RefRunner

Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 24, 2026

Overview

RefRunner is a reference-checking tool operated by Literate Computing. We are committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, and your rights.

Your data is processed in your browser

RefRunner works primarily in your browser. Reference lists and manuscript text you provide are processed locally and are never sent to our servers. If you are logged in to https://hub.refrunner.com/, your settings will be saved there so that they persist across devices and sessions.

Third-party API calls

When you look up references, your browser makes requests directly to third-party services including:

  • OpenAlex (privacy policy) — for metadata lookups
  • Crossref (privacy policy) — for DOI resolution
  • Google Books (privacy policy) — for book metadata and cover images. By default, requests are made without an API key; Google may log the search queries (book titles and author names) associated with your IP address. You may optionally sign in with Google to raise the rate limit on these searches (see below).
  • Open Library/archive.org (terms of service) — as a fallback source for book metadata when Google Books does not return a match.

At this writing, RefRunner (and Literate Computing) provide you with an OpenAlex API key that is tied to an email address we provide. You may also provide your own OpenAlex API key; if you do, it may be stored on our server in your settings.

Google and Microsoft Sign-In

If you sign in with Google or Microsoft, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from the respective service. We use this information solely to identify your account and provide the service. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties for any reason.

Google Books authorization

You may optionally connect your Google account to RefRunner to raise the rate limit on Google Books searches. If you do, RefRunner requests access to the Google Books API scope (https://www.googleapis.com/auth/books) and receives a short-lived access token from Google. That token is held only in your browser’s memory, is used solely to make book-metadata searches on your behalf, is never sent to our servers, and is discarded when it expires (about one hour) or when you close the page. We do not read, store, or modify your Google Books library, bookshelves, or any other data in your Google account.

RefRunner’s use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. You can revoke RefRunner’s access at any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions.

Analytics

We may use Google Analytics to collect anonymous usage data, such as which features are used and how users navigate the site. This data helps us improve the user experience. No personal data is collected through Google Analytics, and you can opt out of this tracking via the consent banner on our site RefRunner.

Data retention

We do not store your reference data or manuscript text on our servers. Any account data associated with Google Sign-In is retained only as long as your account is active. You may request deletion of your account data by contacting us at the address below.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, please contact us via the Literate Computing contact page.