Answers, in plain language
Your KOL Luminary questions, answered.
From your first research brief to an editable shortlist. Find practical answers about the workflow, the product and how your subscription works.
New to KOL mapping? Start with the complete guide. Looking for plans? See current pricing.
54 answers across 7 topics
Getting started
What KOL Luminary does and who it is for.
What is KOL Luminary?
KOL Luminary is a KOL research and shortlisting workspace for medcomms agencies and pharma teams. It helps you discover potential experts, review source-linked professional profiles, compare candidates against a project brief and prepare a shortlist.
You can export the result as a PDF or editable PowerPoint. The aim is to keep the brief, evidence and selection rationale connected as research moves into a presentation.
What is KOL mapping?
KOL mapping is the process of identifying and comparing key opinion leaders for a specific purpose. It considers the clinical and research topics, geography, professional activities and perspectives that matter to the project.
A useful map explains why each person is relevant and what evidence supports that view. It is more than a contact list or a ranking by publication count.
Who is KOL Luminary designed for?
It is designed for teams that research experts and prepare recommendations for life-sciences projects, including medcomms agencies and pharma teams. It can support research for educational programmes, congress planning, advisory discussions and other projects that need a clear expert-selection rationale.
Your team defines the purpose, reviews the evidence and makes the selection. The software supports that work; it does not arrange an engagement or confirm a KOL's availability.
Is KOL Luminary software or a managed research service?
KOL Luminary is self-service software. Your team runs the searches, reviews profiles, builds project shortlists and generates presentations in its workspace.
The support team can help with product, account, subscription and procurement questions. Purchasing a subscription does not include a separate consulting engagement or a team that approves your shortlist on your behalf.
How is KOL Luminary different from using a general-purpose AI tool?
General-purpose AI tools can assist with individual research tasks. KOL Luminary brings those tasks into a repeatable workflow designed for KOL research and shortlisting.
Your team can work with structured profiles, inspect supporting sources, assess project fit, record review decisions, maintain shared shortlists, refresh existing profiles and generate editable presentations. The value extends beyond finding names: Luminary helps organize the research and turn it into a deliverable your team can review and use.
What makes KOL Luminary's methodology proprietary?
The methodology is the workflow and software developed around KOL research: how briefs guide discovery, how results are structured, how evidence is connected to profiles, how project fit is assessed and how teams review and present their findings.
Luminary uses external AI and research services within this workflow. Proprietary refers to the application and methodology, not the underlying third-party AI models or public source information, which retain their respective ownership.
How much time can Luminary save?
Luminary can reduce the manual work involved in finding candidates, gathering professional backgrounds and sources, organizing profiles, comparing candidates and preparing presentations. Your team still provides the medical judgment, client context and final selection rationale.
Actual savings depend on the brief, the available evidence and your review requirements. The most useful comparison is the staff time needed to produce a reviewed deliverable with your existing process versus Luminary.
How can Luminary support paid client work and agency profitability?
Luminary supports the research and preparation involved in KOL mapping, shortlisting and profile development.
For fixed-fee projects, reducing research and formatting time can improve margins and free up team capacity. For work billed by the hour, fewer hours may reduce revenue for that task, so the commercial benefit depends on how the agency uses the additional capacity and structures its services.
The agency continues to provide the strategic interpretation, medical review, client-specific recommendations and engagement planning.
How should our team evaluate whether Luminary is right for us?
Start by exploring the sample shortlist and product walkthrough to understand the workflow and deliverables. For a practical evaluation, choose a representative brief and define what a useful result should include: relevant candidates, supporting evidence, manageable review time and a presentation your team can work with.
Involve both the people who conduct the research and those responsible for the final recommendation. Compare candidate relevance, factual accuracy, evidence gaps and the time needed to finalize the output against your existing process.
How do I get started?
Create an account with your work email, review the available plans and set up your workspace. Start with a clear professional brief: the clinical topic, countries, planned activity and experience you need.
Review the resulting candidates and source evidence before adding people to a shortlist. If you want to see the output first, the public sample shortlist shows an illustrative presentation with fictional candidates.
Discovery and research
Write a useful brief and understand what professional evidence can establish.
What should I include in a KOL research brief?
Include the project purpose, disease or clinical question, geography, intended audience and type of activity. Separate essential requirements from preferred experience, and say what the shortlist will be used to decide.
Avoid repeated versions of the same criterion and vague requests such as the best experts. Keep confidential project material and patient information out of research inputs; describe the public professional criteria needed for the search.
What kinds of sources are useful for researching KOLs?
Useful sources include professional and institutional profiles, publication records, congress programmes, trial records and professional-society information. Each supports different types of claims, and source availability varies by person and topic.
Review the source attached to a finding. A publication can establish authorship on a topic, but it does not automatically establish current clinical practice, a speaking role or willingness to participate in your project.
Where does the information come from?
Luminary researches accessible public professional information, including institutional biographies, publication records, clinical trial records, congress programmes and professional society pages. Profiles and supporting evidence are saved in your organization's workspace for review and reuse.
