Good research works best when expectations are clear from the start.
These policies explain how Infosourceful handles project scope, confidentiality, pricing, timelines, source limitations, corrections, ownership, and other parts of the research process.
The goal is simple: make it easy for clients to understand how the work will be handled, what to expect, and what’s important to know.
These policies apply to Infosourceful research engagements unless different terms are agreed in writing for a specific project.
- Research Scope
- Legal & Ethical Research
- Confidentiality
- Scope & Additional Work
- Payment & Refunds
- Turnaround Times
- Third Party Expenses & Travel
- Sources & Accuracy
- Errors & Corrections
- Ownership
- Client Data Retention
- Conflicts & Ethics
- Full Terms
Research Scope
Infosourceful Research Scope Boundary
Infosourceful LLC is based in Minnesota and provides professional research services, not private investigative services.
Infosourceful finds, verifies, organizes, and explains information. It does not investigate people.
Infosourceful conducts source-based research focused on defined factual questions and documentary evidence.
Our work may include locating, compiling, comparing, and explaining public records, official filings, published materials, business records, websites and archives, intellectual-property records, regulatory information, client-provided documents, and other lawful sources relevant to the agreed research question.
Infosourceful does not make determinations about a person’s character, honesty, credibility, reputation, motives, or propensity for wrongdoing.
We do not conduct surveillance, pretexting, skip tracing, witness investigations, personal background investigations, asset-location investigations, or other work requiring licensed private investigative services.
When public reviews, ratings, complaints, or similar materials are relevant to a business question, they may be documented as published evidence. Infosourceful does not convert those materials into a conclusion about the character or trustworthiness of a person.
Our role is to document what the available evidence establishes, where sources conflict, what remains uncertain, and what may require additional verification.
Legal & Ethical Research
Legal and Ethical Research Policy
Infosourceful provides lawful, evidence-based research services and will not accept work that requires illegal, deceptive, abusive, or unethical methods.
Lawful research only
Infosourceful will not knowingly perform research that violates applicable law, court rules, access restrictions, contractual obligations, or other legal requirements.
Infosourceful does not obtain information through unauthorized access to accounts, systems, databases, devices, or restricted records.
No deceptive methods
Infosourceful does not use pretexting, impersonation, false identities, deceptive interviews, social engineering, or other misleading methods to obtain information.
Infosourceful does not misrepresent its identity, purpose, authority, or relationship to another person or organization to gain access to information.
No private investigative services
Consistent with its Research Scope Boundary, Infosourceful does not provide surveillance, skip tracing, asset location, witness investigations, background investigations, or similar regulated private investigative services.
Requests that fall within regulated private investigative activity will be declined.
Research, not regulated professional advice
Infosourceful may research legal, financial, medical, tax, investment, regulatory, technical, or other specialized subjects when the assignment falls within its lawful research scope.
Infosourceful does not provide legal, financial, medical, tax, investment, or other regulated professional advice and does not substitute for an appropriately qualified professional.
Research may not be used to facilitate harm
Infosourceful may decline work when the apparent purpose is to harass, stalk, intimidate, threaten, exploit, unlawfully discriminate, invade privacy, facilitate fraud or other unlawful conduct, expose sensitive personal information for an improper purpose, or otherwise create a material risk of harm.
The fact that information is publicly accessible does not make every proposed use appropriate.
Accurate purpose and context
Infosourceful may request information about the purpose of an assignment when needed to determine whether the work falls within its legal and ethical boundaries.
Clients may not misrepresent the purpose of a project in order to obtain services that Infosourceful would otherwise decline.
Right to pause or decline work
Infosourceful may pause, discontinue, or decline an assignment if it appears to violate this policy, the Research Scope Boundary, applicable law, or other Infosourceful policies.
Any applicable refund will be handled under the Payment, Cancellation, and Refund Policy.
Confidentiality
Infosourceful Confidentiality and Client Information Policy
Infosourceful treats nonpublic client information and project materials as confidential and uses them only as reasonably necessary to evaluate, scope, perform, administer, and deliver research services.
Infosourceful does not sell client information or use confidential project materials for unrelated commercial purposes. Information may be disclosed when required by law, legal process, court order, subpoena, or other lawful authority.
Third-party data and materials
Clients are responsible for ensuring that they are authorized to provide any third-party data, documents, records, licensed materials, or other information supplied for a research assignment.
Infosourceful may decline to use materials when their source, authorization, or permitted use is unclear or appears inconsistent with applicable law, contract terms, or licensing restrictions.
Sensitive data should be minimized
Clients should avoid providing highly sensitive personal or security information unless Infosourceful has specifically agreed that it is necessary for the project.
This includes passwords, authentication codes, financial account credentials, Social Security numbers, full payment-card information, medical records, and other highly sensitive personal identifiers.
