• Password reset requests are limited (3 per hour)
• Search requests may be throttled during high traffic
• We reserve the right to block IP addresses showing abusive patterns

16. Intellectual Property

RefExtract and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by RefExtract and are protected by international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, RefExtract shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages resulting from your use or inability to use the service.

18. Disclaimer of Warranties

RefExtract is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

19. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Material changes will be communicated via:

• Update to the "Last Updated" date
• Notice on our website
• Email notification (for paid subscribers)

20. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United Kingdom, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

By using RefExtract, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to these Terms of Service.