1. Definitions
1.1 In these Conditions the following expressions shall have the following meanings: "the Company" means (Company name) and all its managing partner companies, and their subsidiaries and/or affiliates who administer the website https://www.researching-h.com. "the Client" means the individual, firm or corporation who is introduced to a "Service Provider" by the Company acting as an agent of the "Service Provider". "Service Provider" means a self-employed individual who has assigned the Company as an agent to be introduced to Clients. All Service Providers must be legally registered as self-employed, freelancers, or independent contractors in their country of residence and must comply with all applicable tax, licensing, and regulatory requirements. Each Service Provider is solely responsible for declaring and paying any taxes, levies, or social contributions arising from payments received under this Agreement. "the Services" means academic support and research-related assistance provided by the Service Providers to Clients, including but not limited to editing, proofreading, formatting, methodological guidance, data analysis support, statistical assistance, publication support, journal selection guidance, and general academic mentoring, provided that such Services do not include completing assessed academic work, examinations, dissertations, theses, or assignments on behalf of the Client. All Services are provided directly by the Service Providers, with a supervision by the Company. "the Contract" means this document that lays down the terms and conditions for (i) the provision of the Company's services to Clients (Clauses 1–10), and (ii) the contract for services agreed between the Client and the Service Provider (Clause 11). "Booking" means an advance payment made by the Client for the provision of the Services by the Service Provider. The Booking amount includes: (i) the Service Provider's fees; (ii) the Company's administrative commission payable by the Service Provider; and (iii) any applicable taxes, levies, or governmental charges imposed under the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including Value Added Tax (VAT) where applicable in accordance with the regulations of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA). The Booking payment is collected by the Company on behalf of the Service Provider pursuant to the agency arrangement between the Company and the Service Provider. "Business" means the business of the Company, as the agent of the Service Providers, to introduce them to Clients. "Provider" means a 'Service Provider' selected at the sole discretion of the Company having regard to the Client's requirements and best able to fulfil the Client's requirements. The singular shall include the plural and vice versa. Headings to these Conditions are for convenience only and inserted for ease of reference and shall not affect their construction.
2. General
2.1 The Company does not provide any educational, academic, or research services to Clients and acts solely as an intermediary and agent for the Service Providers. The Company's role is limited to introducing Clients to suitable Service Providers who provide all Services directly to the Clients. The Company does not supervise, direct, or control the manner, method, or content of the Services provided by any Service Provider, and Service Providers independently determine and revise their rates for the Services. While the Company uses reasonable efforts to facilitate an appropriate introduction, it does not guarantee the availability of a specific Service Provider. The Company shall use commercially reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality, personal data, and identity of both Clients and Service Providers, and shall only disclose such information to the extent strictly necessary to facilitate the provision of the Services and in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy laws. Clients' information shall not be disclosed to Service Providers, and Service Providers' information shall not be disclosed to Clients, except where required to enable the provision of the Services, or where disclosure is required by law or with the express consent of the relevant Party.
2.2 Any quotation for Booking given by the Company to a Client is a rough estimation of the time and cost for a Service Provider to provide Services and would vary according to the scope of the Client requirements. The quotation will also indicate the sums payable to the Company by the Client for its administrative services, such as registering the Client on its database or any additional services pertaining to the introduction of a Service Provider to them. No Booking placed in response to or any other acceptance of a quotation or estimate shall give rise to a contract binding upon the Company. As an agent, the Company will use its reasonable endeavours to best estimate the number of hours required by the Client or cost of providing the Services and this best estimate will be given to the Client before a Booking is confirmed.
2.3 It is the Client's sole responsibility to provide the Company with their specific requirements for Services during registration. These requirements will be used by the Company to introduce them to a Provider. Changes to Client requirements cannot be made after their registration as a Client on the Company's database. No refund of the registration fees as a result of such a change in Client requirements is applicable.
2.4 A binding Contract shall come into effect upon the earliest of any of the following namely: (a) any commencement of the Services; or (b) receipt of the Company's written acceptance of a Booking made by the Client; or (c) receipt of payment from or on behalf of the Client by the Company.
2.5 These Conditions are the only conditions upon which the Company transacts Business and shall be incorporated in the Contract to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions including any terms or conditions specified or referred to in any order placed by the Client. No variation of these Conditions shall have effect unless it is agreed to by the Company in a document signed by a director of the Company and issued to the Client.
2.6 In addition to these conditions, the Company may from time to time specify specific terms affecting the provision of its services to Clients or that of the Service Providers to the Clients as well.
