Effective Date: July 16, 2026
Last Updated: July 16, 2026
Research Hub Africa ("RHA", "we", "our", or "us") is a professional academic and research community created to connect clinicians, researchers, educators, students, institutions, policymakers, innovators, and professionals across Africa and beyond.
Our mission is to promote scientific integrity, respectful collaboration, knowledge sharing, innovation, and evidence-based practice across all university disciplines.
By accessing or using Research Hub Africa, you agree to uphold these Community Guidelines.
Members are expected to conduct themselves professionally at all times.
Users should:
Communicate respectfully and courteously.
Encourage constructive scientific discussion.
Respect differing professional opinions.
Support evidence-based dialogue.
Foster collaboration, mentorship, and interdisciplinary partnerships.
Contribute positively to the research community.
Healthy academic debate is encouraged. Personal hostility is not.
Research Hub Africa is built upon research integrity.
Users must not:
Fabricate data.
Falsify research findings.
Manipulate scientific images.
Misrepresent study results.
Commit plagiarism.
Claim authorship of work they did not create.
Submit AI-generated research as original scholarly work without appropriate disclosure.
Knowingly spread scientific misinformation.
Research misconduct may result in content removal, suspension, revocation of verification, or permanent account termination.
Only upload materials that you have the legal right to share.
Do not upload:
Copyrighted journal articles without permission.
Copyrighted textbook chapters.
Publisher-owned figures.
Publisher-owned tables.
Subscription-only materials where redistribution is prohibited.
Materials restricted by institutional agreements.
Always provide appropriate attribution and comply with applicable copyright laws.
Clinical cases are intended for education and professional discussion.
Users uploading clinical cases must:
Fully anonymize patient information.
Remove all personally identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI).
Obtain any required permissions.
Comply with institutional ethics policies.
Follow applicable privacy laws.
Never upload content capable of identifying an individual patient.
Clinical Signals provide a mechanism for verified professionals to share observations about unusual disease patterns, emerging health concerns, or noteworthy clinical findings.
Clinical Signals should:
Be factual and evidence-based.
Clearly distinguish observations from confirmed diagnoses.
Avoid speculation or sensationalism.
Be updated when additional information becomes available.
Clinical Signals do not represent official public health announcements and should not be interpreted as confirmed outbreaks.
Verified institutions and professionals are encouraged to share protocols that have proven valuable within their healthcare or academic settings.
Protocols should:
Clearly identify the originating institution where appropriate.
State whether they are local, regional, or national.
Include revision dates whenever possible.
Be updated when revisions occur.
Institutional protocols are educational resources and should not replace local policies, regulatory guidance, or professional judgment.
Research Hub Africa supports collaboration in:
Research projects
Clinical trials
Multicentre studies
Data collection
Data analysis
Grant applications
Research funding
AI and Machine Learning partnerships
Mentorship
Public health surveillance
Academic networking
Users must honestly represent collaboration opportunities.
Fraudulent funding offers, misleading advertisements, deceptive recruitment, or false partnership claims are prohibited.
Users should maintain accurate and truthful professional information.
Users must not:
Misrepresent their institution.
Claim qualifications they do not possess.
Impersonate other professionals.
Create deceptive accounts.
Misuse professional verification.
Professional verification may be suspended or revoked where false information is discovered.
Research Hub Africa offers a Verified Professional Badge to eligible users whose identity, professional affiliation, or credentials have been reviewed through the platform's verification process.
The badge is intended to promote trust and transparency within the community by helping users identify verified professionals.
A Verified Professional Badge does not:
certify clinical competence or expertise;
guarantee the accuracy or quality of a user's research or publications;
endorse a user's opinions, clinical recommendations, institutional protocols, or public health signals;
imply approval by Research Hub Africa, EviForge Ventures, employers, universities, regulatory bodies, or professional associations.
Verification confirms only that the user's submitted credentials or affiliation met the platform's verification requirements at the time approval was granted.
Verified users remain responsible for:
maintaining accurate professional information;
complying with research ethics and professional standards;
protecting patient confidentiality;
ensuring the accuracy of information they publish;
complying with institutional policies and applicable laws.
Research Hub Africa reserves the right to suspend or revoke verification where:
false credentials are discovered;
verification was obtained fraudulently;
repeated Community Guideline violations occur;
research misconduct is identified;
copyright infringement occurs;
harassment or misinformation is repeatedly shared.
Verification decisions are governed by the Professional Verification Policy.
The following behaviour is prohibited:
Personal attacks
Harassment
Hate speech
Discrimination
Bullying
Threats
Defamation
Sexual harassment
Offensive or abusive language
Scientific disagreement should always remain respectful.
Research Hub Africa may use Artificial Intelligence to:
Summarise research
Generate educational insights
Classify studies
Recommend related research
Improve literature discovery
Users remain responsible for independently reviewing AI-generated information.
AI-generated outputs should never be presented as verified scientific evidence without appropriate review.
Likes, Peer Notes, comments, ratings, recommendations, and Impact Scores should represent genuine scientific engagement.
Users must not:
Artificially inflate engagement.
Purchase or exchange likes.
Manipulate Impact Scores.
Use fake or duplicate accounts.
Coordinate fraudulent engagement.
Research Hub Africa may remove fraudulent engagement and adjust Impact Scores where manipulation is identified.
Users are encouraged to report:
Copyright infringement
Plagiarism
Research misconduct
Privacy violations
Fake profiles
Harassment
Fraudulent collaborations
Scientific misinformation
Abuse of professional verification
Reports are handled confidentially and reviewed in good faith.
Depending upon severity, Research Hub Africa may:
Issue warnings.
Remove content.
Restrict features.
Suspend accounts.
Permanently terminate accounts.
Revoke professional verification.
Notify relevant institutions or authorities where legally appropriate.
Users who believe moderation or enforcement decisions were incorrect may submit an appeal.
Appeals should include:
Account information.
Explanation of the decision being challenged.
Supporting documentation.
Research Hub Africa will review appeals fairly and in good faith.
Research Hub Africa believes scientific progress depends upon:
Honesty
Respect
Transparency
Collaboration
Ethical conduct
Diversity of ideas
Accountability
Lifelong learning
Every member contributes to maintaining a professional, inclusive, and trustworthy academic community.
These Community Guidelines may be updated periodically to reflect:
New platform features
Research ethics developments
Academic publishing standards
Legal and regulatory changes
Community feedback
Continued use of Research Hub Africa after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Guidelines.
Research Hub Africa
Operated by EviForge Ventures
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory
Nigeria
Email: rhasupport@addisonforge.com
By creating an account, accessing, or using Research Hub Africa, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to abide by these Community Guidelines.