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🔐 Risk Score Calculation Guide
Overview
The Author Risk Score is a numerical indicator that helps identify potential research security concerns based on affiliations with entities of interest. The score is calculated by matching author and institution names against a curated list of keywords associated with foreign military, defense, and sanctioned organizations.
How It's Calculated
📊 Scoring Method
Each occurrence of a risk keyword found in an author's affiliations adds +1 to the total score. The system scans:
- Raw affiliation strings from the publication
- Institution display names
- All author affiliation data associated with the work
Risk Categories
🎖️ Military & Defense Organizations
Affiliations with military research institutions, defense academies, and armed forces organizations.
People's Liberation Army
PLA
National University of Defense Technology
Academy of Military Medical Sciences
Air Force Engineering University
Strategic Support Force
🏭 Defense Industrial Base
Companies and corporations involved in military equipment, aerospace, nuclear, and critical technology development.
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)
China Aerospace Science and Industry (CASIC)
China Electronics Technology Group (CETC)
China State Shipbuilding (CSSC)
Norinco Group
Huawei
🎓 Section 1286 Institutions
Universities and research centers identified under Section 1286 of the NDAA with connections to military modernization.
Beijing Institute of Technology
Beihang University (BUAA)
Harbin Institute of Technology
Harbin Engineering University
Northwestern Polytechnical University
Nanjing University of Science & Technology
🔬 Section 1260H Entities
Entities identified as Chinese Military Companies under Section 1260H of the NDAA.
Hikvision
DJI
SMIC
BGI
CloudWalk
Megvii
⚛️ Nuclear & Advanced Research
Organizations involved in nuclear physics, high-energy research, and dual-use technologies.
Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics
China General Nuclear Power (CGN)
China National Nuclear (CNNC)
Institute of High Energy Physics
Interpreting the Score
| Score Range |
Risk Level |
Interpretation |
| 0 |
None |
No known risk indicators detected |
| 1-2 |
Low |
Minor indicators present; may warrant review |
| 3-5 |
Medium |
Multiple indicators; closer examination recommended |
| 6+ |
High |
Significant indicators; due diligence strongly advised |
Important Notes
- Not a determination of wrongdoing: A high score indicates potential security concerns that warrant further investigation, not evidence of illegal activity.
- Context matters: Some affiliations may be historical, joint programs, or legitimate academic collaborations.
- Click any risk score in the publications table to see the detailed breakdown of which keywords matched.
- Keyword matching: The system uses both exact matching and relaxed matching for longer organization names to catch variants and abbreviations.