2.7 Registration of a Client on the Company's database is personal to the Client and not transferable under any circumstances. Any abuse of Client registration by the Client will result in suspension of all Services and forfeiture of all Bookings by way of damages.
3. Fees and Charges quoted
3.1 Bookings for Service Providers are inclusive of relevant taxes as applicable for any particular Service Provider. The charges payable by the Client to the Company (e.g., registration fee) are inclusive of all taxes including VAT (as applicable).
3.2 Fees and charges stated in quotations, estimates, acceptance of Bookings or other documents issued by the Company or communicated verbally prior to the provision of Services are not binding upon the Company. The fees and charges charged shall be the fees and charges ruling at the date of provision of Services by the Service Providers. The Company and the Service Providers reserve the right to review their fees and charges from time to time. Clients will be charged fees and charges at the prevailing rate at the time any Contract is entered into or a Booking is made.
4. Cancellation of Bookings
4.1 The Client shall not be entitled to cancel a Booking (or any part of a Booking) and seek any refund of monies paid for a Booking except upon prior written agreement by the Company and upon such terms as will indemnify the Company for all costs, charges, expenses, damage or loss (including without limitation loss or profit) incurred or suffered by the Client in respect of each such Booking. The Company is not bound to agree to any such cancellation notwithstanding any purported cancellation from the Client.
4.2 Cancellation and/or rescheduling of a previously agreed Booking or any part thereof should be mutually agreed between the Client and the Provider at least 24 hours in advance.
4.6 If the Company is unable for any reason to introduce a Provider to the Client, the Company will cancel the Booking and refund any fees paid other than its administration fee for registration.
5. Fees, Orders, Delivery, Refunds and Payment
5.1 Registration and Service Fees Upon registration, the Client shall submit a service order to the Company detailing the required Services. A non-refundable registration fee is payable by the Client to cover the Company's administrative costs, including order intake, requirements assessment, system processing, and coordination with Service Providers. Where the Client requests expedited handling, a fast-track fee shall be payable to the Company for priority processing and allocation.
5.2 Orders, Invoicing, and Platform Handling All service orders submitted by the Client shall be processed exclusively by the Company. The Company shall issue invoices to the Client for all accepted orders. Where an order is fulfilled by more than one Service Provider, the Company may issue separate or consolidated invoices at its discretion. At no time shall the Client receive invoices directly from any Service Provider.
5.3 Provider Allocation and Confidentiality of Identity Upon receipt of payment, the Company shall allocate the order to a suitable Service Provider. The identity and personal details of the Client shall not be disclosed to the Service Provider, and the identity and personal details of the Service Provider shall not be disclosed to the Client, except where disclosure is strictly required by law. All communication, submission of work, revisions, and delivery of completed Services shall be conducted solely through the Company's platform or designated communication channels.
5.4 Delivery of Services Completed work shall be delivered by the Service Provider to the Company, which shall then review and transmit the deliverables to the Client. The Company reserves the right to withhold delivery where payment obligations have not been met or where the order is in breach of these Conditions.
5.5 Cancellations and Refunds Prior to Allocation By submitting an order and making payment, the Client authorizes the Company to immediately commence processing, allocation, and coordination activities. Any request for cancellation made after order submission but before allocation to a Service Provider shall be subject to proportionate charges reflecting the work already undertaken by the Company, in addition to the non-refundable registration and fast-track fees (if applicable).
5.6 Cancellations and Refunds After Allocation Once an order has been allocated to a Service Provider: a) If cancellation is requested after allocation but before work commencement, a 30% deduction from the order value shall apply before any refund is issued. B) Once work has commenced, no refunds shall be provided. At the Company's discretion, a credit note valid for 12 months may be issued for future services. C) If the Client declines to proceed due to refusal to accommodate reasonable preparation or processing requirements necessary for service delivery, a 50% deduction shall apply, and no replacement Provider shall be assigned.
5.7 Suspension for Non-Payment If the Client fails to comply with payment obligations, the Company shall suspend processing and delivery of Services. Any allocated Service Provider shall also suspend work immediately.
5.8 Payment Terms All payments shall be made exclusively to the Company through approved electronic payment methods. The Company does not accept cash or cheque payments. All charges shall be stated inclusive of any applicable taxes imposed under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction, where legally applicable.
6. Performance of the Contract
6.1 Commencement of Services By submitting an order and making payment, the Client instructs the Company to immediately commence order processing, coordination, and allocation of the Services in accordance with the Company's operational procedures. Any timelines, delivery dates, or completion periods communicated to the Client are estimates only and are not guaranteed, as performance depends on the nature of the Services, order complexity, and availability of Service Providers. Time shall not be of the essence unless expressly agreed in writing by the Company.
