Terms of Service

B-TXT, the Brussels Digital Text Lab, is a core facility of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 9, 1050 Brussels, Belgium, BE 449.012.406, that provides researchers working with (large bodies of) textual data with technical support.

Services and consultations

B-TXT offers training, workshops, advice, grant support, templates and tutorials for free to all VUB researchers. In addition, all VUB researchers are entitled to one free dedicated consultation session of up to one hour per project.

B-TXT also offers paid services, such as custom analyses, dedicated code or software, data collection, cleaning, analysis and visualisation, and support for projects that require custom software solutions or data-analysis pipelines. The cost depends on the researcher’s affiliation, the scope of the work and the reusability of the solution. A discount may be agreed where the researcher makes relevant data or software available to the wider research community, subject to applicable ethical, legal, data-protection and third-party restrictions.

B-TXT may accept or decline a request based on its available capacity, whether the request falls within its expertise, the scope and feasibility of the work, the information and cooperation available from the client, and the expected research or societal value of the client’s project. B-TXT consultants provide advice with reasonable care and within their domain of expertise. They seek to identify appropriate scientific methods and to support the reliable interpretation and communication of results.

The client remains responsible for the study, including the completeness and accuracy of the information provided to B-TXT and any decisions made on the basis of the services. Any liability of B-TXT is governed by the liability provisions below.

Consultations must be requested through the online booking tool. Free consultations last a maximum of one hour. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students must obtain their supervisor’s consent before requesting a consultation, unless B-TXT agrees that consent is not required for the specific request.

Requests for analysis should be submitted well in advance, as immediate support cannot be guaranteed. Payment may be required depending on the scope of the request and the client’s status. Clients are advised to include B-TXT services in project proposals where funding will be needed.

Clients must provide data in a pseudonymised form and ready for processing, unless data cleaning or other preparation is included as a paid service. Data must be transferred to and accessed by B-TXT through a secure environment agreed with the client.

The client retains all rights in the data it provides. Rights to and permitted use of the service results are governed by the written agreement and the conditions below. B-TXT retains its rights in pre-existing methods, software, templates and know-how.

Authorship and acknowledgement are determined by each contributor’s actual contribution and applicable disciplinary standards, irrespective of whether the service is paid. A B-TXT member included as a co-author must contribute to and approve the publication and take responsibility for their contribution, including the relevant methods and results.

General conditions

The following conditions apply to all B-TXT services. The payment term in clause 2 applies only to paid services:

  1. Before services begin, the parties will agree in writing on the scope, deliverables, responsibilities, timetable, fees (if any), and any project-specific conditions.

  2. For paid services, unless otherwise agreed in writing, invoices must be paid within 30 calendar days of the invoice date.

  3. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, and subject to applicable law, third-party rights, confidentiality obligations and data-protection requirements, the client may use the service results for any purpose.

  4. VUB may use the service results for academic research and education only where this is agreed in writing and subject to applicable confidentiality, data-protection and third-party rights. Appropriate credit must be given to the client and other authors and contributors, where applicable.

  5. B-TXT shall use reasonable efforts to perform the project or services in accordance with the standards of care and diligence normally practised by universities providing services of a similar nature.

  6. B-TXT assumes no obligation whatsoever with regard to the achievement of certain scientific results.

  7. B-TXT does not give any warranty, whether implied or explicit, with regard to the results of the services.

  8. B-TXT is only liable in case of its gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

  9. The liability of B-TXT shall never include indirect damages (including lost profit, loss of income, data, business or other opportunities).

  10. The name and/or logo of B-TXT may only be used after obtaining the prior agreement of B-TXT.

  11. These services conditions are governed by the laws of Belgium. Any dispute, which cannot be settled amicably, shall be submitted to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Brussels.

Research integrity and responsible conduct

B-TXT performs its services in accordance with applicable VUB policies and guidance on research integrity, data protection and the responsible use of AI.

B-TXT may decline or stop work if issues in the study design, hypotheses, research questions, data collection or proposed methods could compromise scientific integrity.

Client responsibilities

Clients are expected to:

  • clearly describe their project, experiment, hypotheses, research questions and relevant context or constraints. This description should include an overview of the data, how it was collected, the expected outcomes and any aspects relevant to statistics or machine learning;
  • report any potential issues in data collection or measurement, including identified anomalies or deviations, possible causes and corrective actions;
  • actively engage in the consultation process, make a reasonable effort to understand the information provided by the consultant and follow up on suggested materials; and
  • interpret the service results within their own field of expertise.

Clients retain responsibility for the content and integrity of their study, subject to the liability provisions above.