Participation Regulations & Conditions

Last updated: 10 July 2026

By registering and participating on the SCAPE platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to the following regulations and conditions.

1. Authorship & Contribution

1.1The minimum requirement for authorship is participation in conceiving, executing, and interpreting the data, and in writing and revising the manuscript (across several drafts). For more about authorship and author responsibilities, see the ICMJE recommendations.
1.2Where there is more than one author of a publication, all authors are jointly responsible for the publication's content.
1.3The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all coauthors meet the requirements for authorship, is responsible for the associated activities, and is responsible for submitting the manuscript to the journal.
1.4Publication of multiple papers by the same author(s) based on the same materials or data set is improper unless official approval is obtained from the SCAPE platform founders.
1.5Students / trainees: authors and supervisors are responsible for supporting the student/trainee to apply for international or national conferences by research abstract, after seeking SCAPE platform approval.
1.6Student’s supervisor: for a student’s supervisor, the following are required for authorship eligibility — developing and/or refining the project idea ("research question"), and reviewing and editing the research proposal and the manuscript.

2. Data Use, Confidentiality & Materials

2.1Permission and official approval from the SCAPE platform founders and all involved research parties are required before reusing data, releasing, presenting, or publishing any of the work. In addition, all principal investigators from each center must be stated when a research member plans to reuse the data for other research or purposes.
2.2Any ideas or information discussed in a research group meeting are confidential and may not be shared outside the context of the SCAPE platform research group.
2.3Upon acceptance, you are required to download all necessary apps required by the SCAPE platform to facilitate work among the group. Downloading and sharing any research-related materials with parties or individuals outside the author's group is prohibited.
2.4Researchers should be aware of the possible conflict between an external partner's desire for confidentiality and the researcher's desire to publish.
2.5Biostatisticians: a biostatistician may utilize the raw data only within the scope of the intended research. Secondary use of the raw data for another research project is prohibited without SCAPE approval, unless official approval is obtained from the SCAPE platform founders.

3. Affiliation

3.1Authors must ensure that the researcher's affiliation at the time of conducting the research is clearly stated, even if that affiliation no longer exists. This applies to students after graduation as well.

4. Participation, Deadlines & Withdrawal

4.1Non-performance, inability to finalize tasks on time, non-adherence to deadlines, and failure to meet the obligations will lead to breach of the agreement and exclusion from authorship.
4.2Withdrawal from participating in the research is permissible under certain circumstances. The participant must send an official email one week before the withdrawal day explaining the justification for withdrawal. Official withdrawal will lead to breach of the participation agreement and disqualification from authorship.

5. Fees & Finances

5.1Participants and authors must assume full responsibility for covering all expenses related to project implementation on the SCAPE platform. All listed authors are responsible for paying the fees, divided equally by the number of participating authors. These expenses may include, but are not limited to: publication fees, analysis, team organization, supervision and guidance, writing and editing, proofreading, language editing, journal selection, and responding to peer reviews. Current students and interns at the time of publication will be excluded/waived from these fees (if applicable). Timely payment of these fees is the sole responsibility of the participants; failure to comply may lead to exclusion from authorship.
5.2The SCAPE platform is solely responsible for appropriately allocating and using any monetary benefits — such as grants, refunds, or incentives — received from sponsorships, governmental entities, or private entities for projects carried out under its umbrella. Participants in these projects are not entitled to receive or claim any part of these funds. It is the platform's duty to manage and distribute the funds according to the agreed terms and conditions.
5.3By signing this agreement, the registered researcher and their responsible research team agree that the SCAPE platform, and the applicant who applied to the event/fund/award, will distribute any financial awards, grants, and funds equally according to SCAPE platform conditions related to the project used in the application.

6. Conferences, Awards & Poster Presentations

6.1By signing this agreement, the registered researcher, the principal investigator (PI), and the accountable members of the research team agree that the SCAPE platform and any co-authors of the collaboration project have the right to apply for conferences, awards, and grants after obtaining SCAPE platform official approval and signing the scientific-event participation form.
6.2In the case of intern/resident participation in a poster presentation, the poster presenter is responsible for ensuring that — where the conference restricts the number of authors — only the names of the key principal investigators from each participating center are included, in addition to the poster presenters and interns/residents who participated in the project. Other co-authors will be acknowledged by the general SCAPE investigator statement.
6.3In the case of intern/resident participation in a poster presentation, supervisors' names may be included if they actively supervise them upon submission. Other co-authors will be acknowledged by the general SCAPE investigator statement.

7. Registration & Review

7.1Registration does not guarantee your participation. Your request will be carefully reviewed by the SCAPE founders according to your profile, level of experience, CV, and research interests / skills.
7.2A research certificate (e.g., Good Clinical Practice \u2014 GCP) is required. Upload it during registration. If you do not have a GCP certificate (or equivalent), you may register and obtain it free of charge at gcp.nidatraining.org and provide it within one week of registration.

