MyCite Privacy Policy
MyCite is a reference manager for organizing papers and citations. It is built to keep your data with you: there are no MyCite accounts, and there is no MyCite database. This page explains what data MyCite handles and where that data goes.
- Your library lives in your browser and in a folder in your own Google Drive.
- MyCite can only see Drive files it created. It cannot see the rest of your Drive.
- We don't run analytics, show ads, or sell or share your data.
- You can disconnect and delete everything at any time; the steps are below.
Where your library is stored
Your papers, folders, labels, notes, settings and PDFs (including your highlights and comments) are stored in two places:
- In your browser, in the browser's own storage on your device.
- In your Google Drive, in a folder called MyCite Library, if you connect Google Drive. This keeps your library in sync across your devices.
We don't keep a copy of your library anywhere.
Google account data
When you connect Google Drive, MyCite asks for one permission,
drive.file. This lets MyCite create files and use only the files it has
created, which are the ones in the MyCite Library
folder. MyCite cannot see, open or change any other file in your Drive.
MyCite uses this access only to:
- save your library and PDFs to your Drive and read them back;
- read your Google account's email address once, to fill in the optional "contact email" setting (see Services MyCite contacts). You can change or clear it in Settings at any time.
MyCite's use and transfer of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements. Google user data is used only to provide the features described above. It is never used for advertising, never sold, and never shared with anyone else. No person reads it.
The sign-in service
Keeping Google Drive connected requires a small sign-in service, which runs on Cloudflare. After you approve access on Google's own page, this service gets a sign-in token from Google. It encrypts that token and sends it back to your browser, which keeps it. After that, your browser asks the service for a short-lived access token when it needs one, and then talks to Google Drive directly.
The service doesn't store your tokens and never sees your library or your files. Like any web service, Cloudflare may keep standard technical logs of requests to it, such as your IP address and the time of the request, under Cloudflare's privacy policy.
If you run MyCite on your own computer with the mycite
command, this service isn't used: the sign-in is handled by MyCite on your own computer.
Services MyCite contacts
To look up paper details and find freely available PDFs, your browser or the MyCite browser extension contacts these services directly:
- CrossRef, doi.org, OpenAlex, Unpaywall, Semantic Scholar, Europe PMC, arXiv and PubMed, to look up a paper's details and free copies;
- publisher websites, to read a paper's page or download its PDF.
These requests contain what's needed for the lookup, such as a DOI, a title or a web address. If you set a contact email, it's included in requests to CrossRef, OpenAlex and Unpaywall. They ask for one so they can contact heavy users, and Unpaywall requires it. Each of these services handles data under its own privacy policy.
The MyCite website is hosted on GitHub Pages. GitHub may log visits to the site under GitHub's privacy statement.
The browser extension
The optional MyCite browser extension reads the page you are on only when you ask it to add a paper. If you choose to give it publisher access in its settings, it can also read publisher pages and download PDFs for you. It does this using your browser's own sign-ins, so if your library or institution gives you access to a paper, the extension can get the PDF on your behalf.
Everything the extension collects goes only to your own MyCite library. The extension doesn't send your browsing, your sign-ins or your library to us or to anyone else. You can remove publisher access or uninstall the extension at any time.
Cookies and tracking
MyCite doesn't use analytics, advertising or tracking. It uses your browser's storage only to remember your library, your settings and your Drive connection.
Deleting your data
- Disconnect Google Drive in MyCite (Sync settings). This revokes MyCite's access at Google. You can also remove it at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
- Delete the MyCite Library folder in Google Drive to remove the copy of your library that is stored there.
- Clear this site's data in your browser's settings to remove the copy on your device.
Since we don't keep a copy, these steps remove your data completely.
Children
MyCite isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect their data.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, we'll post the new version on this page and change the "Last updated" date above.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: aghavamp@uwo.ca.