Summary
- Encryption
- TLS 1.2+ in transit. AES-256 at rest. Applied to all uploaded documents and generated reviews.
- AI training
- Your content is never used to train AI models. This is a contractual term of every provider's commercial API, not a toggle in a dashboard.
- At AI providers
- Your text is sent over commercial and enterprise API contracts with no training on your content. Providers may briefly hold the request for up to 30 days for safety checks, kept separate from training systems and discarded after.
- Deletion
- User-uploaded documents can be deleted at any time from within the app.
- Account closure
- You can request full deletion of your account at any time. All uploaded data is purged within 90 days of account closure.
What happens to your manuscript
- 01
Upload
Your file uploads directly to encrypted cloud storage via a time-limited signed URL. It does not pass through our application servers.
- 02
Analysis
Document text is extracted and sent to AI providers via their commercial API to generate the review. No training on your content. Providers may briefly hold the request for up to 30 days for safety checks, kept separate from training systems and discarded after.
- 03
Delivery
The review is stored in your account, encrypted at rest. Access is limited to you and any organisation members you have authorised.
- 04
Deletion
You may delete your uploaded documents at any time from your workspace. Deletion in the application is immediate;
Legal requests
We share user content only when we are legally required to. We do not sell, license, or otherwise hand your content to third parties.
For the full vendor list, current certifications, and DPAs, see the Trust Center.
Questions from researchers
Does using Explore Science affect my ability to submit to a journal?
No. Uploading a manuscript to Explore Science does not publish, index, or post it anywhere. Your paper does not become a preprint and is not added to any external database.
Some journals require disclosure of AI-assisted review or editing. Where this applies, we recommend disclosing Explore Science's involvement in the required sections.
What about co-authors' contributions, unpublished data, or participant identifiers?
Everything in the document is treated identically: co-author text, unpublished data, and any identifiers. The same encryption, processing, and access controls apply throughout.
For human-subjects research we recommend de-identifying participant data before upload, in line with standard IRB practice.
Can I export my documents and reviews if I want to close my account?
Yes. Email [email protected].
Where is my data stored?
On Google Cloud, primarily in US and Australia regions, with encrypted backups. Institutional customers can arrange other primary regions on request.
Is the review process auditable for journal disclosure?
Where a journal requires AI-assistance disclosure, declare Explore Science's involvement in the required sections. If an editor needs to verify specifics of a review, they can reach us at [email protected].