8. Privacy & Data Protection

8.1What we collect. Registration and profile details (name, contact details, date of birth, gender, nationality, country/city, affiliation, academic and professional background, and ORCID if you provide it), the documents you upload (C.V., research/GCP certificate), and the content you create or exchange on the platform (research proposals, manuscripts, messages, and related files).
8.2How we use it. To review your registration, verify eligibility, match you to suitable research projects, operate and secure the platform, communicate with you (notifications and updates), and process membership payments.
8.3Where it is stored and who can access it. Your data is stored securely on the platform's infrastructure and with trusted service providers (cloud database, file storage, and email delivery). Access is limited to the SCAPE founders/administrators and the platform team members and co-authors who need it for your research group. We do not sell your personal data.
8.4Sharing. We share information only as needed to run the platform and your research collaboration (e.g., with your co-authors, assigned reviewers, and the SCAPE team), with service providers acting on our behalf, when you choose to connect an external account (e.g., ORCID), or where required by law.
8.5Retention. We keep your data while your account is active and as needed for research recordkeeping, legal, and accreditation purposes. You may request a copy, correction, or deletion of your personal data, subject to records we are required to retain.
8.6Security. We apply reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your data. However, no system is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8.7Contact. For any privacy request or question, contact Admin@scape-platform.com.

9. Membership, Payment & Refunds

9.1Membership fee. Access to the SCAPE platform requires a paid annual membership. Several tiers are offered; the applicable fee is the amount shown for your selected tier at checkout. Membership is valid for 12 months from the date of payment and must be renewed to maintain access. This membership fee is separate from the project/publication fees described in Section 5.
9.2Activation and renewal. Your membership activates once payment is confirmed. We may send reminders before expiry; if it is not renewed, access to member features may be suspended until renewal.
9.3Membership vs. participation. Paying for membership grants access to the platform but does not guarantee acceptance into any specific research project; participation requests are reviewed as described in Section 7.1.
9.4Refunds. Membership fees are non-refundable once your membership has been activated, except in the case of a duplicate or clearly erroneous charge. Because membership grants access to the platform (which is separate from acceptance into a specific research project under Section 7.1), the membership fee is not automatically refunded if a participation request is not approved. If you believe your case warrants a refund, contact us at Admin@scape-platform.com.
9.5Changes. Fees and tiers may change from time to time. Any change applies to future purchases and renewals, not to a membership term already paid for.

10. Your Account & Acceptable Use

10.1One account per person. You agree to provide accurate, current information, keep your login credentials confidential, and remain responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
10.2Email & notifications. You verify your email address at sign-up and consent to receive service messages required to operate the platform — for example verification codes, task and stage-change notifications, deadline reminders, and journal-decision updates.
10.3Eligibility. You confirm you are a genuine researcher, biostatistician, or student, and that you are at least 18 years old.
10.4Prohibited use. You will not share account access, attempt to bypass the platform's security or access controls, upload malware, scrape or harvest data, or use the platform for anything other than its intended research purpose.

11. Platform Roles, Workflow & Management

11.1Roles. The platform organizes each manuscript into sections and assigns roles (e.g., junior author/writer, senior reviewer, expert reviewer, and corresponding author). You agree to carry out the role(s) assigned to you.
11.2Workflow & deadlines. You agree to follow the platform's stage-based workflow (writing → review stages → verification → submission → revision → publication) and to meet the deadline set for each stage. Missing a stage deadline may result in reassignment of the task or exclusion from authorship (see also 4.1–4.2).
11.3Platform management. SCAPE managers and administrators may assign, reassign, lock, or otherwise manage manuscripts, sections, teams, fees, and workflow steps as needed to keep projects moving and maintain quality.

12. Your Content, Uploads & Intellectual Property

12.1Your authorship. You retain authorship of the intellectual content you contribute, in accordance with Section 1. To operate the platform, you grant SCAPE a non-exclusive license to store, process, display, and share that content with your research group and the SCAPE team for the purpose of progressing the work.
12.2Your responsibility for uploads. You confirm that you have the right to upload each file you submit; that your content is accurate and is not plagiarized or fabricated; and that any research data is properly approved and de-identified. Uploads must use the allowed file formats and size limits and must be free of malware.
12.3Activity logging. Platform activity may be logged for security, accountability, and audit purposes.
12.4Platform ownership. The SCAPE platform — its software, design, and tools — is the property of SCAPE. Nothing in these regulations transfers ownership of the platform to you.

13. Service, Third Parties & Availability

13.1Third-party services. The platform relies on trusted third-party services (secure cloud hosting and file storage, email delivery, DOI look-up, and — only if you choose to connect it — ORCID). Your use of those features is also subject to the third party's own terms.
13.2Availability. The platform is provided on a reasonable-efforts, “as is” basis. We do not guarantee uninterrupted availability, and you should keep your own copies of important files. To the extent permitted by applicable law, SCAPE is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential loss, or for loss of data.

14. Suspension, Changes, Governing Law & Acceptance

14.1Suspension & termination. We may suspend or terminate access for breach of these regulations (for example, missed obligations, prohibited conduct, or unauthorized data sharing). You may request closure of your account.
14.2Changes to these regulations. We may update these regulations; the effective date will be shown, and continued use of the platform after an update means you accept the updated version.
14.3Governing law. These regulations are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and any dispute is subject to its competent courts.
14.4Electronic acceptance. By ticking the agreement box during registration, you accept these regulations electronically, and this acceptance is binding.

Questions about these regulations? Contact Admin@scape-platform.com.