Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

Welcome to ResearchViz ("we," "our," or "us"). By accessing or using our website and services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. Please read them carefully before using our platform.

2. Description of Service

ResearchViz provides AI-powered tools for scientific visualization, including but not limited to PDF extraction, graphical abstract generation, scientific poster creation, and podcast generation from research papers.

Text to Visuals is provided as a standalone visual workspace available at /vizboard. It allows users to submit prompts or source content, generate structured visuals from template categories, revisit prior sessions, manage saved runs, and export completed outputs from a dedicated workspace experience.

Generated outputs may include mind maps, flowcharts, timelines, comparison layouts, hierarchies, process diagrams, cycles, lists, and related visual representations selected automatically or through user template changes within Text to Visuals.

You acknowledge that generated outputs are automatically produced using AI systems and template-based workspace configurations, and may require user review, editing, and verification before use in academic, scientific, professional, or publication contexts.

Diagrams is a draw.io-based diagramming workspace available at /diagrams. It allows users to create and manage diagram projects, add diagrams manually, and generate editable draw.io diagrams from a natural-language text prompt using AI. Users can organise diagrams into named projects, edit diagram content directly on the interactive canvas, save changes manually or via autosave, and browse a full version history of every diagram. Diagrams generated via AI are placed in the "Your Diagrams" project by default and can be moved or reorganised at any time.

AI-generated diagram outputs are automatically produced from the user's text description and may require review, adjustment, or manual editing before use in academic, scientific, professional, or publication contexts. All manual editing actions within the draw.io canvas — including adding, moving, or deleting shapes and connectors — are performed entirely by the user and are not subject to AI-generated content policies.

Diagrams may also be shared with other people, by email invitation or by a share link. The terms that govern sharing, collaborator roles, and access by people without a ResearchViz account are set out in Section 10.

The Graphical Abstract tab of the analysis workspace turns your paper or abstract into a single illustrated figure. Before drawing, the AI prepares a short written plan of the figure (the "brief"): a main message, optional section names, and short point labels, each linked where possible to a supporting quote from your source text. The image is then drawn from that brief. If the submitted text does not appear to be research content, the Service may decline to produce a graphical abstract; no credits are charged in that case.

Editing the brief and labels

After a graphical abstract is generated, you can open Edit text to change, shorten, or delete the main message, section names, and point labels, either in the brief form or by clicking a label directly on the image. To locate clickable labels, the image is analysed automatically to find where its text appears; this location step is best-effort, may miss or misplace some labels, and any label it cannot match remains editable in the form. Labels are limited in length (currently up to 6 words per point and 40 words across the figure) so that text stays legible; the editor shows these limits before you generate.

Your edits are applied only when you choose Generate image, which creates a new image and a new entry in your generation history; the previous image is kept and remains available under Previous Generations. Where the colour palette and aspect ratio are unchanged, we attempt to keep the existing layout and update only the text; otherwise, or where an in-place update is not possible, a new image is drawn from the edited brief, and its composition may differ from the original. Because images are produced by AI, the rendered text may occasionally differ from what you entered (for example in spelling, spacing, or placement). You are responsible for reviewing every label, figure, and claim in the final image for accuracy before using or publishing it.

Aspect ratio

You may choose the shape of the image: Auto, where the AI picks the ratio that best fits the figure's layout, or a fixed ratio of 16:9 (wide), 4:3 (standard), 1:1 (square), or 3:4 (portrait). Changing the ratio of an existing graphical abstract requires a new image to be drawn and is charged as a new generation. Please check the size requirements of your journal or venue before submitting.

Colour palette

You may select from curated preset colour schemes — including Clinical, Ocean, Earth, Sunset, Neon, and Mono — or define a fully custom palette using four colour values: Primary, Secondary, Accent, and Background. If you leave the palette on Auto, the AI chooses colours that suit the subject of your source content. The selected palette is communicated to the AI image generation model as part of the generation request. Because colour application is AI-driven, exact hex value reproduction cannot be guaranteed; outputs are best-effort representations of the chosen palette. Users should regenerate if the colour result does not meet their requirements.

