Orbit 1.0

StepSphere

AI-powered

The AI Workspace of Scientific Steps Group

Your research, one sphere.

StepSphere is the AI Workspace of Scientific Steps Group (SSG): an AI-powered research workspace. Find and verify research, analyze your data, inspect your draft, and build your presentation, all in one place. All services are paid, pay per use, with no subscription.

All services are paid, pay per use.

Four services, each with its own price

Read what each service does, what it accepts and what it costs. You sign in only when you start one.

Research Navigator

Find, verify, and organize the research behind your work.

6 USD one package, paid once Your package stays open for 14 days.

What it does

An AI research assistant that searches major scholarly databases for you, checks that every source is real, and keeps your project's sources, files, and conversation together in one place. Ask in plain language, for example "What do recent studies say about self-healing concrete?", and Research Navigator finds relevant papers, summarizes what they found, and shows where the evidence agrees, disagrees, or is missing.

What you get

  • Relevant papers with verified DOI links. Every source is checked to exist.
  • Clear summaries of each study's aim, method, and key findings
  • An evidence table comparing studies side by side
  • Research gaps and open questions in your topic
  • A ready-to-use bibliography in APA style
  • A project workspace that remembers your sources and conversation, so you can continue anytime within your package

What it accepts, and the limits

  • One package covers one research topic.
  • Accepted files: Word (.docx), PDF, TXT, MD.
  • Up to 10 files, 20 MB each.
  • The AI can read up to about 20,000 words from each file. Longer files are read up to that limit only.
  • Text and tables are read. Images and figures are not read. Scanned PDFs are not supported.
  • 4 rounds, each question up to about 650 words. You name your topic before the first round; later questions and files must stay within it.
  • Unused rounds expire after 14 days.
Good to know
  • Results are ranked by relevance only. SSG journals and articles receive no preference.
  • Only verified sources are cited. Anything that can't be verified is clearly marked and left out of your bibliography.
  • Summaries are AI-generated and are not reviewed by a human. Always read the original papers before citing them.
  • Research Navigator helps you research; it does not write your paper. Any draft text it gives you is labeled as AI-generated and must be rewritten in your own words, with AI use disclosed as your journal requires.

Start with Research Navigator

Statistics Studio

Upload your data. Ask your question. Get publication-ready statistics.

6 USD one package, paid once Your package stays open for 7 days.

What it does

An AI statistical analyst that works directly on your dataset. Describe what you want to know in plain language. Statistics Studio picks a suitable method, checks its assumptions, runs the analysis on a real statistical engine, and explains the results clearly. Every number is computed, not guessed.

What you get

  • A data profile: variables, sample size, missing values
  • Results tables, charts, and assumption checks
  • A plain-language interpretation with limitations and warnings
  • A downloadable analysis report (DOCX)
  • Follow-up questions on the same dataset within your package

What it accepts, and the limits

  • One package covers one study.
  • Accepted files: CSV, TSV, Excel (.xlsx, .xls).
  • Up to 5 files, 20 MB each. Upload all the files of your study before your first question: files are locked after it.
  • Up to 200,000 rows and 100 columns per file; up to 12 sheets per Excel workbook.
  • How your data is read: the AI sees your column names, data types and a small sample of rows to plan the analysis. All calculations run on your full data.
  • 3 questions, each up to about 650 words, all on the same data.
  • Unused questions expire after 7 days.
Good to know
  • Works with Excel, CSV, TSV.
  • Results are generated by AI and are not reviewed by a human. You remain responsible for your study design and interpretation. Please acknowledge AI-assisted statistical analysis in your manuscript, following your target journal's policy.

Start with Statistics Studio

Draft Inspector

Find the weak spots in your manuscript before you submit.

5 USD one package, paid once Your package stays open for 14 days.

What it does

An AI pre-submission technical check of your draft. Draft Inspector reads your manuscript and flags issues across six areas: internal consistency, references and citations, statistical reporting, scientific clarity, positioning against the literature, and language. Each finding quotes the exact passage and suggests how to fix it.

What you get

  • A summary of issues in each area
  • The full report with quoted, actionable findings (in the workspace and as DOCX)
  • One re-inspection of your revised draft to see what's resolved

What it accepts, and the limits

  • One package covers one manuscript.
  • Accepted files: Word (.docx), PDF, TXT, MD. One manuscript per inspection.
  • Up to 25 pages (about 12,500 words), 20 MB.
  • The AI reads the whole manuscript text. Text and tables are read. Images and figures are not read. Scanned PDFs are not supported.
  • 1 inspection + 1 re-inspection of the revised version of the same manuscript.
  • An unused inspection or re-inspection expires after 14 days.
Good to know
  • Draft Inspector is an automated AI check and is not reviewed by a human. It is not peer review, it is not an editorial evaluation, and it does not predict or influence acceptance at any journal, including SSG journals.

Start with Draft Inspector

Presentation Studio

Turn your paper or idea into a presentation.

5 USD one package, paid once Your package stays open for 14 days.

What it does

An AI presentation builder for researchers. Start from a topic, an outline, or your own paper. Presentation Studio creates a structured, professionally designed slide deck you can download and edit.

What you get

  • Editable PowerPoint (PPTX) and PDF
  • Templates for research talks, conference presentations, and thesis defenses
  • Content drawn from the material you provide, with no invented results
  • Regenerations included in your package

What it accepts, and the limits

  • One package covers one presentation.
  • Accepted source files: Word (.docx), PDF, TXT, MD. Up to 5 files, 20 MB each.
  • Up to about 10,000 words of content in total.
  • Up to 25 slides, up to 8 AI images, 2 regenerations of the same presentation (no new content, files or title).
  • An unused presentation or regeneration expires after 14 days.
  • Text and tables are read. Images and figures in your files are not read.
Good to know
  • Slides are generated by AI and are not reviewed by a human. Check every slide before presenting. You are responsible for the final content.

Start with Presentation Studio

You sign in when you start. Your files are checked against the limits before you pay.

How it works

  1. Choose a service. Pick the tool that fits your work. Everything you need to decide is on this page.
  2. Sign in and add your material. You sign in when you start. Your files are checked against the limits first, with no AI used for that check.
  3. Pay, then get your results. You see the price and pay for the package. The results appear in your workspace.

What you confirm at your first visit

Before you first use StepSphere you confirm the four points below. The full wording is in the StepSphere Policy.

  • I understand StepSphere uses AI and that its outputs may contain errors. I am responsible for checking and for the final content of my work.
  • I understand StepSphere is an optional commercial service, fully independent of SSG journals, and that using it does not affect peer review, editorial decisions, or acceptance.
  • I will not upload confidential material I am not authorized to share, including manuscripts I am reviewing or editing, or identifiable personal or patient data.
  • I have read the StepSphere Policy and the Privacy section.

AI service notice: StepSphere's results are generated by artificial intelligence. They can contain errors and must be checked by you.

Independent of SSG journals: Using StepSphere, or not using it, has no effect on submission, peer review, or editorial decisions at any SSG journal.

Read the StepSphere Policy