Terms of Use & Disclaimers

Access2Knowledge Terms of Use

Last updated: November 24th, 2025

Welcome to the Access2Knowledge Terms of Use page.

The purpose of this page is to describe the terms and conditions that govern your use of our website, including your rights and our limitations of liability. By using access2knowledge.org (the “Site”), you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Use.

If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Site.

1. Definitions

In these Terms of Use:

  • “Access2Knowledge,” “A2K,” “we,” “us,” or “our” refer to the owner and operator of access2knowledge.org.

  • “You” refers to any user, reader, or visitor to the Site.

  • “Content” includes, but is not limited to, all written material, articles, guides, posts, designs, code, videos, graphics, logos, images, and any other materials displayed or made available on the Site.

2. Educational content only (no professional advice)

The information on Access2Knowledge is provided for general informational and educational purposes only.

Our content is not a substitute for professional advice of any kind, including but not limited to:

  • Medical, mental health, or veterinary advice
  • Legal, financial, accounting, or tax advice
  • Career counseling, psychotherapy, or other professional services

We do our best to provide content that is accurate, understandable, and practical. However:

  • You should always seek the advice of a qualified professional with any questions you may have about a medical condition, legal situation, financial decision, career decision, or other specialized topic.
  • Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

By using the Site, you agree that any reliance on information available on or through the Site is solely at your own risk.

3. Health, safety, and sensitive topics

Some articles on Access2Knowledge may touch on health, mental health, veterinary care, safety, trauma, or other sensitive topics.

For these topics:

  • Content is written for general understanding only and is not tailored to your specific situation.
  • We do our best to use current, reputable sources, but we cannot guarantee that all information is complete, current, or applicable to you.

If you think you may have a medical or mental health emergency, contact a doctor, licensed mental health professional, emergency services, or a crisis hotline in your area immediately. Do not rely on this website for emergency support.

For pet-related content, always consult a licensed veterinarian about your specific animal.

4. Accuracy of information and no guarantees

Some information and data presented on access2knowledge.org are drawn from sources we believe to be reliable. However:

  • We make no representation or warranty that any content on the Site is complete, accurate, up to date, or free from errors.
  • We do not assume responsibility for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the information presented.

Content may become outdated over time, especially for topics involving prices, salaries, laws, policies, technology, and health guidance. Articles may include “as of [year]” notes, but even with those, you should verify important details with more current or primary sources.

Your use of any information or materials on this Site is entirely at your own risk.

5. Your use of the Site: account and user responsibilities

Access2Knowledge values the trust and security of our users. To help us maintain a safe and respectful environment, you agree that:

  • You will not provide false, misleading, or altered information when interacting with the Site, submitting content, or contacting us.
  • If you create an account (where applicable), you will keep your login credentials confidential and will not share your account with others.
  • You will promptly update your account information if it becomes inaccurate or outdated.
  • You will not transfer your account to any third party.
  • You will consider the implications of sharing any personal information publicly on the Site or with third parties.

If you fail to comply with these Terms of Use, we reserve the right to suspend, restrict, or disable your account and/or your access to the Site.

For more details about how we collect, use, and protect personal information, please review our Privacy Policy.

6. Intellectual property, Creative Commons licensing, and reuse

6.1 Who owns what

Unless otherwise indicated on a specific page or work:

  • Individual authors and contributors retain the copyright in their own original contributions to Access2Knowledge.

  • Access2Knowledge retains rights in the site as a whole, including the Access2Knowledge name, logo, overall branding, and site design.

  • Some images, media, or other materials may be owned by third parties and used under license, fair use, or with permission. Those items may not be covered by our default Creative Commons license.

Nothing in this section transfers ownership of your copyright to Access2Knowledge. By contributing to the Site, you grant us permission to publish, display, and distribute your work under the applicable Creative Commons license noted on that work, and to maintain an archive copy of it.

6.2 Default license: CC BY-NC-SA

To reflect our commitment to open knowledge, all original content on Access2Knowledge is licensed by default under a Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial–ShareAlike (CC BY-NC-SA) license, unless a different license is clearly indicated on the page.

In plain language, for content under the default CC BY-NC-SA license:

  • You are free to:

    • Share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.

    • Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the material.

  • Under the following terms:

    • Attribution (BY): You must give appropriate credit to the author and to Access2Knowledge, provide a link back to the original page, and indicate if changes were made.
    • NonCommercial (NC): You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
    • ShareAlike (SA): If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license (or a compatible ShareAlike license).
    • No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

For the full legal terms of the CC BY-NC-SA license, please refer to the Creative Commons website.

6.3 Different licenses for specific works

Individual contributors may choose a different Creative Commons license for their work (for example, CC BY, CC BY-SA, or other variants). When that happens:

  • The specific license will be clearly noted on or near the article, resource, or media item.
  • That specific license will govern how that particular work may be reused and adapted.

If there is any conflict between this section and the license notice on an individual piece of content, the license notice on the content itself controls for that work.

6.4 What the open license does not cover

The default CC BY-NC-SA license (or any other CC license indicated) generally does not apply to:

  • The Access2Knowledge name, logo, and other trademarks.
  • The overall site design, theme, or layout.
  • Third-party content (including some images, videos, data, or embedded media) that is used by permission, under fair use, stock licenses, or its own Creative Commons license.

You must respect any copyright notices, license notices, or attribution requirements associated with third-party materials. If you are unsure whether a specific item is covered by the default license, treat it as not licensed for reuse until you can confirm.

6.5 Prohibited misuse

Even with open licensing, some uses are not allowed. Without our prior written permission, you may not:

  • Use our content or our name in a way that suggests we endorse a product, service, person, or organization when we do not.
  • Remove, obscure, or alter any copyright, license, or attribution notices.
  • Misrepresent the source of the material or claim our content as your own original work.
  • Use any content from the Site in ways that violate applicable law, including intellectual property laws and privacy or publicity rights.

Removing signs of copyright and ownership, or using content in violation of the relevant Creative Commons license or applicable law, may constitute a civil or criminal offense. We reserve the right to take legal action if necessary.

7. Acceptable use and user conduct

We respect our users and expect the same in return. In using Access2Knowledge, you agree not to:

  • Use the Site to send spam or unsolicited communications.
  • Attempt to access, collect, or misuse private information about other users.
  • Post or transmit unauthorized or inappropriate content, including pornographic, violent, threatening, or harassing material.
  • Use discriminatory, hateful, or abusive language targeting individuals or groups.
  • Engage in any illegal activities or encourage others to do so.
  • Upload or distribute viruses, malware, or any other malicious code that may harm the Site or its users.
  • Interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site’s infrastructure or security.
  • Violate these Terms of Use or any related policies, including our Privacy Policy.

We are not responsible for the content our users may post in any interactive areas (such as comments or forums) but we reserve the right to remove content and/or restrict access that we determine, in our discretion, to be harmful, offensive, or otherwise in violation of these Terms.

8. AI-assisted content and GAIDeT disclosures

8.1 AI as a tool, not an author

Access2Knowledge sometimes uses generative AI tools (for example, large language models such as ChatGPT) in our editorial and publishing workflows. These tools may support tasks like brainstorming, outlining, summarizing, language polishing, or generating alternative phrasings.

Regardless of the tools used:

  • All content published on the Site is reviewed, edited, and approved by a human editor.
  • Human editors remain fully responsible for the final content and for any errors, omissions, or harms that may arise from it.
  • AI systems are not listed as authors and do not hold any rights or responsibilities regarding the content.

This approach aligns with current best practices in scholarly publishing, which emphasize that AI may assist but final accountability stays with people.

8.2 GAIDeT as our disclosure standard

To promote transparency, Access2Knowledge adopts the GAIDeT (Generative AI Delegation Taxonomy) framework as our standard for declaring AI use in content and publishing workflows.

GAIDeT provides a structured way to describe:

  • Which tasks were delegated to generative AI tools (for example, outlining, language editing, summarizing sources, drafting example text).
  • At which stage of the work those tasks occurred (idea development, drafting, revising, etc.).
  • Under what level of human oversight the tools were used (for example, light assistance vs. heavily edited output).

