Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a binding agreement between you and Software for Research ("we," "us," or "our"). They apply whenever you access our website or use our platforms. If you are agreeing to these Terms on behalf of an institution or research team, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use our services.

We provide hosted software platforms (Pulsar and Prism) that help research teams design, deliver, and manage studies; including SMS-based check-ins, ecological momentary assessment, and related research tools. The specific features available to you depend on the plan and configuration your research team has set up.

We may add, change, or remove features over time to improve the platform. We will not make changes that materially reduce the core functionality of an active study without reasonable notice.

You control what data your study collects and how it is used. Because of that, you are responsible for:

• Obtaining and maintaining the appropriate IRB or ethics approvals for your study.
• Securing informed consent from your participants, including consent to receive SMS messages where applicable.
• Complying with all laws and regulations that apply to your research and your participants' data.
• Ensuring you have the right to collect and process any information you enter into the platform.

When using our platforms, you agree not to:

• Use the services for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable regulation.
• Send unsolicited messages or use SMS features without proper participant consent.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the platform, other accounts, or our systems.
• Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the services.
• Reverse engineer, resell, or sublicense the platform without our written permission.

Pricing for our platforms is set out in the plan or agreement your research team has with us. Fees are due as described in that agreement. Where usage-based charges apply (such as SMS volume), they are billed according to the rates we have provided to you. Participants are never charged to take part in a study.

We handle your information and your participants' information as described in our Privacy Policy. We never sell or rent your data, and we use research data only to deliver the services you have contracted us to provide.

As between you and us, study data belongs to you and your institution. For HIPAA-covered studies, we maintain Business Associate Agreements with our service providers and will sign a BAA with your institution on request.

We own the software, platforms, and website, including their design, code, and content. We grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable right to use the services for your research for as long as your account is active and in good standing. You retain ownership of the data and study materials you create using the platform.

We work hard to keep our platforms secure, reliable, and available, but the services are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee that the services will be uninterrupted or error-free. Our platforms are research tools and are not intended to provide medical diagnosis, treatment, or emergency services.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the services. Our total liability for any claim relating to the services will not exceed the amount you paid us for the services in the twelve months before the claim arose.

These Terms apply for as long as you use our services. You may stop using the platform at any time. We may suspend or terminate access if these Terms are violated or if required to protect the platform, our customers, or their participants.

When a project ends, we will return or permanently delete study data on request, as described in our Privacy Policy.

If we make meaningful changes to these Terms, we will update this page and notify active customers by email. Minor edits for clarity may happen without notice. Continuing to use the services after a change means you accept the updated Terms.