Infosourceful seeks to minimize the collection, use, copying, and retention of sensitive information whenever practical.
Business tools and research partners
Infosourceful may use reputable third-party service providers, business systems, subcontractors, local researchers, records-retrieval providers, or other research partners when reasonably necessary to perform the work.
Access to confidential information is limited to what is reasonably necessary, and outside researchers or partners with access to confidential client information are expected to protect that information appropriately.
When an outside researcher or partner will have meaningful access to confidential client materials or perform a substantial portion of an assignment, Infosourceful will inform the client when reasonably practical.
NDAs
Infosourceful is willing to enter into a reasonable mutual or client-provided nondisclosure agreement when appropriate.
NDA terms must allow Infosourceful to comply with applicable law, maintain necessary business records, use necessary service providers, protect its pre-existing methods and tools, and defend its legal rights.
An NDA does not expand the scope of services Infosourceful is legally or ethically permitted to provide.
Scope & Additional Work
Infosourceful Scope Changes and Additional Work Policy
Each Infosourceful project is based on an agreed research scope, deliverable, turnaround, and fixed project fee.
The agreed scope controls the project
The written scope defines the research question, subject matter, deliverable, and any known limits or assumptions for the assignment.
Reasonable clarification of the original research question is included within that scope.
Material changes may require a revised fee
Requests that materially expand or change the original assignment may require additional pricing.
Examples include new research questions, broader subject matter, additional records or source categories, expanded verification, additional deliverables, or substantive new research after delivery.
Infosourceful will not perform material out-of-scope work without first discussing the change with the client.
Additional work is re-scoped before proceeding
When additional work is needed or requested, Infosourceful may provide a revised project scope, an add-on fee, or a separate project quote.
Additional fees must be approved before expanded work begins.
Research may reveal a need to re-scope
If the research shows that a question is materially broader, more complex, or different from what could reasonably have been understood during intake, Infosourceful may pause the affected work and discuss revised scope, cost, or timing before proceeding.
Post-delivery clarification
Reasonable clarification questions are included for 7 calendar days after delivery.
Requests that require new research, additional source review, expanded analysis, or a new deliverable are considered additional work and may require a new or revised fee.
Requests received after the 7-day clarification period may be treated as a new assignment.
Payments & Refunds
Payment, Cancellation, and Refund Policy
Infosourceful provides project-based research services using an agreed scope, deliverable, fee, and expected turnaround.
Payment
Unless otherwise stated in the project quote, payment is due in full before research begins.
Larger or longer assignments may use a deposit or milestone payment structure when agreed in writing.
Project quotes are valid for 14 calendar days unless otherwise stated.
Cancellation before research begins
A client may cancel before research begins.
Payments will be refunded, less any non-refundable third-party expenses or project-specific costs already incurred.
Cancellation after research begins
Once research has begun, payment is non-refundable for work already performed and for costs already incurred or committed.
If a client cancels an active project, Infosourceful may refund any genuinely unearned portion of the project fee, where applicable.
Cancellation by Infosourceful
Infosourceful may discontinue a project if it becomes unlawful, falls outside the agreed scope, creates a conflict of interest, requires prohibited investigative activity, or cannot reasonably be completed as agreed.
If Infosourceful ends a project for reasons unrelated to client misconduct or breach, the client will receive a refund for the unperformed portion of the work, less any non-recoverable third-party expenses.
Client breach or prohibited requests
Infosourceful may terminate a project if a client provides materially false or misleading information, requests unlawful or prohibited services, misuses the service, or materially breaches the agreed terms.
Infosourceful may retain payment for work already performed and costs already incurred or committed.
Third-party costs and client delays
Approved records fees, database charges, travel costs, document-retrieval expenses, and other third-party costs may be included in the project price and are non-refundable once incurred or committed.
Client delays in providing information, documents, approvals, or responses may change the expected delivery date and do not by themselves create a right to a refund.
Turnaround Times
Turnaround Times and Deadlines Policy
Infosourceful provides an expected delivery date or turnaround window for each project based on the agreed scope and the information available when the project is accepted.
When turnaround begins
Unless otherwise stated, turnaround begins after payment has been received and Infosourceful has the information, documents, access, or clarification reasonably necessary to begin the work.
Expected delivery
Infosourceful makes reasonable efforts to meet the delivery date or turnaround window stated in the project scope.
Timelines may be affected by project complexity, source availability, records access, third-party response times, or information discovered during the research process.
If a meaningful delay becomes apparent, Infosourceful will communicate the change and provide a revised delivery expectation.
Client and third-party delays
Delays in receiving needed information, approvals, records, or responses from the client or from outside sources may extend the delivery date.
Infosourceful cannot guarantee the availability, completeness, or response time of courts, government agencies, archives, databases, records custodians, or other third-party sources.
