TERMS OF SERVICE
Effective Date: September 17, 2026
Last Updated: September 17, 2026
Welcome to Science Research Academy (“SRA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the Science Research Academy website, services, resources, and products.
By accessing our website, purchasing a service, submitting materials for review, or otherwise using SRA services, you agree to these Terms. If you are purchasing or using SRA services on behalf of a minor, you represent that you are the minor’s parent or legal guardian or are otherwise authorized to consent to these Terms on the minor’s behalf.
1. About Science Research Academy
Science Research Academy provides educational services designed to support authentic student research. Services may include expert review of student research, educational resources, professional development, research program consulting, project review partnerships, workshops, and related educational services.
SRA provides educational guidance and independent feedback. Unless expressly stated otherwise in a written agreement, SRA does not serve as a student’s school, research institution, research sponsor, laboratory, teacher, research mentor, Qualified Scientist, Designated Supervisor, Institutional Review Board (“IRB”), Scientific Review Committee (“SRC”), Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (“IACUC”), or other regulatory or approving body.
2. SRA Expert Review
SRA Expert Review provides independent feedback on student research at various stages of the research process.
Available services may include:
Research Idea Review
Research Plan Review
Research Paper Review
Research Poster Review
Research Presentation Review
Competition Ready Review
Other review services offered by SRA
The specific scope, deliverables, price, and expected turnaround for each service are described on the applicable service page at the time of purchase.
SRA may modify, discontinue, add, or change services and pricing at any time. Changes do not affect services already purchased unless agreed upon by SRA and the customer.
3. Nature of an Expert Review
An SRA Expert Review is an independent educational assessment based on the materials submitted by the customer.
Reviewers may identify strengths, scientific or methodological concerns, limitations, areas requiring clarification, questions for further consideration, communication issues, and recommended priorities or next steps.
SRA feedback represents the professional educational judgment of the assigned reviewer based on the information available at the time of review. Research frequently involves legitimate differences in scientific interpretation and professional judgment. Another educator, researcher, mentor, judge, institution, or competition may reach different conclusions.
SRA does not guarantee that every possible issue, error, compliance concern, methodological weakness, or other problem will be identified during a review.
4. Student Ownership and Academic Integrity
SRA services are intended to support—not replace—student thinking.
Students remain responsible for their own research decisions, research activities, writing, analysis, revisions, presentations, and submitted work.
SRA reviewers will not knowingly:
Conduct research on behalf of a student;
Fabricate, falsify, manipulate, or generate research data;
Write an entire research plan or paper for submission as the student’s own work;
Complete school or competition assignments on behalf of a student;
Misrepresent artificial intelligence-generated work as original student work;
Circumvent required research approvals or supervision; or
Assist with academic dishonesty or research misconduct.
Customers agree to use SRA services consistently with the rules of their school, institution, competition, research program, and other applicable organizations.
Use of SRA services is also subject to the SRA Academic Integrity Standard.
5. Research Rules, Safety, and Approvals
SRA may identify potential ethical, safety, regulatory, or competition-rule considerations when they are apparent from submitted materials. However, an SRA review does not constitute research approval or compliance certification.
Students are responsible for determining whether their research requires approval, supervision, documentation, or review from an IRB, SRC, IACUC, Qualified Scientist, Designated Supervisor, school, research institution, affiliated science fair, competition, or other authority.
Customers are responsible for obtaining all required approvals before beginning research when required.
SRA is not responsible for a customer’s failure to obtain required approvals or comply with applicable rules, laws, regulations, institutional policies, or competition requirements.
6. Customer Submissions
Customers are responsible for providing complete and accurate materials necessary to perform the purchased service.
By submitting materials to SRA, you represent that you have the right to provide those materials for the requested service.
You retain ownership of your original research materials. Submission of materials grants SRA a limited right to access, reproduce, transmit, and otherwise use those materials as reasonably necessary to provide the purchased service, maintain appropriate business records, ensure quality, and administer the service.
SRA does not acquire ownership of a student’s research merely because the work is submitted for review.
Customers should not submit information that is unnecessary for the review, including sensitive personally identifiable information about research participants.
7. Reviewer Assignment
SRA may assign reviews to experienced science research educators, researchers, scientists, statisticians, subject-area specialists, or other qualified members of the SRA Expert Network.
Reviewer assignments may consider subject area, project characteristics, reviewer expertise, availability, and other relevant factors.
SRA does not guarantee assignment to a particular reviewer unless explicitly agreed upon in writing.
