Frequently Asked Questions

Help centre

Questions, answered

Pick who you are to see the answers that matter to you. Every section and every answer has its own link, so you can send it to anyone who asks.

New to ScholarsColab

For researchers visiting for the first time.

What is ScholarsColab?

A platform where researchers work with PhD mentors and experts who publish in their area. There are two ways to work with us. Managed by ScholarsColab: Manuscript Auditing, Manuscript Editing, Journal Selection & Submission, LaTeX Conversion and Research Project Management, each run as a project by a Research Project Manager. Hire an expert yourself: book a discussion with a mentor, or hire a freelance PhD expert and steer the work. See how it works, step by step.

Will you write my paper or thesis?

No. We do not ghostwrite. An audit diagnoses your manuscript, editing improves the language without rewriting your science, and our experts guide and support research work that you can explain and defend. Every written deliverable is checked for plagiarism.

What can I use for free?

The Submission Readiness Check (your rejection risk in about 2 minutes), the Journal Finder, journal pages with impact factor and reviewer comments shared by other authors, research methodology guides, publishing guides and research topic pages. The guide behind the Support button is free too.

Which service do I need?

Paper rejected, or not sure it is ready: Manuscript Auditing. Language and clarity: Manuscript Editing. Not sure where to submit, or the journal wants LaTeX: Journal Selection & Submission, LaTeX Conversion. Analysis, simulation, code or a full project: Research Project Management. Quick advice from a researcher in your field: a mentor discussion. Still unsure? Press Support and tell us about your paper.

How much does it cost, and in which currency?

Each service page shows its price before you order. Visitors in India see INR (plus 18% GST), visitors elsewhere see USD, with regional pricing for many countries. Research projects and freelance work are quoted for your scope, free and with no obligation.

Who are your experts?

PhD researchers who publish in your area. Their publications and citations come from their Google Scholar profiles and are shown on their profile pages. For a managed service we match your manuscript to the expert whose published work is closest to it.

Is my manuscript safe with you?

Yes. Reviewers work on a blind copy in a secure editor, and you decide whether they can download or edit it. Your files are shared only with your project manager and the assigned expert, and are never republished or reused. If your institution needs one, we sign a confidentiality agreement before you share anything.

Do you have offers or discounts?

When a seasonal offer is running, a badge next to the login button shows it, and the coupon is applied at checkout. For anything else, talk to our team through Support.

How do I talk to someone before ordering?

Press Support at the top of any page, write to support@scholarscolab.com or call +91 92112 16649. The guide answers right away with real prices, and when your question needs a person, a human expert joins the same chat.

I have placed an order

For researchers with an order in progress.

What happens after I pay?

You get an order confirmation by email, and the order appears in My Account. It becomes a project in our project management system, and a Research Project Manager takes ownership: they pick the PhD expert for your field and check quality before anything reaches you.

How do I sign in to My Account?

Use the email address you ordered with, on My Account. You can sign in with your password, or ask for a one-time code by email if you do not have one.

How do I follow the progress of my order?

My Account shows the stage of each order: Received, Mentor assigned, In progress, Revision and Delivered. You also get an email when the stage changes.

How do I talk to my project manager?

Open the order in My Account and write in its chat (also under Help & Support). It is live when your project manager is available, otherwise they reply as soon as they are back, and you get an email when they do.

How long will my order take?

A manuscript audit usually takes up to a week (systematic reviews take longer). Journal recommendation and LaTeX conversion usually take up to a week. Research projects follow the milestone plan you approved. Your project manager tells you if anything changes.

How will I receive the work?

Through My Account and by email, as a secure link or an attachment. Audits come with a structured report, editing with a tracked-changes file and a clean copy, LaTeX with the compiled PDF and the source files.

What if I need changes?

Tell your project manager in the order chat. Managed work comes back with revisions until you approve the result. An audit does not rewrite your paper: it returns a report with the fixes, and you can revise the paper yourself or continue with us.

Something is not right. What do I do?

Go to My Account > Help & Support and press Raise an issue. Choose what happened (a late delivery, quality, a revision not done as asked, you cannot reach your project manager, refund or payment) and describe it. Your Research Project Manager reviews it and decides the resolution, and the answer appears in the same place.

Can I get a refund?

A refund is decided case by case, as part of resolving an issue you raise after your order. Raise an issue from My Account > Help & Support and choose "Refund or payment". Your Research Project Manager reviews the order, the work delivered and the project chat, and decides the resolution, which can be a revision, a different expert, or a full or partial refund.

Can I get an invoice for my university?

Yes. Ask your project manager in the order chat. Invoices can be issued in the name of your university or department.

My audit is done. What next?

Revise the paper yourself with the action list in the report, or continue with us for editing, journal selection, LaTeX conversion and submission. Your project manager can tell you which fits.

Hiring an expert myself

For researchers who want to book a mentor or hire a freelancer.

Should I hire an expert myself or use a managed service?

Both use the same vetted PhD experts and the same quality checks. In a managed service your Research Project Manager chooses the expert and steers the work. When you hire yourself, you choose the mentor from their profile, or the freelancer from the proposals you receive, and you steer the work.

How do I find a mentor in my area?

Browse PhD mentors by field or the mentor list. Each profile shows the mentor's publications, the journals they publish in and reviews from other researchers.

How do I book a discussion with a mentor?

Press Schedule Meeting on the mentor's profile and share what you want to discuss and when suits you. We confirm a time that works for both of you, you pay the meeting fee securely on the site, and you meet online.

How much does a mentor discussion cost?

A first 10-minute discussion, to understand what you need, is ₹250. After that, the fee depends on what you want to discuss or be mentored on, from ₹2,500 to ₹7,000, and is confirmed with you before you pay. Outside India the fee is charged in USD at our international rate, the same way as every price on the site, with regional discounts for many countries.

