PubSci:TOS

Version: 0.1 (pre-launch draft). Effective: upon PubSci's public launch. Last updated: 2026-05-26.

PubSci (pubsci.io) is an open academic journal operated by Mark Elliott, MD. It is currently run as a personal project; a nonprofit transition is planned. These terms govern your use of PubSci. Plain language throughout; if anything is unclear, ask.

PubSci is for adults (18 and older). By using PubSci, you represent that you are at least 18 years old. If you are between 13 and 17, do not use PubSci until a separate policy for that age group is published.

You need a Pharmacopedia (PCP) account to publish or review on PubSci. Reading requires no account.

PubSci is a publishing platform, not an editor. It does not evaluate the scientific merit of submissions before publication. It does not endorse, verify, or vouch for any paper, claim, or finding on the platform. Reviews and reputation scores are community signals, not PubSci's own judgments.

Your identity on PubSci is your Pharmacopedia (PCP) account, which you manage at pharmacopedia.wiki. Your PubSci pen name is a pseudonymous handle you register on first use. Once set, your pen name is permanent and cannot be changed.

You are responsible for activity that occurs under your pen name.

License. All papers, reviews, annotations, and comments you publish on PubSci are released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY 4.0). By submitting content, you grant this license irrevocably to the public. You confirm you have the right to license the content this way. You retain copyright; you are simply licensing it openly.

Permanence. Published content stays published. Papers are not removed because someone disagrees with them, because they turn out to be incorrect, or because you later regret publishing them. An author may request a retraction notice, which posts a visible banner on the paper; the paper itself and all associated reviews remain accessible.

Accuracy of disclosures. The AI use, conflict of interest, null results, and preprint declarations on the submission form are on your honor. PubSci does not verify them. Deliberately false disclosures may result in a scarlet-letter flag on your paper.

What you may not submit. The content policy at PubSci:ContentPolicy governs what PubSci accepts. The short version: PubSci accepts nearly everything. The only mandatory removal triggers are US legal-floor violations (child sexual abuse material under 18 U.S.C. § 2256; clear and imminent incitement to violence under the Brandenburg standard) and platform-floor violations (content with no genuine communicative purpose; overtly dehumanizing hate speech; pornography without identifiable academic purpose). Everything else -- fringe science, heterodox opinion, fabricated or plagiarized work, controversial findings -- is hosted and subject to community review.

You may encounter content on PubSci that is wrong, offensive, or upsetting. PubSci does not screen content before publication. The review system is the mechanism for community response; it is not a guarantee of quality.

Admins may apply a permanent public flag ("scarlet letter") to papers or reviews for serious policy violations that do not reach the legal floor -- confirmed fabrication, plagiarism, coordinated harassment. The flag is permanent and publicly visible. It does not remove the content.

PubSci respects intellectual property rights. To submit a DMCA takedown notice, email dmca@pubsci.io. Include: identification of the copyrighted work; identification of the infringing material and its URL; your contact information; a statement of good faith belief that use is unauthorized; a statement of accuracy under penalty of perjury; and your signature (physical or electronic). Counter-notices may be submitted to the same address. PubSci's designated agent is registered with the US Copyright Office.

PubSci's Privacy Policy at PubSci:Privacy applies. The short version: your pen name is pseudonymous (not publicly linked to your PCP identity); your vote direction is never attributed to you; your published work is permanent and public. If you close your account, the link between your pen name and your PCP identity is severed; your published work remains attributed to a now-disconnected pen name.

PubSci is provided as-is. Mark Elliott, MD makes no warranties, express or implied, about the platform's availability, accuracy, fitness for any purpose, or the content published on it. Academic publishing infrastructure can fail; take your own backups of work in progress.

To the fullest extent permitted by California law, Mark Elliott, MD is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of PubSci or content published on it. PubSci's total liability for any claim is limited to the amount you paid to use PubSci in the twelve months preceding the claim (which is zero, since PubSci is free).

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in California.

When something material changes, it is announced on PubSci. The "Last updated" date at the top tracks the most recent change. Continued use after changes takes effect constitutes acceptance. If PubSci transitions to a nonprofit entity, these terms will be updated to reflect the new operator; the substance of your rights and obligations will not change without notice.

Questions about these terms: content@pubsci.io

DMCA notices: dmca@pubsci.io

Privacy questions: privacy@pubsci.io