Terms of Service

About these terms

These terms describe in plain language how ENGRexpert works with clients and with visitors to this website. They are not legal advice. A project is governed by a separate written engagement agreement that states the scope, deliverables, timeline and fees.

Plain-language explanation: scope of services

The services described on this website are research-level technical analysis, modelling, data science and manuscript support. They are not certification, not regulatory submission, not licensed professional design and not legal, medical or financial advice. The practical meaning is that outputs are intended to support research and technical understanding. If a design will be built, a product certified or a clinical decision made, qualified professionals and accredited bodies must be involved.

Each engagement has a specific written scope that supersedes general statements on the website.

Plain-language explanation: genuine data and integrity

Clients are expected to provide genuine data and materials they are entitled to share. ENGRexpert will not fabricate or falsify data, results, citations or contributions, and may decline or stop work that would require it. This protects clients, journals and the scholarly record.

The research integrity pages explain the underlying principles and examples of requests that are accepted or declined.

Plain-language explanation: no guarantee of publication

Journals and their reviewers decide on publication. ENGRexpert does not guarantee acceptance, citation, indexing, impact or any metric. Statements on this website about improving clarity, structure or rigour describe what support aims to do, not outcomes that are promised.

Clients should treat any provider who offers guaranteed acceptance with caution.

Plain-language explanation: authorship and use of AI tools

Authorship decisions belong to the research team and institutions and must follow journal policy. Support provided by ENGRexpert is typically acknowledged rather than counted as authorship, unless it meets authorship criteria and all parties agree. If AI tools are used in a project, their use is disclosed in the proposal where relevant, and outputs are reviewed by a person. Clients should follow the target journal's policy on disclosure.

Plain-language explanation: intellectual property and confidentiality

These terms defer ownership, licences and confidentiality to the project agreement. In practice, an agreement should say who owns client data and manuscripts, what licence the client receives to deliverables such as scripts and models, whether the provider may keep general know-how, how long confidential material is retained and how it is returned or deleted. These points are best settled in writing before work starts and with legal advice.

Plain-language explanation: fees, revisions and liability

Fees, payment terms and the number of included revision rounds are stated in each quotation. Limitation of liability and governing law, where relevant, are set out in the written engagement agreement because they depend on the jurisdiction and the parties involved.

Plain-language explanation: use of the website

Website content is general information and educational material. It is flagged for expert review, may contain errors and may become outdated. It must not be relied on as project-specific advice or as a substitute for standards, regulations or professional judgement. Links to external sites are provided for convenience, and ENGRexpert is not responsible for their content.

If you notice an error, use the contact page to report it.

Practical notes on client agreements

A good project agreement is short, specific and readable. It names the parties, describes deliverables and timeline, sets fees and payment terms, states revision limits, defines ownership and confidentiality, includes an integrity clause, covers use of third-party tools, lists data handling and deletion, and says how disputes are resolved. It should also state that no publication outcome is guaranteed.

Using a plain-language agreement helps clients from different countries understand their obligations.

Questions and corrections

If you have questions about these terms or notice something unclear or incorrect, please contact us through the contact page. We will review and, where appropriate, revise the text. Changes will be posted here with an updated date.

Illustrative engagement structure (not a contract)

Here is how an engagement is expected to flow in practice. The client describes the project; ENGRexpert proposes a scope; the client agrees in writing; the client provides data and materials; ENGRexpert performs the agreed work and shares drafts at checkpoints; the client reviews and gives feedback; deliverables are provided with documentation; a defined period is available for clarifications; files are returned or deleted. At each step the client remains responsible for decisions about their research, including authorship, claims and submission.

This outline is descriptive. The actual rights and obligations come only from the written agreement.

Responsibilities of the client

Clients are expected to provide accurate information, to hold the rights to share data and materials, to obtain ethical and other approvals, to review deliverables carefully, to comply with the policies of journals, institutions and funders, to declare conflicts of interest, and to pay agreed fees on time. Clients should not request activities that conflict with the integrity principles.

Failure to meet these responsibilities may delay or end an engagement.

Responsibilities of ENGRexpert

ENGRexpert is expected to describe services accurately, to perform work with reasonable skill and care within the agreed scope, to keep client materials confidential, to document methods and assumptions, to disclose limitations, to correct errors and to decline requests that conflict with integrity principles. It does not guarantee outcomes outside its control.

Scope, timelines and deliverables are defined in the written proposal.

Changes, cancellation and disputes

Scope changes should be agreed in writing, with adjustments to timeline and fees. Cancellation terms, including treatment of work already done, should be stated in the agreement. Disputes are best resolved by discussion first; the governing law and forum, where relevant, are set out in the written engagement agreement.

Both sides benefit from clear records of decisions.

Third-party services and tools

Projects may use third-party software, repositories or services. Their terms apply separately, and clients should check that using them is consistent with data protection, confidentiality and licence conditions. The proposal should name any third-party service that will process client data.

Mentions of tools on this website are examples and not endorsements.

Accessibility, availability and changes to the website

The website is provided as is for information. ENGRexpert may change or remove content, and availability is not guaranteed. Reasonable effort is made to keep the site accessible, but there may be errors. These terms may be updated, with the effective date shown on this page.

Frequently asked questions about these terms

Are these terms the project contract? No; a project is governed by a separate written engagement agreement that states scope, fees and timeline. Do these terms apply to every visitor? They describe the intended use of the website and services. Can I negotiate terms for a specific project? That is normal for engagements; send proposed changes at the scoping stage.

Where do I find the integrity principles? On the research integrity pages. Where do I find the data-handling description? On the privacy policy page, also a template. What if I disagree with a clause? Tell us before the work starts so that it can be discussed and recorded in writing.

Summary for busy readers

In short: the services are research support, not certification or professional sign-off; clients provide genuine data and keep responsibility for their research decisions; ENGRexpert does not fabricate anything and does not guarantee publication; and confidentiality and ownership are set in a written agreement.

This summary does not replace the clauses above and has no legal effect.