6.2 Platform-Mediated Performance The Services shall be performed by a Service Provider allocated by the Company. The Company does not itself perform the Services and does not supervise, direct, or control the manner or method by which the Services are carried out. All instructions, communications, submissions, revisions, and deliveries shall be conducted exclusively through the Company. The Client and the Service Provider shall not communicate directly with each other.
6.3 Non-Circumvention The Company reserves the right to immediately terminate the Contract without notice if the Client attempts to contact, engage, or make payment directly to any Service Provider, or otherwise seeks to circumvent the Company's platform, processes, or payment systems.
6.4 Suspension Due to Events Beyond Control If the performance of the Services is delayed, hindered, or prevented due to circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the Company or the Service Provider, including but not limited to technical failures, system outages, regulatory restrictions, or other unforeseen events, performance may be suspended for the duration of such circumstances without constituting a breach of this Contract.
6.5 Force Majeure For the purposes of this Contract, a Force Majeure Event includes events beyond reasonable control, such as acts of God, fire, flood, war, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, governmental actions, epidemics or pandemics, or failures of utilities or communications infrastructure. During a Force Majeure Event, the Company, the Service Provider, and the Client shall be temporarily relieved from their obligations under this Contract. Refunds shall not be applicable in such circumstances. The Company may, at its discretion, extend the validity of the Client's order or issue a credit for future Services.
6.6 Alternative Allocation If performance of the Services is suspended for more than four (4) consecutive weeks due to the unavailability of an allocated Service Provider, the Company shall use reasonable efforts to allocate an alternative Service Provider. If an alternative allocation is not reasonably possible, the Company may terminate the affected order and determine an appropriate resolution in accordance with these Conditions.
6.7 Ethical Use of Services All Services are provided strictly for lawful and ethical academic and professional support purposes. The Client acknowledges that they remain solely responsible for the originality, integrity, and submission of any work. The Company reserves the right to suspend or terminate the Contract immediately, without refund, if the Client requests or attempts to obtain services that involve academic misconduct, including but not limited to ghost-writing, impersonation, completion of examinations, or submission of assessed work on the Client's behalf.
6.8 Conduct and Behaviour The Company maintains a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, abuse, or inappropriate conduct. The Company may immediately suspend or terminate the Contract without notice if the Client engages in conduct that violates applicable laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or generally accepted standards of professional conduct. No refunds shall be payable in such circumstances.
7. Limitation of Liability
7.1 The Company shall not be liable for any representation, advice, opinion, or output provided by any Service Provider. The Company's role is limited to operating the platform, coordinating orders, managing delivery, and processing payments. To the maximum extent permitted under the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Company's total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with this Contract shall be limited to the total fees actually paid by the Client to the Company in respect of the relevant order.
7.2 The Company and the Service Providers do not guarantee any academic, professional, publication, or commercial outcomes. The Client acknowledges that responsibility for the success or failure of any outcome rests solely with the Client.
7.3 Nothing in this Contract shall exclude or limit liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
7.4 The Client agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any claims, losses, damages, penalties, or liabilities arising from: misuse of the Services; breach of these Conditions; violation of applicable laws; or academic or professional misconduct by the Client.
8. Sub-contracting and Agency
8.1 The Company may engage, allocate, substitute, or reassign Service Providers at its discretion for the purpose of fulfilling client orders.
8.2 The Company operates as a managed service platform and intermediary and does not itself perform the Services. The Company is not responsible for the substantive content of the Services provided by Service Providers.
8.3 The Company may substitute a Service Provider where reasonably necessary to ensure continuity or quality of service delivery.
9. Notices
Any notice required or permitted under these Conditions shall be given electronically via email, the Company's platform, or other designated electronic communication channels. Notices shall be deemed received within twenty-four (24) hours of transmission.
10. Law and Jurisdiction
This Contract shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the courts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Contract.
11. No Direct Relationship Between Client and Service Provider
11.1 No direct contractual, employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship is created between the Client and any Service Provider.
11.2 All Services are requested, managed, delivered, and paid for exclusively through the Company in accordance with these Conditions and Appendix A (Service Order & Delivery Process Flow).
11.3 Service Providers deliver Services solely to the Company, and the Company delivers completed outputs to the Client.
11.4 The Client shall not communicate with, instruct, or make payment to any Service Provider directly.
11.5 Any attempt by the Client or a Service Provider to bypass the Company's platform, systems, communication channels, or payment mechanisms shall constitute a material breach of this Contract and may result in immediate termination without refund.
