1. Nature and Scope of Services
Polaris Research provides professional support in research methodology, study design, biostatistical analysis, data preparation, scientific writing, manuscript development, academic editing, interpretation of research findings, and publication-related assistance.
The services provided are advisory and consultative in nature. Final responsibility for the scientific validity, ethical conduct, accuracy, interpretation, submission, and use of any research work remains with the researcher, investigator, author, institution, or client responsible for that work.
Polaris Research does not provide medical diagnosis or treatment, legal advice, regulatory approval, institutional ethics approval, or any other service requiring authorization from an appropriate professional or regulatory authority.
2. Research Integrity and Ethical Use
Polaris Research supports responsible, transparent, and ethical research practices. Consultancy services are intended to assist researchers in conducting, analysing, interpreting, and communicating legitimate scientific work.
Clients remain responsible for obtaining all necessary institutional permissions, ethics committee or institutional review board approvals, informed consent, trial registration, regulatory permissions, and other approvals applicable to their research.
Polaris Research does not knowingly support fabrication or falsification of research data, plagiarism, manipulation of results, misrepresentation of authorship, circumvention of ethical review, or other forms of research misconduct.
Statistical analysis and scientific writing assistance are provided to improve the methodological and communicative quality of legitimate research and must not be used to misrepresent findings or create fraudulent academic work.
3. Statistical and Methodological Disclaimer
Statistical analyses, sample-size calculations, methodological recommendations, interpretations, tables, figures, and related outputs are prepared using the information, assumptions, datasets, and research objectives supplied by the client.
The validity of any statistical conclusion depends upon factors including data quality, completeness, measurement validity, sampling procedures, study design, model assumptions, and the accuracy of information provided.
Although reasonable professional care is exercised in preparing analyses and recommendations, no statistical procedure can guarantee that a study will demonstrate a particular result or reach statistical significance.
Researchers should independently review important methodological decisions and remain responsible for determining whether the analyses are appropriate for their scientific, institutional, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
4. Publication and Academic Disclaimer
Polaris Research may assist with manuscript preparation, academic editing, journal selection, responses to reviewers, reporting guidelines, and other publication-related activities.
Publication cannot be guaranteed. Editorial decisions are made independently by journal editors, publishers, peer reviewers, academic institutions, indexing organisations, and other third parties over whom Polaris Research has no control.
Polaris Research does not guarantee manuscript acceptance, journal indexing, publication timelines, citations, academic grades, degree completion, promotion, institutional approval, or any other academic or professional outcome.
Authorship decisions must comply with the requirements of the relevant journal, institution, and accepted standards of publication ethics. Consultancy or editorial assistance does not automatically constitute authorship.
5. Client Responsibilities
Clients are responsible for ensuring that information and materials supplied to Polaris Research are accurate, lawful, appropriately obtained, and suitable for the requested analysis or service.
Where research data are provided, clients are responsible for ensuring that they have appropriate authority to share those data and that all applicable ethical, institutional, contractual, privacy, and data-protection requirements have been satisfied.
Unless specifically agreed otherwise, datasets submitted for statistical consultation should be appropriately de-identified before transmission. Direct patient identifiers or unnecessary personally identifiable information should not be submitted.
Clients remain responsible for reviewing all deliverables before submission, publication, presentation, clinical application, or other use.
6. Confidentiality and Research Data
Polaris Research recognises that research protocols, manuscripts, datasets, statistical outputs, unpublished findings, reviewer correspondence, and related materials may contain confidential or commercially sensitive information.
Reasonable measures will be taken to maintain the confidentiality of materials supplied for consultancy purposes and to restrict their use to activities necessary for delivering the requested service.
Clients should avoid transmitting unnecessary personally identifiable information, protected health information, passwords, credentials, financial information, or other sensitive data.
Where a project requires processing of identifiable or particularly sensitive information, appropriate arrangements regarding secure transfer, storage, access, retention, and deletion should be agreed before such information is shared.
7. Intellectual Property
Unless otherwise stated or contractually agreed, clients retain ownership of their original research data, manuscripts, protocols, figures, and other materials supplied to Polaris Research.
Upon completion of the agreed service and settlement of applicable professional fees, project-specific deliverables prepared for the client may be used by the client for the purposes for which they were commissioned, subject to any separately agreed terms.
The Polaris Research name, branding, logo, website design, original educational materials, proprietary templates, software interfaces, calculators, explanatory content, and other original intellectual property belonging to Polaris Research or Polaris Consulting may not be reproduced, redistributed, sold, republished, reverse engineered, or commercially exploited without appropriate permission.
8. Educational Content and Polaris Insights
Articles, tutorials, explanations, examples, calculators, and other educational materials published through Polaris Insights or elsewhere on this website are provided for general educational and informational purposes.
They should not be treated as individualized statistical, medical, legal, regulatory, or research-ethics advice.
Research methodology and statistical practice depend upon the specific research question, study design, dataset, assumptions, and context. General educational material may therefore not be appropriate for every research project.
9. SampleSize Studio
SampleSize Studio is a research-planning tool developed within the Polaris Research ecosystem.
Its calculations and manuscript-ready outputs are intended to support research planning and education. Users remain responsible for selecting an appropriate study design, supplying appropriate assumptions and input values, reviewing the calculation, and determining whether the selected method is suitable for their particular protocol.
Sample-size calculations should be interpreted within the methodological and clinical context of the proposed study. Where specialist statistical input is required, automated calculations should not replace appropriate professional consultation.
The detailed methodological, reference, disclaimer, privacy, and intellectual-property information applicable specifically to SampleSize Studio is available within the application.
10. Privacy
Polaris Research may receive information voluntarily provided by users when they contact the organisation, request consultancy services, communicate through email, or otherwise interact with the website.
Such information should be used only for legitimate purposes associated with communication, service delivery, administration, security, and other reasonably necessary business activities, subject to applicable law.
Polaris Research does not claim ownership of client research data merely because those data are provided for consultancy purposes.
Third-party communication or hosting services may process information according to their own privacy policies. Users should review the policies of such services before transmitting sensitive information through them.
11. External Links and Third-Party Services
This website may contain links to external websites, journals, databases, software, communication platforms, or other third-party resources.
Such links are provided for convenience or informational purposes. Polaris Research does not control third-party websites and is not responsible for their availability, security, content, privacy practices, accuracy, or subsequent changes.
The inclusion of an external link does not necessarily constitute endorsement of every statement, product, or service available through that website.
12. Limitation of Liability
While reasonable care is taken to maintain the accuracy and quality of the website, educational materials, statistical outputs, and consultancy deliverables, errors, omissions, software limitations, incomplete information, or differences in methodological interpretation may occur.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Polaris Research and Polaris Consulting shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, academic, professional, financial, clinical, or publication-related losses arising solely from reliance upon general website content or automated research tools.
Nothing in these terms is intended to exclude or limit liability where such exclusion or limitation would be prohibited by applicable law.
13. Website Availability and Changes
Polaris Research may modify, update, suspend, remove, or discontinue website content, tools, features, educational resources, or services when necessary.
Information presented on the website may also be updated as statistical methods, reporting standards, publication requirements, regulations, or professional practices evolve.
Continued use of the website following an update constitutes acceptance of the then-current website terms where permitted by applicable law.
14. Governing Law and Terms of Use
The website and services of Polaris Research are operated under Polaris Consulting, India. Unless otherwise required by applicable law or separately agreed in writing, these terms and matters relating to the use of this website shall be governed by the laws applicable in India.
Any project-specific contractual terms agreed separately with a client shall take precedence over general website terms where the two expressly conflict.