To provide editing, generation history, and support, we store each graphical abstract together with the brief it was drawn from, the palette and ratio used, the detected label positions, and automated quality checks. Authorised ResearchViz staff may review this information to investigate reported problems and to improve output quality.

The Mermaid Diagram and Mindmap tabs of the analysis workspace turn your paper or abstract into a flowchart or a mind map. Each generation is charged at the credit cost shown on the tab. Once a diagram has been generated, the styling, editing, and export tools described below are included and do not use any further credits.

Styles and layout

You may change how a diagram looks using preset themes (currently Brand, Journal, Print, High contrast, Pastel, and Dark), a clean or hand-drawn ("Sketch") look, the shape of connecting lines, spacing, the direction of a flowchart, and how many levels of a mind map are shown. These choices are applied in your browser and do not change the content of the diagram. Your most recent style choice is remembered on the device and browser you used, and may be lost if you clear your browser data or use a private window.

Editing a diagram

You may rename or delete a node by clicking it, change the diagram's underlying Mermaid code directly in the Code view, and undo recent changes. Deleting a node also removes the connections to it; in a mind map, deleting a branch removes everything beneath it. Edits are made by you, are not checked by AI, and may produce code that cannot be drawn; in that case the diagram shows an error until the code is corrected or the change is undone. Undo history lasts only for your current session on the page.

When you are signed in, your edits are saved automatically to that generation in your history, so the edited version is what you see when you return to it. We also keep the version originally generated by the AI, so that authorised ResearchViz staff can investigate reported problems and improve output quality. Edits made while using a guest preview are not saved.

Exporting

You may export a diagram as a PNG image (in screen, slide, or print sizes, with an optional transparent background), as an SVG, as a PDF on an A4 page, or as its Mermaid code. A mind map may also be exported as a Markdown outline. You may also copy the image to your clipboard where your browser allows it. Export files are created in your browser from the diagram as it appears on screen, including your style choices and edits. Very large diagrams may be reduced in resolution to stay within browser limits. PDF exports contain an image of the diagram rather than editable vector shapes; use SVG where vector output is needed. Downloading and copying are available only to signed-in users on a plan that includes the relevant tab.

When you export while signed in, we record that an export took place, together with the format and the size or background option chosen, in your account's activity history. We do not store a copy of the exported file. We use these records to provide support, to understand how these features are used, and to improve them.

Diagrams are produced by AI from the text you provide and may be incomplete, simplified, or inaccurate. You are responsible for reviewing every node, label, connection, and claim, and for the result of any edits you make, before using a diagram in academic, scientific, professional, or publication contexts.

3. User Accounts

To access certain features of the Service, you may be required to register for an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process and to update such information to keep it accurate, current, and complete. You are responsible for safeguarding your password and for all activities that occur under your account. Limited parts of the Service can be reached without an account — in particular, viewing a diagram someone has shared by link. Those Terms are set out in Section 10.4.

Upon successful registration, standard free tier accounts start with 0 credits. A paid subscription or credit purchase is required to generate visualizations.

Note: As of March 8, 2026, the free tier no longer includes complimentary credits bridging legacy plans.

4. Pricing and Payment

We offer flexible plans — one-time credit packs and recurring subscriptions — so you can choose the option that best fits your research workflow. All prices are in US dollars and are charged at the time of purchase.

One-Time Credit Packs

Credit packs are purchased once and applied immediately to your account balance. Credits never expire and are consumed on a per-generation basis as described in Section 5.

Monthly Subscription

The monthly subscription provides recurring access to all premium features, billed on a 30-day cycle. Credits are granted at the start of each billing period and do not roll over to the next cycle. Current monthly plan is listed in the table below.

Yearly Subscription

The yearly subscription offers the same premium access as the monthly plan, billed annually at a discounted rate. Credits are granted when the annual invoice is paid. Current yearly plan is listed in the table below. The yearly plan renews automatically on its anniversary date unless cancelled prior to renewal.