Expedited work
Rush or expedited research may be available when scheduling and project requirements allow.
Any expedited turnaround must be agreed to in writing and may affect the project fee.
Material delays
If a delay materially affects the usefulness of the assignment, Infosourceful and the client may discuss a revised scope, schedule, partial completion, or cancellation of the unperformed portion of the work where appropriate.
Third Party Expenses & Travel
Third-Party Costs, Records, and Travel Policy
Some research assignments require paid records, database access, document retrieval, travel, or other external expenses.
Infosourceful includes known and reasonably anticipated project costs in the quoted project price whenever practical.
External costs
Project pricing may include public-record or court-record fees, document retrieval, archive or library charges, paid database access, certification or filing fees, shipping, travel, and other third-party expenses reasonably necessary to complete the assignment.
Known costs will be included in the quote or clearly identified before work begins whenever possible.
Unexpected material costs
If research reveals a material external expense that could not reasonably have been anticipated during scoping, Infosourceful will discuss the cost with the client before proceeding.
The client may approve the additional cost, modify the scope, proceed without the affected source or activity when appropriate, or discontinue that portion of the work.
Travel and in-person records research
Infosourceful may accept assignments requiring travel or in-person records retrieval when the work falls within its Research Scope Boundary.
Travel time and related expenses will be considered when determining the fixed project price.
In-person work does not include surveillance, witness investigation, locating individuals, or other private investigative activity.
Third-party limitations and refunds
Fees, processing times, availability, access conditions, and refund policies imposed by courts, agencies, archives, databases, vendors, and other third parties are outside Infosourceful’s control.
Infosourceful cannot guarantee that a paid source will contain the information sought or that a requested record will be available.
Approved third-party costs that have already been incurred or committed and cannot be recovered are non-refundable.
Sources & Accuracy
Accuracy, Source Limitations, and Research Findings Policy
Infosourceful provides research based on the best information reasonably available within the agreed project scope, timeframe, and source constraints.
Verification-focused research
Infosourceful seeks to identify reliable sources, compare information across sources when appropriate, distinguish established facts from uncertainty, and explain meaningful conflicts or limitations in the available evidence.
Where appropriate, findings are supported by citations, source references, records, or other documentation.
Source limitations
Public records, databases, websites, archives, news reports, company materials, government sources, client-provided information, and other third-party sources may contain errors, omissions, outdated information, conflicting information, or incomplete records.
Infosourceful cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of information controlled by third parties.
Information not found
A reasonable search may fail to locate information because it is unavailable, unpublished, inaccessible, improperly indexed, outside the agreed scope, or otherwise not reasonably discoverable.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, a finding that information was not located means only that it was not found through the sources reasonably available for the project. It is not proof that the information does not exist.
Findings reflect the information available at the time
Research findings are based on information available during the project.
New records, later reporting, updated databases, changed websites, or subsequent events may later alter the factual picture.
Findings and outcomes
Infosourceful does not guarantee that research will produce a particular answer, uncover a desired fact, support a preferred conclusion, or lead to a particular business, legal, financial, media, or other outcome.
When significant uncertainty, conflicting evidence, or source limitations materially affect a finding, Infosourceful will seek to identify those limitations in the deliverable.
Client responsibility
Clients remain responsible for evaluating the research in the context of their own circumstances and for decisions or actions taken based on the findings.
Where a decision requires legal, financial, medical, tax, investment, or other regulated professional judgment, clients should obtain advice from an appropriately qualified professional.
Client-provided information
Infosourceful may rely on information supplied by the client.
Unless verification of that information is specifically included in the agreed scope, Infosourceful is not responsible for independently verifying every client-provided statement, document, or representation.
Errors & Corrections
Errors and Omissions Policy
Infosourceful takes responsibility for the quality of its research and welcomes notification of suspected errors, omissions, or material inaccuracies in a completed deliverable.
Reporting a possible error
Clients should notify Infosourceful promptly after identifying a possible factual error, material omission, incorrect citation, transcription error, calculation error, or similar problem.
When possible, the client should identify the affected finding or section and provide any information that may help evaluate the issue.
Review and correction
Infosourceful will review the reported issue against the agreed project scope, research notes, cited sources, and other relevant materials.
If Infosourceful determines that a material error or omission is attributable to its work, the affected portion will be corrected without an additional research fee.
A corrected or updated deliverable may be issued when appropriate.
Corrections do not include new research
A correction addresses an error or omission within the original agreed scope.
Requests that require a new research question, additional sources, expanded analysis, newly available information, or work beyond the original scope may be treated as additional research.
Third-party sources and later changes
An error contained in a third-party source does not automatically constitute an Infosourceful error when the source was reasonably relied upon and the problem was not reasonably apparent during the research.
