This policy covers the LumaCite website, public citation tools, LumaCite Library, and the LumaCite — Capture & Cite BETA Chrome extension. The sections below explain what each part of LumaCite handles and why.
LumaCite — Capture & Cite BETA
Capture & Cite is a Chrome extension that connects reference capture, the LumaCite cloud library, and citation work in Google Docs. It is available on supported research, publisher, search, writing, and LumaCite pages so you can use its controls when you need them. Access to those pages is used for the features described here, not to follow your browsing across the web.
Capturing a reference
When you ask LumaCite to identify or save a source, the extension may read citation details from the current page. Depending on the source, those details can include:
- the article or page title;
- authors and editors;
- publication date, journal, publisher, volume, issue, and page range;
- DOI, PMID, ISBN, arXiv ID, ISSN, and similar scholarly identifiers;
- the canonical page URL; and
- the abstract or description supplied in the page's structured metadata.
LumaCite looks for standard citation tags and structured data, including JSON-LD. It may send a DOI, PMID, ISBN, arXiv ID, title, or page URL to the LumaCite citation service so the record can be checked or completed. If you enter a title, identifier, or URL yourself, that entry is used instead. LumaCite does not collect your passwords, cookies, or unrelated form entries through reference capture.
Your account and cloud library
Cloud-library features are available to approved LumaCite accounts. When you sign in, LumaCite processes your email address, name if provided, password in hashed form, and a temporary session token. We do not store your password as readable text.
If library sync is connected, the extension sends your saved references and library organization data to LumaCite over HTTPS. This can include citation records, notes and other edits, folders, labels, trash status, and the information needed to keep changes in order across the extension and website. Signing out stops authenticated sync on that browser. Your LumaCite Library account does not have to use the same email address as the Google account you use in Google Docs.
Google Docs and Google Drive
Google authorization is separate from your LumaCite Library sign-in. The extension asks for Google access only when you connect its Google Docs features.
- Google Docs: LumaCite reads and updates document content as needed to insert, edit, format, verify, and refresh citations and bibliographies when you request those actions.
- Google Drive: LumaCite uses the limited drive.file permission for Drive files created, opened, or selected for use with LumaCite.
- Authorization: Google provides an OAuth token after you approve access. The token is used to make the requested Google API calls and may be kept by Chrome so the connection continues until it expires, is removed, or is revoked.
LumaCite does not use Google document content to advertise to you, create a marketing profile, or train a general-purpose artificial intelligence model.
What the extension stores in Chrome
The extension uses Chrome storage for saved references, citation preferences, document citation state, library-connection information, synchronization queues, and small settings used to connect LumaCite pages with the extension. Citation Style Language files may also be cached so a style does not need to be downloaded again. Some of this information remains local to that Chrome profile; small preferences may follow you through Chrome Sync if you have enabled it in Chrome.
LumaCite Citation Generator
The Citation Generator on the LumaCite website is separate from the Capture & Cite extension. You can use the public generator without a cloud-library account unless the page clearly says otherwise. When you ask it to create or check a citation, it processes the title, identifier, URL, or citation details you provide. The citation resolver returns the result without creating a personal citation-history database.
Service providers
To find or verify citation metadata, LumaCite may consult public scholarly and bibliographic services such as Crossref, PubMed and other NCBI services, Europe PMC, DataCite, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, Open Library, and Google Books. We send only the identifier, title, URL, or other search detail needed for that lookup.
LumaCite also downloads citation-style and locale files from the Citation Style Language project on GitHub. Our hosting, storage, email, and security providers process information on our behalf as needed to operate the service. We may disclose information when required by law or when reasonably necessary to protect LumaCite and its users.
Retention and security
Information kept in Chrome remains there until you clear it or remove the extension. Cloud-library records remain with your account until you delete them or ask us to close the account. Google access continues until the authorization expires or you disconnect or revoke it. Routine infrastructure, backup, and security records may remain for a limited period as part of normal service operation or legal obligations.
Information sent between the extension, LumaCite, and Google APIs is transmitted over HTTPS. We limit access to people and service providers who need it to operate, secure, or support the service.
Your choices
You decide when to capture a reference, connect library sync, or authorize Google Docs. You can edit or permanently delete library records, export your references, sign out of the library, remove the extension, or revoke LumaCite from your Google Account permissions. Removing the extension clears its local Chrome data but does not automatically delete information already saved in your cloud library.
To request a copy of your LumaCite account information or ask us to close the account and delete its cloud-library data, contact us at the address below. We may need to confirm that the request comes from the account owner.
Google API and Chrome Web Store Limited Use
LumaCite's use and transfer to any other app of information received from Google APIs will adhere to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements. LumaCite's handling of information obtained through Chrome also follows the Chrome Web Store User Data Policy, including its Limited Use requirements.
Google user data is used only to provide or improve the citation, bibliography, and related document features you request.
We do not sell Google user data or extension data, use it for personalized advertising, or transfer it for unrelated purposes. People do not review that data unless you ask us to investigate a specific support issue, access is necessary for security or abuse prevention, we are required to do so by law, or the information has been aggregated and anonymized for internal operations.
Contact
Questions about this policy, privacy requests, and account-deletion requests can be sent to contact@lumacite.app.