About
Building Trust in Science
Sci Check began as a research project at UCL Institute of Education and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, exploring access to knowledge, scientific communication, and the future of academic publishing.
During this work, a recurring pattern emerged. Researchers across disciplines were producing more high-quality research than ever before, while traditional publishing systems struggled to keep pace. Long publication timelines, increasing publication costs and subscription fees, limited reviewing capacity, and growing pressure to "publish or perish" were creating unnecessary barriers for researchers and institutions alike.
At the same time, researchers increasingly began sharing their work through repositories, preprint servers, and other Open Access platforms. While these channels made research more accessible, they often lacked one essential component: independent peer review that readers could easily access and verify.
What started as a research project therefore evolved into a mission — to build infrastructure that allows researchers to publish independently while providing transparent evidence that their work has undergone rigorous evaluation and meets scientific and ethical standards.
Why We Exist
Researchers rely on previous work to develop new discoveries. Institutions invest significant resources into research that advances society. Readers need confidence that published findings have been evaluated according to scientific standards.
As scientific publishing continues to evolve, maintaining that trust requires new infrastructure.
We believe researchers should not have to choose between openness and credibility. Independent publishing should be able to meet the same scientific standards expected throughout the research community.
Our role is not to replace existing publishing pathways, but to strengthen them by providing independent peer review that can accompany research wherever it is ultimately published.
Whether a manuscript is shared through an institutional repository, a preprint server, a Diamond Open Access journal, a traditional journal, or another publishing platform, transparent scientific validation should be ensured.
Mission, Vision & Approach
Our Mission
Cultivate a healthy research ecosystem — for scientists, with scientists. We expand access to trusted scientific knowledge by providing independent peer review that is accessible, transparent, and affordable, supporting researchers throughout their publishing journey and helping institutions strengthen their research infrastructure.
Our Vision
A future where trusted scientific publishing is no longer tied to a single publishing model. Researchers choose the pathway that best serves their work — repositories, institutional libraries, Diamond Open Access, traditional journals, or new models — while independent peer review remains a shared layer of scientific validation.
Our Approach
Build infrastructure that serves the research community, not any single publishing model. We combine double-blind peer review, transparent reporting, publication verification, and rigorous reviewer selection into one system designed around scientific integrity to strengthen existing publishing ecosystems.
Our Principles
Independence
Scientific quality should be evaluated independently of publication venue.
Transparency
Readers should be able to understand how research has been assessed and why conclusions can be trusted.
Scientific Integrity
Every review follows recognized scientific standards, ethical principles, and conflict-of-interest safeguards.
Fairness
Researchers, reviewers, institutions, and readers all play essential roles — and deserve fair treatment.
Accessibility
High-quality research should be accessible regardless of geography, institution, or available funding.
Collaboration
Progress in science depends on collaboration across the wider research community.
Sustainability
Scientific infrastructure should be built for the long term and continuously reinvest in the community it serves.
Our Commitments
Investing back into the research community
of net profits reinvested into Open Science.
We are committed to the long-term development of Open Science infrastructure through responsible practices and sustainable investment.
- Provide fair financial compensation for reviewers whose expertise maintains scientific quality
- Keep independent peer review as affordable as possible while upholding quality
- Maintain rigorous and transparent review processes that strengthen confidence in published research
- Continuously improve Open Science infrastructure that supports trustworthy scientific communication
FRAMEWORKS WE STAND BEHIND
UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science
DFG Guidelines for Good Research Practice
European Diamond Open Access (EDOA)
Creative Commons CC BY
EU Council on Open Science
SeDOA
Looking Ahead
We believe the future of scientific publishing lies in open, connected and community-driven infrastructure that enables researchers to share knowledge safely, transparently and without unnecessary barriers. Peer review is where we begin, but it is only one part of a much larger vision.
As Sci Check grows, we aim to develop solutions that strengthen Open Science, support researchers and their institutions throughout the publishing process, and make trusted scientific knowledge more accessible around the world.
Everything we build will continue to be guided by the same purpose that inspired Sci Check from the beginning:
Building trust in science by creating infrastructure that
serves the research community.