5. Invoices and Billing Records

ResearchViz automatically generates a formal invoice for every completed payment transaction, including one-time credit pack purchases, new subscription activations, and recurring subscription renewals. Invoices are available immediately after a successful charge and can be accessed at any time from the Payments section of your account dashboard.

Invoice Contents

Each invoice is a professionally formatted document that includes the following information:

• Invoice number in the format RV-YYYY-XXXXXXXX (year plus a unique transaction identifier).
• Customer name and email address as registered on your account.
• Line item description identifying the package name (e.g., credit pack tier, monthly plan, or yearly plan) and the applicable billing cycle.
• Credit quantity received — either a specific credit count for one-time purchases or a fair-use allowance notation for subscription plans.
• Payment type badge — "One-time," "Monthly," or "Yearly."
• Subtotal and total amount in US dollars.
• Invoice date and payment date.
• Stripe reference ID (payment intent, invoice, or subscription identifier) for cross-referencing with your bank or card statement.
• Payment status confirming a successful charge.

Invoice Formats and Access

Invoices can be viewed in-browser as a formatted HTML document or downloaded as a PDF file. The PDF filename follows the pattern ResearchViz-Invoice-{CustomerName}-{InvoiceNumber}.pdf. Invoice access is authenticated — you can only retrieve invoices associated with your own account.

Automated Payment Notifications

ResearchViz sends transactional email notifications for the following billing events:

• Subscription purchase: Sent when a new subscription is activated.
• Subscription renewal: Sent each time a recurring subscription is successfully renewed.
• Credit pack purchase: Sent when a one-time credit pack payment is completed.
• Credits exhausted: Sent as an alert when your account credit balance reaches zero.

Notification delivery uses an automated retry system with exponential backoff to maximise reliability. If you believe you have not received a payment confirmation, please check your spam folder or contact us at .

6. Credits and Usage

Features on ResearchViz consume credits upon usage. The credit cost per generation varies depending on the type and complexity of the task:

• PDF Extraction: Consumes credits based on document processing requirements.
• Visualizations: Graphical abstracts, mind maps, and posters consume credits per generation.
• Graphical Abstracts — Edited Images: Editing the brief or labels is free. Generating an image from an edited brief, regenerating, or changing the aspect ratio or palette and generating again is charged as a new graphical abstract generation. Credits are deducted only after the image is produced successfully; if generation fails or the content is declined as non-research, no credits are charged.
• Text to Visuals Workspace Runs: Text to Visuals generation, regeneration, and template-based visual creation in the standalone workspace consume credits per completed run or generation action.
• Audio/Podcast: Audio generation features consume credits based on duration or processing depth.
• Diagrams — AI Generation & Refinement: Submitting a text prompt to generate a draw.io diagram via AI, or using the Refine panel inside the diagram editor to apply an AI instruction to an existing diagram, consumes credits upon each successful action. Generation and refinement are priced separately. Credits are deducted only after the operation completes successfully; if generation or refinement fails for any reason, no credits are charged.

7. User Feedback

ResearchViz provides an integrated feedback mechanism that allows users to rate and comment on any AI-generated output. Your feedback is used solely to improve the quality, accuracy, and relevance of ResearchViz tools. Participation is entirely voluntary and does not affect your account status or credit balance.

Supported Generation Types

Feedback can be submitted for outputs produced by all generation tools on the platform, including:

• Mermaid diagrams and flowcharts
• Mind maps
• Document summaries
• Citation and reference outputs
• Presentation slides
• Infographics and fun-fact cards
• Executive summaries
• Graphical abstracts
• Scientific and portrait posters
• Podcast / audio generation
• Text to Visuals workspace outputs (Vizboard)
• AI-generated draw.io diagrams (Diagrams feature)

Information Collected

When you submit feedback, the following information may be collected:

