Evidence-based credentials for researchers, institutions and publishers

Source-linked scholarly metadata describes the profile; ResearchRank calculations add ranking and recognition context. Eligibility is assessed independently of payment, and the certificate registry records the issued recognition separately from the changing live profile.

Profiles and rankings may change when indexed works, citations, affiliations, topics, open-access status or source records refresh. An issued certificate preserves its issue-time evidence and context; the live research profile can continue to evolve.

Eligibility is determined before payment. Payment cannot create, increase or improve eligibility. Online payment must be verified by the server before certificate release; approved manual transfers follow the same issuance controls.

Ranking pages identify their ranking basis and evaluated population. Percentile recognition uses the profile's eligible ranking position relative to that population. Composite indicators are analytical aids and do not silently replace the stated ranking basis.

Contact and delivery information is used for order fulfilment, certificate access, fraud prevention and limited transactional reminders. Sensitive payment credentials are handled by secure gateway components rather than stored in ResearchRank.

Each issued certificate receives a unique certificate number and verification record. Verification can show certificate status, issue date, recognition context and recorded scholarly evidence. A QR/reference on the PDF can point back to that record.

Open scholarly metadata can contain author disambiguation errors, affiliation gaps, duplicate records, incomplete coverage and field differences. Source identifiers and linked records should be reviewed when the result is used for formal assessment.

Live data is refreshed for discovery and analytics. Issue-time evidence is the snapshot/context attached to the certificate transaction. This distinction helps preserve what was recognised even when current metrics later change.

Use the exact certificate title and ResearchRank recognition class shown on the verification record. Do not describe a ResearchRank certificate as an official award or endorsement from OpenAlex, ORCID, a university, publisher or another external data source unless that organisation separately confirms it.