Service Terms and Conditions

1. Liability Disclaimer

Science Autrement SARL (Benin), hereinafter referred to as SID, shall not, under any circumstances, be held responsible for any losses or damages resulting from the use of or reliance on the materials available on its website. This includes, but is not limited to, contractual or non-contractual claims. SID disclaims liability for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages, even if it has been informed of the possibility of such damages.

SID encompasses its divisions, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, agents, and representatives, as well as any third-party content providers. While SID takes necessary measures to protect submitted documents, it cannot be held responsible for document loss due to factors beyond its control, such as power outages, hardware or software failures, computer viruses, or natural disasters. Users are responsible for maintaining backup copies of their documents. Under no circumstances shall SID be held liable for any loss, corruption, or alteration of documents.

SID’s sole responsibility is to edit documents according to the agreed-upon service specifications. The content, opinions, and ideas expressed in the documents remain solely those of the authors and users of the service.

Should any liability arise from service delays, defects, or other reasons, SID’s maximum financial responsibility shall be strictly limited to the amount invoiced for the specific assignment or project.

2. Applicable Law and Juridiction

These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of Benin and shall be interpreted accordingly. Any disputes arising from these terms fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Cotonou.

3. File Replacement, Cancellation, and Expiry Guidelines

To minimize errors in document processing, SID adheres to a clear policy regarding file replacement and cancellation.

Guidelines for File Replacement

  • Files undergoing revision and resubmission for further editing are not eligible for replacement.

  • Replacement is permitted only if an entirely incorrect file has been submitted for editing.

Editing Services Cancellation Policy

  • Cancellation is only allowed if an incorrect file has been submitted for editing.

  • Requests for cancellation must be sent via email to orders@sid.sciaut.org.

  • If a file is replaced after editing has commenced, the action will be treated as an order cancellation.

  • A cancellation fee, amounting to 50% of the service fee, will be charged to replace an incorrect file with a new document.

Publication Support Services Cancellation Policy

  • Any changes or cancellations in service packages may lead to the loss of discounts or waivers initially granted at the time of confirmation, at SID’s discretion.

  • File replacements are considered cancellations.

  • All cancellation requests for confirmed publication support services must be sent to publish@sid.sciaut.org.

  • A cancellation fee equivalent to 50% of the service fee will apply.

Refund Terms Following Cancellation

  • Transaction fees will be deducted from the refund amount, along with any additional transfer charges.

  • No refund will be granted if:

    • The cancellation occurs more than 10 days after placing the order.

    • A VAT-included local invoice has already been issued.

  • In cases where a refund is not possible, the amount may be credited toward future orders.

Service Expiry Policy

Some publication support services require input from users to proceed with the next steps. If a user does not require further services, they must notify SID at publish@sid.sciaut.org. If no communication is received within 365 days from the last completed service, the package/service will be considered completed and closed.

4. Discount Terms and Conditions

  • The total discount on an order is capped at 50% of the order value.

  • Discounts obtained through point redemptions, coupon codes, or bulk order reductions are included in this limit.

5. Journal Guidelines Requirements

Clients must provide an active URL for journal formatting guidelines. If the provided URL is inactive or in a language other than English, SID may not proceed with formatting. If login credentials are required to access the journal’s website, clients must provide them.

6. Quotes & Order Confirmation

  • Once a quotation is accepted via email, it is considered a formal order, and payment is required, even if the client later disputes the pricing.

  • The automatic response from the website is not an order confirmation; a formal quotation will be provided separately.

  • If there is a discrepancy between the requested deadline and the selected priority, pricing will be determined based on priority rather than deadline.

  • For TeX document editing, clients must provide a corresponding PDF version; otherwise, SID will request the PDF before proceeding.

7. Email Communication

By providing an email address and granting consent, users agree to receive service-related updates. European Economic Area (EEA) residents will receive promotional emails only with explicit consent.
SID is not responsible for undelivered emails due to invalid email addresses or technical issues. If an email bounces, SID will attempt to contact the user once. Users must follow up to retrieve their edited documents.

8. File Delivery

  • Edited documents are delivered within the agreed-upon deadline. If a document is not received, users should check their spam folder or contact SID immediately.

  • PDF files intended for editing must be formatted as single-column, double-spaced documents to ensure clarity and legibility. If a document does not meet these requirements, SID will convert the delivery format to MS Word for better visibility of track changes.

9. User-Submitted Content Rights

By uploading or submitting any content, users grant SID and its affiliates a non-exclusive, global, royalty-free, and transferable license to store and process the content for service provision and algorithm enhancement. This data is non-personally identifiable and used solely to improve SID’s services.

10. Intellectual Property Rights

SID and its employees do not claim ownership over any submitted work for proofreading, translation, or analysis. Submitted documents remain the intellectual property of the user. Editors have signed confidentiality agreements, waiving any claim to intellectual property rights over submitted materials.

Users must ensure they have the necessary permissions to use third-party content in their documents. Submissions containing illegal, offensive, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate material will not be accepted and may result in termination of service.

11. Policy Updates

SID reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time. Any modifications will take effect immediately unless otherwise stated. Continued use of the services after updates implies acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Document Storage & Deletion

SID stores documents in accordance with its internal policies and Beninese business regulations. If users wish to have their documents permanently deleted from SID’s system, they must submit a written request via email.

13. Terms of Website Usage

This website is owned and managed by SID and is protected under international copyright and trademark laws. Users may not copy, modify, reproduce, republish, upload, post, or distribute any material from the site without prior authorization.

14. Termination of Services

SID reserves the right to terminate services at its sole discretion if a client violates any terms and conditions. By using SID’s services, users agree to abide by all specified terms. If a user disagrees with any provision, their sole recourse is to discontinue using the service.