• Star rating (1–5 stars) — required for every submission.
• Written feedback — optional free-text comment of up to 2,000 characters describing your experience.
• Feedback categories — optional tags such as "Missing features," "UI/UX," "Performance," "Data accuracy," "Export quality," or "Other" (up to six categories per submission).
• Tool identifier — the specific generation tool your feedback relates to.
• Generated output content — a copy of the AI-generated output (up to 50,000 characters) may be attached automatically so our team can reproduce and review the generation context.
• Screenshot — an automatic screenshot of the generated output may be captured at the time of submission and stored securely in our cloud storage. The screenshot is used exclusively for quality-review purposes.
• Email address — required for unauthenticated (guest) submissions; pre-filled from your account for authenticated users.
• Generation metadata — internal source and run identifiers used to trace the specific generation associated with your feedback.

Use of Feedback Data

Feedback data — including ratings, written comments, category tags, generation content, and screenshots — is reviewed by the ResearchViz team and may be used to identify platform issues, improve AI model prompts and outputs, and prioritise feature development. Feedback data is not shared with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes.

8. Intellectual Property

You retain rights to the original content you upload (e.g., your research papers). However, by using our service to generate visualizations, abstracts, or other derivatives, you grant us a license to process your content for the purpose of providing the service. The layout, design, and code of ResearchViz remain our exclusive property.

Where content is shared with other people under Section 10, the account that created it retains the rights described above. Granting another person access to a diagram, and any edits or comments they contribute, do not transfer ownership of that diagram or create joint ownership of it.

9. Third-Party Image Providers

ResearchViz integrates stock imagery from Unsplash, Pexels, Pixabay, and Picsum to assist with diagram creation. These images are provided under each platform's respective license and remain the property of their original creators. ResearchViz does not resell, redistribute, or sublicense unaltered images from these providers.

Access to these image providers is available to all users on every plan, including the free tier. They are not gated behind any paid feature, and ResearchViz does not charge, directly or indirectly, for access to these images.

When you use an image in a generated diagram or exported output, you remain responsible for complying with the originating provider's license, including any required attribution. Where attribution is mandated (e.g., Unsplash and Pexels), ResearchViz preserves photographer and source credits within the image card UI.

10. Shared Diagrams and Collaboration

10.1 What sharing does

A diagram you own may be shared in two ways. You may invite a specific person by emailand give them one of three roles — Can view, Can comment, or Can edit — or you may enable a share link for that diagram. Sharing is always something you switch on for a specific diagram: no diagram is shared by default, and enabling sharing on one diagram does not share any other diagram, project, or content in your account.

Email invitations expire 14days after they are sent if they are not accepted, and may be revoked by you at any time before then. Sending an invitation stores the recipient's email address so that the invitation can be delivered, displayed, and redeemed — including where that person does not hold, and never creates, a ResearchViz account.

10.2 Share links and who can see them

Enabling a share link makes that diagram readable by anyone who holds the URL. A person opening a view link is not required to have a ResearchViz account, is not required to sign in, and is not individually checked or approved by us. Anyone the link is forwarded to has the same access as the person you sent it to. A link set to allow commenting or editing does require the visitor to sign in, so that those actions can be attributed to a person.

Link access ends when you disable the link or rotate it. Rotating a link issues a new URL and permanently stops the previous one from working. Until you do one of those things, the link remains usable. You are responsible for deciding whether a link is an appropriate way to distribute a particular diagram, and for disabling it when it is no longer needed.

You — not ResearchViz — decide what goes into a diagram you share. We do not review, screen, or filter the contents of a shared diagram before or after it is made accessible, and we do not control what a recipient does with what they can see.

10.3 Your warranties when you share or invite

By inviting someone to a diagram, or by enabling a share link, you represent and warrant that:

11. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall ResearchViz, nor its directors, employees, partners, agents, suppliers, or affiliates, be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from your access to or use of or inability to access or use the Service.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace these Terms at any time. By continuing to access or use our Service after those revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised terms.

13. Security and Anti-Spam (reCAPTCHA)

We use Google reCAPTCHA to protect our platform from spam and abuse. This system analyzes traffic and user behavior to distinguish between human users and automated bots.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.