About RIC

AI assists thinking. You own the science.

Tuyen Tran, MD

Clinical researcher · Pediatric Surgery · Vinmec International Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

I built RIC out of a practical need. As a clinical researcher who uses AI tools in the writing process, I needed a way to check my own manuscripts before submission. Existing tools were either too expensive, too opaque, or designed for plagiarism detection only — none addressed the full spectrum of integrity concerns that modern AI-assisted academic writing creates.

AI tools are part of the modern research workflow, and that's fine. But you need to verify that your paper meets integrity standards before reviewers — or automated screening tools — flag it. That's what RIC does.

Why RIC exists

The problem

Journals increasingly screen for AI-generated text, fabricated citations, and plagiarism. Getting flagged post-submission means desk rejection, wasted months, and reputational risk. But existing checkers are either $200+/year, black-box, or only check one dimension.

The approach

RIC checks 4 integrity dimensions in one tool: citations, AI patterns, plagiarism, and editorial quality. Free tier gives you the full picture. Pro gives you the details to fix it. Transparent methodology — you can read exactly how each check works.

Technical details

Infrastructure

  • Frontend: Next.js + Tailwind CSS (Vercel)
  • Backend: FastAPI + Python (Render)
  • Usage tracking: Supabase (PostgreSQL)
  • Payment: Gumroad

APIs & Models

  • Citation: CrossRef, OpenAlex, PubMed, Semantic Scholar
  • Plagiarism: Tavily Search API
  • Peer Review: LLM + rule-based structure checks
  • AI Detection: rule-based (no external API)

Privacy

  • Your text is never stored on our servers
  • No user accounts required
  • Processing happens per-request and is discarded

Open Source

  • Citation engine: github.com/tuyentran-md/cite_checker
  • AI detection: rule-based, auditable metrics
  • No black-box classifiers

AI for Academic

RIC is part of the AI for Academic project — practical resources for researchers who use AI responsibly. Guides, workflows, and tools for clinical and academic writing.