Scope
This policy applies to the VCite Chrome extension, the website at vcite.site, and the VCite API used to verify citations. Third-party scholarly data sources and external links process information under their own privacy policies.
Information we process
When you use the verification features, VCite processes citation text that you paste, text that you explicitly ask the extension to read from the current page, or selected text that you submit through the context menu. VCite may extract titles, authors, years, journals, DOIs, and URLs from that text.
The extension uses Chrome local storage to save your interface language and to briefly pass selected text from the context menu to the side panel. Pending text is removed after the side panel reads it.
Our services generate basic technical logs such as request times, status codes, request IDs, processing duration, and resource usage. We use these logs to troubleshoot problems and maintain availability. We do not intentionally write the full citation text you submit to application logs.
How we use information
VCite uses submitted information to parse citations, extract searchable bibliographic fields, query open scholarly data sources, compare titles, authors, years, journals, and DOIs, produce field-level verification results, and provide links to original evidence. We may also use limited technical information to detect and resolve errors, abuse, or security issues.
VCite does not sell personal information, use citation content for advertising, or use submitted content to train generative AI models.
Third-party services
To complete a verification, VCite may send necessary search fields—such as a DOI, title, author, year, or journal—to Crossref for publication metadata, DataCite for research output and data DOI metadata, and doi.org to identify DOI registration agencies and validate resolution. The VCite API runs on Tencent Cloud SCF.
These providers may record requests or network information under their own policies. When you open an evidence link, you visit the relevant third-party website directly.
Chrome permissions
sidePanel displays citation input, candidate references, and verification results in the browser side panel.
contextMenus provides the “Verify selected citation” context-menu action.
activeTab and scripting allow the extension to read visible text from the current tab only when you explicitly choose “Read current page.”
storage saves the interface language and briefly transfers text that you explicitly submit.
Access to api.vcite.site allows the extension to send citation fields to the VCite API and receive verification results.
Retention and security
The current version has no user database and does not persistently store submitted citation text or verification history. Text is processed during the request, and temporary pending text in the extension is deleted after it is read. Infrastructure logs are retained according to cloud-service configuration and are not intended for analyzing citation content.
VCite uses HTTPS to transmit data and limits the fields, request size, and batch quantity accepted by the API. No network service can guarantee absolute security. If we identify a risk, we will prioritize containing its impact and correcting the issue.
Your choices
You can submit only the reference itself and exclude surrounding text that contains sensitive information. You can edit or remove detected fields before verification, paste text manually instead of using “Read current page,” and uninstall the extension to remove data stored locally by the extension.
Children, changes, and applicable law
VCite is designed for academic research and writing and is not directed to children. We may update this policy as the product, data sources, or legal requirements change. We will provide reasonable notice of material changes on the website or in the extension and update the effective date at the top of this page.
Contact
If you have a question about privacy, data processing, or this policy, email 1772802789@qq.com.