1. Scope and Nature of Services: These Terms apply to all service agreements between Big Time Scientific Platform (“Contractor”) and its clients (“Customer”). Big Time provides academic editing and publication support services that facilitate submission and peer-review processes, without guaranteeing acceptance, publication, or indexing.
2. Process Overview: Typical stages: (i) audit and preparation; (ii) submission; (iii) communication during peer review; (iv) revise cycle(s) where included; (v) resubmission if applicable; (vi) final report.
3. Payments and Refunds: Fees are payable according to the agreed schedule in the specific Service Agreement. Completed stages are non-refundable. Refunds may apply only to unperformed work, less reasonable administrative expenses.
4. Confidentiality and IP: All materials and data received from the Customer remain the Customer’s property and are treated as confidential. Big Time will not disclose them to third parties without written consent, except when required by law. The Customer grants Big Time a limited license to use materials solely for service delivery.
5. Timelines and Liability: Journal and reviewer timelines are outside Big Time’s control. No penalties apply for delays caused by publishers or external reviewers. Big Time’s aggregate liability is limited to the amount paid for the specific service.
6. Data Protection: Big Time processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws and GDPR principles where relevant. Customers may request correction or deletion by emailing legal@big-time.pro.
7. Compliance and Ethics: The Customer must ensure the Academic Paper adheres to research ethics, authorship standards, and publisher policies (including plagiarism and data integrity). Big Time may refuse or pause services if there are reasonable concerns of misconduct.
8. Force Majeure: Neither Party is liable for delays or non-performance due to events beyond reasonable control, including outages of journal systems, strikes, natural disasters, or actions of authorities.
9. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law: Disputes shall first be resolved amicably. Failing that, they shall be submitted to the competent courts at the Contractor’s principal place of business (Romania, unless agreed otherwise in writing).
10. Updates: Big Time may amend these Terms to reflect legal or service changes. The current version is available on the website and applies to ongoing and future engagements unless otherwise agreed in writing.