12. Complaints
The operational workflow for requesting, allocating, delivering, and completing Services is further detailed in Appendix A (Service Order & Delivery Process Flow), which forms an integral part of these Terms & Conditions.
13. Right to Refuse Orders
13.1 The Company reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to refuse, reject, suspend, or cancel any order before or after acceptance where the Company reasonably believes that the order is unlawful, unethical, outside the Company's service scope, commercially impractical, technically unsuitable, reputationally risky, or inconsistent with these Terms & Conditions.
13.2 The Company may refuse, suspend, or cancel an order where the Client fails to provide adequate instructions, supporting materials, approvals, payment information, identity or billing details, or any other information reasonably required to process the order.
13.3 Where an order is refused, suspended, or cancelled under this clause, any refund, credit, deduction, or retention of fees shall be determined in accordance with these Terms & Conditions, including the applicable payment, cancellation, refund, and administrative fee provisions.
13.4 The Company shall not be liable for any loss, delay, missed deadline, academic consequence, publication consequence, commercial consequence, or other damage arising from the lawful refusal, suspension, or cancellation of an order under this clause.
14. Sensitive Data and Research Ethics
14.1 The Client shall not submit identifiable patient data, health records, medical records, genetic data, confidential institutional data, personal data of third parties, unpublished sensitive research materials, ethics-restricted data, or any other sensitive or regulated information unless the Client has obtained all required approvals, consents, permissions, and lawful bases for sharing and using such materials.
14.2 The Client is solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining any required institutional approvals, ethics committee approvals, IRB approvals, data-sharing permissions, patient or participant consents, copyright permissions, supervisor approvals, employer approvals, university approvals, journal permissions, and regulatory authorizations related to the submitted materials and requested Services.
14.3 Where sensitive or third-party data is submitted, the Client shall ensure that such data is anonymized, pseudonymized, minimized, or otherwise protected to the extent required by applicable law, institutional policy, research ethics requirements, and professional standards.
14.4 The Company may refuse, return, restrict, delete, quarantine, or decline to process any materials that appear to contain sensitive, unlawful, unauthorized, excessive, improperly disclosed, or ethics-restricted information.
14.5 The Client shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any claims, losses, penalties, regulatory action, complaints, damages, legal costs, or liabilities arising from the Client's submission, disclosure, misuse, or lack of authorization in relation to sensitive data, third-party data, research materials, or ethics-restricted information.
15. Use of AI and Digital Tools
15.1 The Client acknowledges that the Company and/or Service Providers may use approved software, digital tools, cloud platforms, communication systems, project management systems, formatting tools, grammar tools, referencing tools, plagiarism-checking tools, statistical software, data-analysis tools, and artificial intelligence-assisted tools where appropriate for workflow management, quality improvement, formatting, editing support, analysis assistance, administrative review, and service delivery.
15.2 Any use of artificial intelligence-assisted tools or digital tools shall be for support purposes only and shall not remove the Client's responsibility for reviewing, approving, ethically using, and lawfully submitting any deliverables.
15.3 The Client must inform the Company in writing before order acceptance if any university, employer, journal, publisher, ethics committee, funder, institution, or applicable policy restricts or prohibits the use of artificial intelligence-assisted tools, plagiarism tools, cloud tools, or other digital tools in connection with the requested Services.
15.4 The Company does not guarantee that any deliverable will pass, avoid, or satisfy any artificial intelligence detection system, plagiarism detection system, similarity report, editorial screening, journal screening, institutional screening, or third-party automated review system.
15.5 The Company may refuse any request requiring the use of unsafe, unlawful, unauthorized, unlicensed, unethical, or non-approved tools or systems.
16. Priority of Documents
16.1 In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between these Terms & Conditions, an order form, order confirmation, quotation, proposal, invoice, service description, platform message, email communication, delivery note, or other document, the following order of priority shall apply unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing by the Company: (a) these Terms & Conditions; (b) the accepted order confirmation or written scope approved by the Company; (c) the invoice or payment confirmation; (d) the relevant quotation, proposal, or service description; and (e) other platform messages, emails, or communications.
16.2 No verbal statement, informal message, advertisement, website description, proposal, estimate, or communication shall override these Terms & Conditions unless expressly accepted in writing by an authorized representative of the Company.
16.3 If any order-specific term is agreed in writing, it shall apply only to that specific order and shall not amend, replace, or waive these Terms & Conditions for any other order.
