Introduction

Preprint Watch is a global initiative designed to detect and prioritize early-stage scientific research by monitoring, classifying, and contextualizing preprints once they become available online. We operate in service of research integrity, institutional foresight, and transparent scientific advancement. This Information Policy articulates our commitments and protocols regarding the handling of user data, intellectual property, algorithmic outputs, and content governance. It reflects prevailing global regulations including, but not limited to, the GDPR (EU), the UK Data Protection Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the OECD Principles on AI. We aim to advance standards, in line with our role as a scientific knowledge infrastructure provider.

Our Identity

Preprint Watch is developed and maintained by KNOWDYN, a UK-based metascience powerhouse. Our primary domain is https://preprintwatch.com.

Personal Data and Its Use

When individuals interact with Preprint Watch, limited personal data may be collected, including identifiers submitted via contact forms, comment systems, and account interfaces (where applicable). We process this data solely to facilitate functionality, ensure platform security, and respond to user requests. Preprint Watch does not profile users, sell user data, or use personal data for behavioral targeting. Our data systems are structured to minimize retention, ensure accuracy, and enforce purpose limitation.

Certain visitor metadata—such as IP addresses and browser signatures—may be retained temporarily in order to prevent abuse and enhance system reliability. Comments submitted to the site may be subject to automated spam detection systems. No user-submitted data is shared with third parties except in cases required by legal obligation or technical necessity (e.g., secure hosting services operating under contractual compliance).

We permit users to access, export, or request deletion of their data at any time, subject to verification and lawful exceptions.

Cookies and Browsing Context

Preprint Watch uses essential cookies for session management, user preferences, and limited anonymous analytics. These cookies do not track behavior across websites and are not used for commercial profiling. Visitors may configure their browsers to decline cookies; doing so may affect certain display features or login functionality. Any embedded third-party content (such as visualizations or article previews) behaves as if accessed directly from the source domain, and such interactions are governed by the respective provider’s policies.

Data Retention and Security

Data is retained only as long as necessary to serve its original purpose or to meet operational or legal obligations. For example, comments and their associated metadata may be retained for contextual integrity, while contact form submissions are deleted upon resolution unless archived for legal or contractual reasons. We use encrypted protocols, access-controlled systems, and infrastructure auditing to protect the integrity and confidentiality of stored data. Breaches, should they occur, are handled under GDPR Article 33 reporting obligations and appropriate national guidance.

Copyright and Intellectual Ownership

Preprint Watch analyzes public preprints—scientific manuscripts shared prior to peer review—distributed under open-access licenses such as Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0). These licenses permit reuse, adaptation, and redistribution provided proper attribution is given. Preprint Watch fully respects these licenses and does not claim ownership of any preprint documents. All attribution is preserved, and the intent of the authors is respected.

However, Preprint Watch generates its own intellectual output. This includes classification signals, summary annotations, curated alerts, epistemic role designations, and structured data products that describe or interpret the evolving state of scientific knowledge. These outputs are the result of proprietary algorithms, human-supervised editorial logic, and structured ontologies developed by KNOWDYN. As such, they constitute original creative and analytical works protected by copyright, database rights, and intellectual property statutes under UK law and international treaties.

No part of these outputs may be copied, resold, indexed, or integrated into derivative commercial platforms without express permission. Exceptions may be granted for non-commercial academic citation, referencing, or educational use, provided proper acknowledgment is given and integrity is preserved.

Relationship to Preprint Authors and Repositories

Preprint Watch is not a publisher, repository, or data custodian for original research. It does not host primary scientific manuscripts, nor does it mediate authorship disputes, licensing terms, or publication rights. All preprints analyzed by our system remain under the control of their authors and original repositories, and should be cited accordingly. Preprint Watch’s role is curatorial and interpretive, not archival or editorial in the formal sense.

Algorithmic Governance

Preprint Watch employs supervised machine reasoning to assess and classify research preprints. These processes are based on structured taxonomies rooted in the philosophy and sociology of science, and are designed to surface signals of scientific relevance and transformation—not to replace peer review, impose value judgments, or create reputational scores.

While we believe these classifications offer useful context, they do not constitute final judgments, endorsements, or criticisms. They are intended as early-stage epistemic signals. We continuously evaluate our models for bias, reproducibility, and epistemological robustness.

Jurisdiction, Changes, and Contact

This Information Policy is governed under the laws of England and Wales, without prejudice to rights under international conventions. We may revise this policy periodically to reflect legal changes, operational improvements, or public feedback. All revisions will be timestamped and published on the official site, and significant changes will be communicated via on-site notices or mailing lists.

For inquiries related to data protection, copyright licensing, or institutional partnerships, please contact: ipcontrol@knowdyn.co.uk