How do I hire a freelancer for a project?

Post your task, timeline and budget on Hire Experts. It is free and takes two minutes. Scope and feasibility are reviewed before your brief goes live, then you get 3 to 5 matched experts, each with a profile, publications, ratings and a fixed-price quote. Interview your shortlist and hire.

How does payment work for freelance projects?

You fund one milestone at a time. The payment is held safely and released to the expert only after you approve that milestone's work. A service fee, if any, is shown before you fund.

What if the freelancer does not deliver?

Ask for changes before you approve the milestone: the payment is not released until you accept the work. If it is still not resolved, raise a dispute. A Research Project Manager reviews the project chat and decides.

Can I contact the expert by phone or email directly?

Please keep all communication on ScholarsColab. Phone numbers, emails and messaging-app details are blocked in project chats. This protects your payment, your files and your right to a dispute review.

I bought research code. Can I discuss it with its author?

Yes. Use Discuss Code on the product: a video meeting of up to 15 minutes with the code owner about the algorithm, code flow or issues. Recording is off, a small fee is paid before scheduling, and you start the meeting from your dashboard. Contributors also give 7 days of technical help after a sale.

Can I work with the same expert again?

Yes. Rate them, save the experts you liked, and rehire them for your next project.

Mentors

For researchers who want to mentor on ScholarsColab.

Who can become a mentor?

Faculty members and industry researchers from all disciplines with a published research record.

How do I join?

Fill in the form on the Mentor page: name, email, phone, affiliation, research area, the stages you mentor (problem formulation, simulation, manuscript drafting), your Google Scholar profile and a photo. GitHub, LinkedIn and a CV are optional. Validate your email and your profile goes live.

What does my profile show, and how is it kept up to date?

Your publications, citations and the journals you publish in, taken from your Google Scholar profile, plus reviews from researchers you worked with. Keep your Google Scholar profile current and your page follows it.

Where does ScholarsColab show my work?

Your papers appear on the journal pages and research topic pages they belong to, and come up in Journal Finder searches. Every month you get an email showing where your papers were featured and how many visits those pages and your profile received.

How do I get work?

You get an email when a new project, call for proposals or research module is posted. Log in to the project board and express interest; the better your published work fits, the higher you rank for it, and strong matches can be assigned the project. Researchers can also book a discussion with you from your profile, and our project managers pick mentors for audits and other managed services.

How does a mentor discussion work for me?

A researcher presses Schedule Meeting on your profile and shares the topic and preferred time. We confirm a slot that suits you both, the researcher pays the fee on the site, and you meet online.

How am I paid?

The fee for each piece of work is agreed with you before you start. For project work, your payment is released once the client approves the milestone. The payout method and schedule are confirmed with you when you take on your first paid work.

Can I share my contact details with researchers?

No. Keep all communication on ScholarsColab and do not share phone numbers, emails or messaging apps with clients. It keeps payments and disputes fair for both sides.

Why are you asking me to share reviewer comments?

Reviewer comments shared anonymously help the next researcher choose a journal and make peer review more transparent. It takes a minute and needs no account: share reviewer comments.

I am already registered. Where do I sign in?

Use the login for registered mentors on the Mentor page to open the project board.

How do I stop the monthly visibility email?

Every monthly email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom.

Freelance experts and code contributors

For experts who take on projects or sell research code.

How does freelance work on ScholarsColab work?

In two ways. In a managed project, a Research Project Manager assigns you a part of the work, briefs you and reviews what you deliver. In a project posted by a researcher, you send a fixed-price quote and the researcher chooses whom to hire.

How do I join as a freelance expert?

Register on the Mentor page with your Google Scholar profile. One profile works for mentoring, managed projects and posted projects.

How are experts chosen for a project?

By how closely your published work matches the project, your domain, reviews from past work and your availability. Keep your profile accurate: it is what clients and project managers see.

What is expected of me?

Deliver work that meets the agreed brief by the agreed deadline, keep communication on the platform, never share or reuse a client's material, and cooperate if a dispute is reviewed.

What happens to my work before the client sees it?

The project manager reviews it against the brief and written work goes through a plagiarism check. Work that does not meet the brief is sent back to you first.

When am I paid?

After the client approves the milestone you delivered. The agreed platform fee is deducted before the payout. The payout method and schedule are confirmed with you when you take on your first paid work.

What if a client disputes my work?

The Research Project Manager reviews the project chat and the deliverables and decides. Share what is asked for, so it can be settled quickly.

Can I sell my research code or simulations?

Yes. You set your price (we may suggest a change), and a fee agreed with you is deducted from each sale. You keep the rights to your code and give ScholarsColab a non-exclusive licence to sell it. The code must be your own and not listed elsewhere, and you give buyers 7 days of technical help, including short Discuss Code meetings.

Can I keep or reuse a client's files?

No. Client material is used only for that project, in the secure editor where the client allows it, and is never reused or shared.

Universities, labs and supervisors

For universities, departments, labs and PhD supervisors.

Can you invoice our university or department?

Yes. Invoices can be issued to a university or department, including before a milestone if your process needs it.

Will you sign a confidentiality agreement?

Yes. If your institution requires one, we sign it before you share any material.

Can you support a lab or a larger project?

Yes. A Research Project Manager plans the project with you, brings in several specialists where needed and runs it milestone by milestone, with every milestone approved by you. Research Project Management.

How do you protect academic integrity?

We provide research support, not ghostwriting. Deliverables are original and plagiarism-checked, and the guidance is meant to be understood and defended by the researcher.

No answer matches that yet. Ask us through Support and a person from our team will reply.

Still have a question?

Our guide answers right away, and a person from our team joins when needed.

support@scholarscolab.com
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