Nexus Scholar
What each tier carries
- Active ORCID profile
- Academic or research affiliation
- Verified email address
- Agreement to Code of Conduct
- Minimum 3 peer-reviewed publications
- Publications indexed in major databases
- Active research profile
- Institutional verification
- h-index of 12 or higher
- Minimum 10 peer-reviewed publications
- Evidence of sustained research impact
- Active contribution to the field
- Peer recommendations (2 required)
- Receipt of major awards or prizes for excellence
- Membership in associations requiring outstanding achievements
- Published material in professional publications about your work
- Participation as a judge of the work of others
- Original scholarly or research contributions of major significance
- Authorship of scholarly articles in professional journals
What you get at each tier
| Benefit | Associate | Member | Senior | Distinguished | Laureate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verified ORCID listing | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Forum participation | Read / comment | Full | Full | Full | Full |
| Post manuscripts & preprints | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Peer-review queue seat | - | Volunteer | Standing | Lead | Editor-at-large |
| Convene working groups | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Council nomination rights | - | - | - | ✓ | ✓ + veto |
| Engraved digital seal | - | Tier II | Tier III | Tier IV | Tier V · gold |
| Annual contribution | Free | €60 | €120 | €240 | Honorary |
From application to seal - four stages
Submit & verify ORCID
Connect your ORCID record. We auto-resolve publications, co-authors and institutional affiliation against Crossref & Scopus.
Tier-fit assessment
Our scholar-engineer pairs review the submission against the published rubric for the tier you applied to (or recommend a different tier).
Peer council review
A rotating council of three same-discipline fellows reviews the dossier in single-blind. Median turnaround is 17 calendar days.
Seal & registry entry
On conferral, your engraved tier seal is issued, your registry page goes live, and your name is read into the next Council bulletin.
Before you apply
Is NexusScholar an accredited academic body?
NexusScholar is an independent, non-profit peer society - not a degree-granting institution. Recognition is conferred by peer council, and our charter is reviewed annually by an external auditor.
Can I be nominated by someone else?
Yes. Senior, Distinguished and Laureate tiers all accept third-party nominations from existing Distinguished fellows or institutional partners. Associate and Member tiers are direct application only.
What if my discipline is outside the natural sciences?
We register scholars from the humanities, social sciences, the arts and applied research equally. The rubric weights citation density less in disciplines where it is not customary.
How is the annual contribution used?
Contributions fund peer-review honoraria, open dataset hosting, fellowship grants for early-career scholars in low-resource settings, and the Council bulletin. A full breakdown is published in the Annual Report.
Can my tier be revoked?
Yes - by a two-thirds council vote, on grounds of research misconduct or violation of the Code of Conduct. Decisions are published and may be appealed once.