What should I look out for with AI in research & science?

Never use AI as a source: every reference must be traceable to the original article, as fabricated or wrongly attributed citations are the most common error. Unpublished data, research proposals and peer-review manuscripts are confidential or commercially sensitive, so do not enter them into a consumer account without a data processing agreement, and check whether the provider stores your input or uses it for training (publishers usually prohibit this explicitly for peer review). If you work with personal data from research participants, the GDPR and your own ethics review apply: running models locally or using an EU-hosted tool with data minimisation is then the safe route. Finally, document your search strategy and your AI use: journals and funders increasingly ask for this, and a review must remain reproducible.

Home / Safety / Castor for research & science

Castor (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

How safe is Castor for research & science?

GDPR profile for research & scienceGood

Castor has a good GDPR profile. Usable in research & science, provided you use the business version and follow the points of attention below.

Where does Castor stand in research & science?

Shared place 6 of 30 options for research & science (professional tools and general assistants) on GDPR profile. 6 options, like Castor, have a good profile. Each tile is an option we track for this field; click for the check.

Strong5

Good6

Limited8

Unknown4

Caution7

Published safeguards

✓Provider based in NL/EUYes

–Data in the EU (according to provider)Not known

✓Publishes certification (ISO/NEN/GDPR)Yes

which model Catalyst uses is not public. Castor: source data and anonymised derivatives never reach third-party AI models; source documents in a separate encrypted Source Vault (AES-256), destroyed 30 days after the study. ISO-certified, with GCP and GDPR/HIPAA support.

How to use Castor safely

Use the business variant and sign a data processing agreement (DPA).
Do not enter unnecessary personal data into prompts; anonymise where possible.
Enable EU data residency where the provider offers it.
Keep a professional in the loop: never use AI as a source: every reference must be traceable to the original article, as invented or misattributed citations are the most common error.

Stronger or equally strong in research & science

CradleCradle (Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Zürich, Switzerland)

ASReview LABUniversiteit Utrecht (the Netherlands)

KeeniousKeenious (Norway)

ScholarcyEverway Opco Limited / Scholarcy (Antrim, United Kingdom)

SciSpacePubGenius Inc. (Milpitas, United States)

Questions

How safe is Castor for research & science?: Castor has a good GDPR profile. Usable in research & science, provided you use the business version and follow the points of attention below. Good safeguards, but not on every point.
Does Castor train on my data?: which model Catalyst uses is not public. Castor: source data and anonymised derivatives never reach third-party AI models; source documents in a separate encrypted Source Vault (AES-256), destroyed 30 days after the study. ISO-certified, with GCP and GDPR/HIPAA support.
What should I look out for with AI in research & science?: Never use AI as a source: every reference must be traceable to the original article, as fabricated or wrongly attributed citations are the most common error. Unpublished data, research proposals and peer-review manuscripts are confidential or commercially sensitive, so do not enter them into a consumer account without a data processing agreement, and check whether the provider stores your input or uses it for training (publishers usually prohibit this explicitly for peer review). If you work with personal data from research participants, the GDPR and your own ethics review apply: running models locally or using an EU-hosted tool with data minimisation is then the safe route. Finally, document your search strategy and your AI use: journals and funders increasingly ask for this, and a review must remain reproducible.

Source documents

www.castoredc.com www.castoredc.com

Everything about Castor Best AI for research & science

Summarised by the editorial team from provider documentation · not legal advice

Last checked: 2 November 2026 · How we check

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