Posters.science

Terms of Use

These Terms of Use (the "Terms") govern your access to and use of Posters.science (the "Platform") and related services. By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.

Note: Posters.science is a platform for discovering and sharing scientific posters. The Platform does not host poster files directly - it provides metadata, previews, and links to posters archived in external repositories such as Zenodo. The Platform is designed to support responsible sharing and reuse of scientific posters in accordance with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles.

1. Definitions

For the purposes of these Terms:

  • "Posters.science" or "Platform" means the open platform for discovering, sharing, and indexing scientific posters, operated by the FAIR Data Innovations Hub.
  • "Services" means all functionality provided through the Platform, including poster discovery, poster submission, metadata browsing, and related tools.
  • "User", "you" means any individual or entity that accesses or uses the Platform.
  • "Poster Record" means a poster submission consisting of metadata, a poster.json file, and a link to the poster archived on an external repository.
  • "Contributor" means a User who submits a poster to the Platform.
  • "Auto-Indexed Poster Record" means a Poster Record that the Platform discovered and added automatically from an external repository, rather than one submitted by a Contributor.
  • "Claim" means a statement, made by a User through the Platform, that they are one of the authors of an Auto-Indexed Poster Record. A User who makes a Claim is a "Claimant".
  • "Public Profile" means an optional page, which a User chooses to make visible, that shows information about that User and the Poster Records they have submitted or claimed.

2. Eligibility and Accounts

By using the Platform, you represent and warrant that you are legally permitted to do so under applicable law and any institutional policies that apply to you.

Certain features of the Platform may require you to create an account. You agree to:

  • Provide accurate and up-to-date registration information;
  • Maintain the confidentiality of your login credentials; and
  • Be responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

3. Nature of the Service

Posters.science is designed to make scientific posters more findable, accessible, and reusable. The Platform:

  • Enables researchers to submit posters by uploading a PDF or image, reviewing AI-extracted metadata, and archiving the poster on Zenodo;
  • Automatically discovers and indexes poster records from external repositories using PosterSentry, an AI-powered verification model;
  • Generates a standardized poster.json file for each poster record, making posters machine-actionable and FAIR-compliant;
  • Allows authors to claim Auto-Indexed Poster Records and to list the posters they have submitted and claimed on an optional Public Profile;
  • Provides a browsable and searchable catalog of scientific poster records; and
  • Aligns with FAIR data principles to improve the long-term visibility and impact of scientific posters.

The Platform is under active development. Features may change, be added, or be removed without prior notice.

4. Poster Records and Access

4.1 Public Poster Records

All poster records on the Platform are publicly discoverable. Each record includes metadata, a poster.json file, and a link to the original poster file archived on an external repository (such as Zenodo). Access to and reuse of poster files is subject to the license specified on the corresponding poster record page and any terms set by the external repository.

4.2 Attribution and Citation

You agree to follow any citation or attribution instructions associated with a poster record, including citing DOIs or other identifiers provided on the poster record page.

4.3 Claiming Auto-Indexed Poster Records

If you claim an Auto-Indexed Poster Record, you represent that you are one of its authors. You agree and understand that:

  • You will only claim poster records that you authored or co-authored;
  • Claims are not verified when they are made. We may review any Claim, and we may remove a Claim at any time and without notice, including in response to a report from another User;
  • A Claim lists the poster record on your dashboard and, if you have one, your Public Profile. It does not transfer ownership of the poster record, give you the right to edit its metadata, or change the original poster, its license, or its record in the external repository;
  • Other authors may also claim the same poster record; and
  • You may remove your Claim at any time.

If you believe a poster record has been claimed by someone who is not one of its authors, or you would like an Auto-Indexed Poster Record corrected or removed, please contact us using the details in Section 15.

4.4 Public Profiles

You may choose to make your profile public. A Public Profile can be viewed by anyone and shows your name, affiliation, ORCID iD if you add one, short biography, the poster records you have submitted or claimed, and, if you choose to show them, the poster records you have liked. Your email address is not shown. You are responsible for the information you add to your Public Profile, and you may make it private again at any time. We may hide or remove Public Profile content that violates these Terms.

5. Contributor Responsibilities

If you submit a poster to the Platform, you agree that:

  • You are the author of the poster or have the necessary rights and permissions to share it;
  • You have the right to archive the poster on Zenodo and to make the associated metadata publicly available;
  • The poster and its metadata do not violate any third-party intellectual property rights, confidentiality obligations, or applicable laws;
  • You will provide accurate and complete metadata to support responsible discovery and reuse; and
  • You understand that your poster will be archived on Zenodo and that a poster.json file conforming to the Posters.science schema will be generated and made publicly available.

6. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Platform or Services to:

  • Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or institutional policies;
  • Upload or submit content you do not have the rights to share;
  • Upload or distribute malware, malicious code, or content that could harm systems or data;
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Platform or other users' accounts;
  • Interfere with or disrupt the normal operation of the Platform, including through excessive automated requests or scraping beyond what is reasonably necessary for research purposes;
  • Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or the origin of submitted content;
  • Claim poster records you did not author, or use Claims or a Public Profile to impersonate another person; or
  • Use the Platform in any way that could harm other users, contributors, or the scientific community.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Platform and Software

The Posters.science software, design, and infrastructure are made available as open source. The source code is available at github.com/fairdataihub/posters-science and may be used subject to the terms of the applicable license(s).

7.2 Poster Content and Metadata

Ownership and licensing of posters and associated metadata remain with the Contributors and/or their institutions. Each poster record may be subject to its own license, which is indicated on the poster record page. You agree to comply with such poster-specific terms when accessing or reusing poster content.

8. Privacy and Data Protection

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which describes how we collect, use, and protect personal information. Please review the Privacy Policy at /privacy.

9. Service Availability and Changes

We aim to provide a reliable service, but the Platform may experience downtime, maintenance windows, or technical issues. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time, with or without notice, including in response to security concerns, technical issues, or changes in funding or project scope.

10. Disclaimers

  • The Platform and all poster records are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.
  • We do not guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or suitability of any poster record or metadata for a particular purpose.
  • Automated metadata extraction is AI-assisted and may contain errors. Contributors are responsible for reviewing and correcting metadata before submission.
  • Auto-Indexed Poster Records are discovered automatically, and their metadata comes from the external repository they were found in. Claims and Public Profiles reflect information provided by Users, and we do not verify that a Claimant is an author of the poster records they claim.
  • To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no event shall the operators of Posters.science, the FAIR Data Innovations Hub, or their respective institutions, funders, employees, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, profits, or opportunities, arising out of or in connection with your use of or inability to use the Platform or any poster record.

12. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the operators of Posters.science and their collaborators and institutions from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your use of the Platform, your submission of poster content, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights.

13. Third-Party Services

The Platform links to and integrates with third-party services, including Zenodo for poster archiving. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, policies, or practices of any third-party services. Your use of such services is subject to their own terms and policies.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do so, we will update the "last updated" date below. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

Last updated: March 30, 2026

15. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms or about Posters.science, please contact us through our feedback form. You may also report technical issues or feature requests via our GitHub issues at github.com/fairdataihub/posters-science/issues.