Privacy Notice
ResearchDen is an unincorporated volunteer research community. This notice explains what information we collect, why, and what you can do about it.
Contact for all privacy matters: contact@researchden.org
1. Information we collect
From applicants, through the application form:
- Name and email address
- Current institution and program
- Academic level
- Country of residence
- Public academic profile links (Google Scholar, GitHub, LinkedIn, personal site)
- Research interests
- Availability and prior research experience
- Statement of interest
From participants, during participation:
- Contributions to shared documents, repositories, and project channels
- Photograph, if you choose to provide one for the public team listing
We do not collect date of birth, home address, phone number, government identification, passport or visa details, immigration status, nationality, financial information, or payment details. Please do not send these.
2. Why we collect it
- To review applications and assess fit
- To match participants with projects
- To coordinate research collaboration across time zones
- To maintain the public team listing on researchden.org
- To communicate about cohorts, projects, and community matters
We do not use your information for advertising, marketing, or profiling, and we do not sell it. ResearchDen has no revenue and no commercial activity.
3. What is public
If you join, the following appears on researchden.org unless you ask otherwise:
- Name
- Academic or professional affiliation
- Research interest tags
- Photograph, if you provide one
- Links to your public academic profiles
Everything else stays internal. You may decline the photograph, decline the profile links, or ask not to be listed at all, and still participate fully.
4. Who can see your information
- Research Operations Leads reviewing applications
- Lead Researchers for participants placed on their projects
- Your project team for collaboration purposes
We do not share your information with any third party except the service providers listed below.
5. Service providers
ResearchDen uses common tools to operate. Your information may be stored on their systems, subject to their own privacy policies:
- Google Workspace (forms, documents, email)
- GitHub (code repositories)
- The community's messaging platform
- The website host
6. How long we keep it
- Unsuccessful applications. Deleted within six months
- Active participants. Kept while you participate
- Former participants. Removed from the public listing on departure. Internal records kept up to two years, then deleted
- Project contribution records. Retained as long as needed for authorship accuracy on published work
7. Your choices
You may at any time:
- Ask what information we hold about you
- Correct anything inaccurate
- Ask to be removed from the public team listing
- Ask us to delete your information
- Withdraw consent for any specific use
Email contact@researchden.org. We respond within 30 days.
Deletion requests are honored in full, with one exception: where your name appears as an author on a published paper, that record cannot be altered, since it exists in the publisher's systems and the scholarly record.
8. Security
We use standard access controls and limit access to those who need it. ResearchDen is a small volunteer community and cannot guarantee absolute security. Do not share sensitive personal information through community channels.
9. International participants
Participants are located worldwide. Your information may be stored and processed in countries other than your own, including the United States, through the service providers above. By participating, you consent to this transfer.
10. Minors
ResearchDen is intended for participants aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If we learn we have, we will delete it.
11. Changes
We will notify active participants by email of material changes. The current version is always at researchden.org.