17. E-Invoicing and Tax Compliance
17.1 Where applicable, the Company may issue invoices, tax invoices, simplified tax invoices, electronic invoices, credit notes, debit notes, receipts, payment confirmations, and account statements in electronic form in accordance with applicable tax, accounting, and e-invoicing requirements in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or any other relevant jurisdiction.
17.2 The Client is responsible for providing accurate, complete, and up-to-date billing information, including name, address, email, tax number, VAT registration number, entity details, purchase order details, and any other information required for invoicing, tax compliance, payment processing, or audit purposes.
17.3 The Company shall not be responsible for delays, invoice reissuance, tax errors, rejected invoices, failed payment processing, or administrative issues resulting from inaccurate, incomplete, delayed, or misleading billing information provided by the Client.
17.4 The Company may retain invoices, payment records, tax records, electronic transaction records, and related communications for accounting, audit, tax, regulatory, dispute-resolution, and legal compliance purposes.
17.5 Electronic invoices, electronic confirmations, platform records, email confirmations, and payment processor records shall constitute valid evidence of order acceptance, payment status, delivery status, and transaction history.
Appendix A — Service Order & Delivery Process Flow
This Appendix forms an integral part of the Terms & Conditions and describes the standard operational process by which services are requested, allocated, delivered, and completed through the Company's platform. This Appendix is provided for clarity and transparency and does not create any additional obligations beyond those set out in the main Terms & Conditions.
1. Order Submission 1.1 The Client submits a service order to the Company through the Company's website, platform, or designated communication channels. 1.2 The order shall include all relevant details required to assess and process the requested Services, including scope, specifications, timelines, and any supporting materials. 1.3 By submitting an order, the Client acknowledges that the Company will act as the sole intermediary in managing the request.
2. Order Review and Acceptance 2.1 The Company reviews the submitted order to assess feasibility, scope, timelines, and pricing. 2.2 The Company may request clarification or additional information from the Client prior to accepting the order. 2.3 Upon acceptance, the Company issues an invoice to the Client and proceeds with processing only after payment has been received.
3. Provider Allocation 3.1 Following confirmation of payment, the Company allocates the order to a suitable Service Provider based on expertise, availability, and internal quality standards. 3.2 The selection and allocation of Service Providers is at the sole discretion of the Company. 3.3 The identity and personal data of the Client shall not be disclosed to the Service Provider, and the identity and personal data of the Service Provider shall not be disclosed to the Client, except where disclosure is required by law.
4. Service Execution 4.1 The Service Provider performs the Services in accordance with the order requirements communicated by the Company. 4.2 All instructions, clarifications, and communications shall be conducted exclusively through the Company's platform or designated communication channels. 4.3 The Service Provider shall not communicate directly with the Client under any circumstances.
5. Submission of Work 5.1 Upon completion, the Service Provider submits all deliverables to the Company through the designated platform or secure communication channels. 5.2 The Company may conduct an administrative or compliance review to ensure the deliverables align with the order scope and ethical standards.
6. Delivery to Client 6.1 The Company delivers the completed work to the Client through the platform or designated communication channels. 6.2 Any permitted revision requests shall be submitted by the Client to the Company within the applicable timeframe. 6.3 The Company shall coordinate any approved revisions with the Service Provider.
7. Payment Settlement 7.1 All payments from Clients are made exclusively to the Company. 7.2 The Company settles payment with the Service Provider in accordance with the agreed payment cycle, after deduction of applicable administrative commissions and any legally required taxes. 7.3 The Service Provider has no right to request or receive payment directly from the Client.
8. Data Protection and Confidentiality 8.1 The Company applies commercially reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality, personal data, and identity of Clients and Service Providers. 8.2 Data sharing is limited to what is strictly necessary for the provision of the Services and shall comply with applicable data protection laws in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
9. Disputes and Issues 9.1 Any complaints, disputes, or issues raised by the Client shall be submitted to the Company. 9.2 The Company acts as the sole point of coordination to facilitate resolution in accordance with the Terms & Conditions.
10. No Direct Relationship 10.1 Nothing in this Appendix shall be construed as creating a direct contractual, employment, agency, or fiduciary relationship between the Client and the Service Provider. 10.2 The Company remains the sole platform intermediary responsible for order coordination, delivery management, and payment processing.
11. Illustrative Process Flow (Summary) Client submits order → Company reviews & invoices → Client pays Company → Company allocates Provider → Provider performs Services → Provider submits work to Company → Company delivers to Client → Company settles payment with Provider