In practice, this means that when generative AI plays a meaningful role in the creation or editing of an article, we will:

  • Include a short GAIDeT-style declaration at the end of the piece describing how AI was used.
  • Indicate the type of tasks delegated and name the tool(s) involved, where appropriate.
  • Make clear that responsibility for the final version remains with the human author(s) and editor(s).

The same principle applies to internal editorial tools: we use AI to assist with well-defined tasks, not to replace human judgment.

8.3 Expectations for contributors

If you submit content to Access2Knowledge (as an author, editor, or other contributor), you agree to:

  • Disclose any use of generative AI tools in your writing, research, or preparation process.
  • Provide enough detail for us to create a clear GAIDeT-style declaration (for example: “outline assistance,” “grammar and style editing,” “summarizing background sources”).
  • Confirm that you have reviewed and critically evaluated all AI-assisted content and that the final submission reflects your own understanding and responsibility.

We reserve the right to decline or retract work that appears to rely primarily on undeclared AI output, or that misrepresents the extent of AI involvement.

More practical guidance for contributors about AI use and GAIDeT-based declarations is provided on our AI Use Disclaimer and Write for Us pages.

8.4 Limitations and evolving practice

GAIDeT was originally developed for research and scholarly publishing, but we apply its core ideas—clear delegation, transparent disclosure, and human accountability—to all AI-assisted work on Access2Knowledge.

As AI tools and standards evolve, we may update:

  • The specific GAIDeT categories or task descriptions we use;
  • The way we present AI declarations on individual pages;
  • The internal safeguards we apply to AI tools.

Any substantial changes to our AI practices or disclosure standards will be reflected in this Terms of Use page and/or our AI Use Disclaimer page.

9. Advertising, affiliate links, and third-party sites

From time to time, we may display advertisements or include links to third-party websites, products, or services.

Advertising and affiliate links

  • Access2Knowledge may display advertising and may include affiliate links to products or services.
  • If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
  • These relationships help support the costs of hosting, maintenance, and improvement of the Site.

We do not allow advertisers or affiliate partners to control the substance of our editorial content. Sponsored content, when present, will be clearly labeled as such.

Third-party advertisers or partners may use their own cookies or tracking technologies. Their use of data is governed by their own privacy policies, not ours. We are not responsible for the cookies or tracking practices of third parties.

Links to other websites

The Site may contain links to external websites or resources that are not owned or controlled by Access2Knowledge.

  • We provide these links for your convenience and informational purposes only.
  • We do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for the content, policies, reliability, or performance of any third-party websites.
  • Any use of linked websites is at your own risk.

10. Termination and suspension of access

By using access2knowledge.org, you take full responsibility for the use of the Site on any device you own or control.

We may, at our discretion and without prior notice, suspend or terminate your access to the Site (including any account you may have) if we believe that:

  • You have violated these Terms of Use or other applicable policies.
  • Your actions may cause harm, loss, or legal liability to Access2Knowledge or to other users.
  • We need to do so to comply with legal obligations or protect the security of the Site.

We also reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue all or part of the Site at any time, for any reason, without prior notice.

11. Limitation of liability

ACCESS2KNOWLEDGE STRIVES TO PROVIDE QUALITY CONTENT AND TO PROTECT USER INFORMATION. HOWEVER, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

  • ALL CONTENT AND SERVICES ON THIS SITE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE,” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, RELIABILITY, SUITABILITY, AVAILABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

  • ACCESS2KNOWLEDGE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE AND SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS, INJURY, DAMAGE, OR DATA LOSS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THIS SITE, ANY CONTENT ON IT, OR ANY LINKED WEBSITES.

  • THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO ALL CLAIMS, WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such cases, some of the above limitations may not apply to you. In those jurisdictions, our liability will be limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

12. Changes to these Terms

We may revise or update these Terms of Use from time to time. Changes take effect when they are posted on this page, unless otherwise noted.

We may not always provide direct notice of changes, so we encourage you to review this page periodically. Your continued access to or use of access2knowledge.org after changes are posted means you accept and agree to the updated Terms.

13. Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests related to these Terms of Use or the way we operate this website, please contact us:

Important note

This Terms of Use page is intended to help clarify how Access2Knowledge operates and how you may use the Site. It is not legal advice. If you need legal guidance about your rights or obligations, you should consult a qualified attorney.