8. Turnaround Times
SRA aims to deliver most standard Expert Reviews within five (5) business days after all required materials have been received.
Turnaround estimates are targets rather than guarantees unless a specific guaranteed deadline is expressly included in the purchased service.
The review period may not begin until SRA has received all information and materials reasonably necessary to complete the review. Delays caused by incomplete submissions, customer revisions, requests for additional information, technical issues outside SRA’s reasonable control, or other circumstances may extend delivery.
Customers with a competition or other fixed deadline are responsible for purchasing and submitting materials sufficiently in advance.
9. Competition Ready Review and Live Services
Certain services may include a live virtual consultation, mock judging session, workshop, or other scheduled component.
Customers are responsible for attending scheduled sessions at the agreed time.
Rescheduling requests should be made as early as reasonably possible. SRA may establish additional scheduling, cancellation, or rescheduling requirements for specific services.
A mock judging session is educational preparation and does not represent or reproduce the decisions of any particular competition or judging panel.
10. No Guaranteed Outcomes
SRA does not guarantee:
Approval of a research plan;
Eligibility for any competition;
Acceptance into any competition, program, institution, publication, or conference;
Advancement at a science fair or competition;
Awards, scholarships, rankings, or recognition;
Publication;
A particular grade or academic result;
Mentor acceptance;
Research success;
Particular experimental results; or
Any other academic, research, or competition outcome.
Purchasing an SRA service purchases the service and feedback described—not a particular outcome.
11. Educational Information, Not Professional Advice
SRA provides educational services.
Nothing provided by SRA should be interpreted as medical, legal, clinical, financial, engineering, regulatory, or other licensed professional advice.
When a research project involves specialized risks, regulated activities, human participants, animals, biological agents, hazardous materials, medical information, or other areas requiring professional oversight, students must work with appropriately qualified individuals and obtain applicable approvals.
12. Professional Development, Consulting, and School Services
Professional development, program consulting, Project Review Partnerships, and other institutional services may be governed by a separate proposal, statement of work, purchase order, contract, or written agreement.
Where such an agreement conflicts with these Terms, the specific written agreement governing that service will control to the extent of the conflict.
Scope, scheduling, deliverables, payment terms, cancellation provisions, travel expenses, intellectual-property rights, and other conditions may vary by engagement.
13. Educational Resources and Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise stated, SRA owns or licenses the website design, SRA branding, review frameworks, report formats, educational materials, guides, graphics, training materials, templates, and other original content provided through SRA.
Customers may use purchased or freely provided materials for their intended personal or authorized educational use.
SRA materials may not be reproduced, resold, republished, commercially distributed, uploaded to another commercial platform, or represented as another person’s or organization’s work without written permission from SRA.
Students retain ownership of their original student research.
14. Payments
Prices are displayed at the time of purchase unless services are provided pursuant to a separate quote, proposal, invoice, purchase order, or agreement.
Customers authorize SRA and its payment processors to charge the amount displayed or otherwise agreed upon.
Applicable taxes may be added when required.
15. Cancellations and Refunds
Purchases are subject to the SRA Return & Refund Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms.
Because Expert Review involves personalized professional services, refund eligibility depends in part on whether SRA has begun performing the purchased service.
16. Website and Service Availability
SRA works to maintain reliable access to its website and services but does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free availability.
SRA may temporarily suspend or modify portions of its website or services for maintenance, security, technical, operational, or other legitimate reasons.
17. Prohibited Use
Customers may not use SRA services to engage in fraud, plagiarism, research misconduct, academic dishonesty, unlawful activity, infringement of another person’s rights, attempts to obtain prohibited academic work, or other misuse inconsistent with these Terms or the SRA Academic Integrity Standard.
SRA may decline, suspend, or terminate services when it reasonably determines that a request conflicts with these standards.
18. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, SRA will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from use of SRA services.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, SRA’s aggregate liability arising from a particular purchased service will not exceed the amount paid to SRA for that service.
Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
19. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where applicable law requires otherwise.
Any dispute will be subject to applicable federal and New York law and any mandatory rights available to consumers under applicable law.
20. Changes to These Terms
SRA may update these Terms periodically. The current version will be posted on the SRA website with an updated effective or revision date.
Terms applicable to a purchase will generally be those in effect when the purchase is made, except where changes are required by law or agreed upon by the parties.
21. Contact
Questions regarding these Terms may be submitted through the contact information provided on the Science Research Academy website.
Science Research Academy
Expert Feedback. Stronger Research.