Likewise, new records, later reporting, updated databases, changed websites, or subsequent events do not make the original deliverable erroneous solely because the available information later changes.
Good-faith correction
When Infosourceful makes a substantive mistake, the goal is to identify it, correct it clearly, and provide the client with an accurate correction or replacement as promptly as reasonably practical.
Ownership
Ownership and Permitted Use of Deliverables Policy
Infosourceful provides original research deliverables created for the client under the agreed project scope.
Client ownership
Once the project has been paid in full, the client owns the original research deliverable created specifically for that assignment, subject to applicable third-party rights and any project-specific terms agreed in writing.
Infosourceful retains its methods and tools
Infosourceful retains ownership of its pre-existing and independently developed research methods, workflows, templates, systems, tools, processes, and general know-how.
Providing a client deliverable does not transfer ownership of the underlying methods or tools used to produce it.
Third-party materials
Research deliverables may cite, summarize, quote from, reference, or include material obtained from public records, government sources, publications, databases, websites, archives, or other third parties.
Ownership of the Infosourceful deliverable does not transfer ownership of third-party materials or override applicable copyright, licensing, access, or usage restrictions.
Clients are responsible for complying with any applicable restrictions governing their later use of third-party materials.
Permitted use and misrepresentation
Clients may use, quote, adapt, incorporate, or distribute the Infosourceful work product for lawful purposes consistent with the agreed assignment, subject to applicable third-party rights.
Clients may not materially misrepresent the source of the research, the evidence supporting the findings, the meaning of the findings, or Infosourceful’s conclusions.
Unless specifically agreed in writing, an Infosourceful deliverable may not be resold or commercially redistributed as a standalone research product created for resale.
Confidential projects and portfolio use
Infosourceful will not publicly disclose confidential client work, project details, or client-provided materials without authorization.
Infosourceful will not use a confidential project as a portfolio example, case study, testimonial, or marketing example without the client’s permission.
Project-specific ownership, licensing, attribution, publication, or redistribution terms may be agreed in writing when needed.
Client Data Retention
Infosourceful Client File Retention and Deletion Policy
Infosourceful retains client and project information only for as long as reasonably necessary to perform the research, support the completed work, administer the client relationship, or meet legal and recordkeeping obligations.
Standard retention
Unless otherwise agreed, project working materials may be retained for up to 90 calendar days after final delivery.
After that period, Infosourceful may delete working files and client-provided materials that are no longer reasonably necessary.
Litigation and preservation requirements
The standard 90-day retention period does not apply when project materials are subject to litigation, a preservation hold, subpoena, discovery obligation, court order, or other legal requirement.
When preservation is required, Infosourceful will suspend routine deletion of potentially relevant materials and retain them as reasonably necessary or as instructed by the client, retaining attorney, court, or other appropriate authority.
Business records
Certain records may be retained longer when reasonably necessary for legal, accounting, tax, insurance, contractual, or other legitimate business purposes.
These may include invoices, payment records, project scopes, agreements, approvals, and records needed to establish what work was performed.
Client-requested deletion
Clients may request deletion of client-provided materials after a project is completed.
Infosourceful will make reasonable efforts to honor the request unless continued retention is required or reasonably necessary for legal, regulatory, accounting, insurance, contractual, dispute-resolution, or preservation purposes.
Deletion from active systems may not immediately remove information from routine backups or third-party systems operating under their own retention practices.
Extended retention and confidentiality
Clients may request longer retention when continued access is useful for follow-up work or an ongoing engagement.
Client information remains subject to Infosourceful’s confidentiality obligations for as long as it is retained.
Conflicts & Ethics
Conflicts of Interest Policy
Infosourceful seeks to provide independent, objective research and will avoid assignments where a material conflict of interest could reasonably compromise that independence.
Known conflicts
If Infosourceful becomes aware of a material relationship, prior engagement, financial interest, or other circumstance that could reasonably affect the objectivity of the work, the conflict will be disclosed when appropriate.
Opposing parties and prior engagements
Infosourceful will not knowingly accept materially adverse assignments for opposing parties in the same dispute, transaction, litigation, or closely related matter without informed written consent from the affected clients.
Infosourceful will not use one client’s confidential information for the benefit of another client.
Independence
Infosourceful may decline or discontinue an assignment when a conflict cannot reasonably be managed, confidential information from another engagement could affect the work, or the client requests a predetermined or biased conclusion.
Infosourceful’s role is to evaluate and explain the available evidence, not to manufacture support for a preferred result.
Client disclosure
Clients should identify relevant opposing parties, related organizations, attorneys, consultants, or other involved parties when a conflict check may be appropriate.
Infosourceful may request additional information when needed to evaluate a potential conflict.
Full Terms
Additional details are incorporated into project scope and Terms of Service.
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