RefRunner

Terms of Service

Effective date: July 24, 2026

Acceptance of terms

By using RefRunner, you agree to these Terms of Service. RefRunner is operated by Literate Computing. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the service.

Description of service

RefRunner provides a browser-based tool for checking, formatting, and enriching academic references. The service relies on third-party APIs (OpenAlex, Crossref, Google Books, Open Library) and is provided as-is without warranty of accuracy or completeness of the data returned.

Acceptable use

You agree to use RefRunner only for lawful purposes. You must not:

  • Use the service to send automated bulk queries that violate the terms of the underlying APIs (OpenAlex, Crossref, Google Books, Open Library)
  • Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or otherwise extract the service in ways not intended by normal use
  • Use the service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose

Third-party services

RefRunner uses the OpenAlex, Crossref, Google Books, and Open Library APIs to retrieve bibliographic data. Your use of these features is also subject to the terms of those services. If you connect your Google account for Google Books searches, your use of that feature is additionally subject to Google’s Terms of Service. We are not responsible for the accuracy, availability, or content of data provided by third parties.

Accounts

You may optionally create an account by signing in with Google or Microsoft. You are responsible for activity under your account. We may suspend accounts that violate these terms. Handling of account data is described in our Privacy Policy.

Disclaimer of warranties

RefRunner is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that reference data retrieved will be accurate or complete. You are responsible for verifying the accuracy of any references before use in published work.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Literate Computing shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of RefRunner.

Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. Continued use of RefRunner after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

Contact

Questions about these terms may be directed to us via the Literate Computing contact page.