Coverage depends on what is publicly documented and accessible. Professional-activity research prioritizes recent, relevant information and is not intended to reproduce a person's complete career or publication history.
How does AI help with the research?
KOL Luminary uses research and AI integrations to help discover professional information, assess evidence and organize findings around the project. Source links let your team examine the basis of important statements.
Check consequential claims against the underlying material. Automated research can miss information or encounter ambiguous names and outdated pages, so the final recommendation should reflect your team's assessment of the evidence.
What does multi-stage AI research mean?
KOL Luminary uses separate research steps to identify candidates, build their profiles, gather supporting evidence and assess their relevance to your project. The process includes understanding your brief, finding candidates, building profiles, researching professional activity, assessing project fit and supporting your review.
For example, identifying someone through an institutional biography and investigating their recent speaking experience are separate research tasks.
How accurate is the research?
AI-assisted research can contain errors, incomplete information or outdated details. Luminary makes supporting sources and evidence gaps visible so your team can evaluate the findings before using them.
Accuracy should be assessed against practical questions: do the candidates meet the brief, do the sources support the statements, are professional roles and affiliations current, what information is missing and how much correction is needed before the output can be used. Your team should review material findings before making client recommendations or engagement decisions.
What does verified mean in KOL research?
Source-supported information, automated checks and human review serve different purposes. A supporting source makes a claim traceable and inspectable. Automated checks help assess information within the research workflow. Human review allows your team to determine whether the evidence supports the statement and is appropriate for the project.
A source link or automated check does not guarantee that information is accurate, complete or current. Marking information as reviewed records your team's review decision, and your team remains responsible for the final recommendation.
Can Luminary find nurses, pharmacists and community experts, or only academic physicians?
Your brief can specify different professional groups, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and other relevant experts. The research considers documented clinical responsibilities, education, leadership and professional activity, and publications are not required unless your brief specifically calls for them.
The depth of a profile depends on the available public evidence. An experienced community expert may have a smaller online presence than an academic researcher; limited documentation does not establish that someone is unsuitable.
How long does a search take?
Searches can take 30 minutes or more, depending on the number of candidates requested, the complexity of the brief and the availability of supporting information. Research involves multiple tasks across candidates, including profile development and professional-activity research.
Research runs in the background, so your team can continue other work while it progresses. The estimated research time is a planning guide, not a guaranteed completion time.
Does a profile contain every publication or congress appearance?
Do not assume that it is a complete career record. A profile reflects the evidence available from the research performed, and public coverage can vary across sources, countries and periods.
Interpret counts in their stated context. If a complete record is essential to your decision, review the search scope and resolve gaps before presenting the number as a lifetime total.
What does it mean when experience is not found?
It means the research has not established that experience from the sources checked. It does not prove the person lacks the experience.
Decide whether the missing information is essential to the project. If it is, seek another suitable source or identify it for direct confirmation later. Avoid turning unknown information into a negative claim about the person.
How should I check that publications belong to the right person?
Compare more than the name. Look at affiliations, specialty, geography, author context and identifiers where available. People can share names and initials, while one researcher may appear under several name variations.
Hold uncertain records separately until the identity is resolved. An incorrect attribution can affect research counts, experience summaries and later project comparisons.
Project fit and selection
Understand scores and turn the evidence into a defensible recommendation.
What does a project-fit score mean?
A project-fit score summarizes an assessment against the particular brief. It is intended to help compare candidates and direct attention to the supporting evidence.
It is not a universal measure of a person's expertise or a prediction that an engagement will succeed. Read the score components and explanation, then check the fit against the actual purpose and essential requirements.
How does the Project Fit score work?
Project Fit assesses how well the evidence saved in a candidate's profile documents alignment with your project brief. It uses defined criteria and weights, with different considerations for engagement types and professional groups.
Your team can inspect the assessment breakdown and its supporting evidence. Limited documentation can affect the assessment, and profiles with too little supporting information may be identified as having insufficient evidence.
What does a match-to-brief score such as 13.3/35 mean?
It means 13.3 points were awarded out of the 35 available for that component. Read it alongside the component explanation and the overall project-fit breakdown; it is not automatically a score out of 100.
The useful next question is which requested areas have supporting evidence and which need stronger evidence or clarification. Do not infer a precise reason for the result from one fact, such as a publication or congress count.
What would a perfect project fit look like?
A perfect fit would meet the conditions measured by the project's assessment, with clear evidence for the requested clinical focus, professional context and relevant experience. The precise combination depends on the brief.
The export includes a perfect-fit reference to help readers understand the assessment. Full marks would still not confirm availability, interest or engagement approval; those questions need separate checks.
Should I always select the highest-scoring candidate?
No. Use the score alongside the evidence, essential conditions and the contribution you need. Similar totals may reflect different strengths, and a lower-scoring candidate may bring a perspective missing from the group.
Review the shortlist as a whole. For a discussion involving several people, complementary experience can matter as much as any individual ranking.
Does a shortlist confirm that a KOL is available or approved for engagement?
No. The shortlist supports research and selection. It does not establish availability, willingness to participate, a contractual relationship or approval to invite someone.
The responsible team should complete its applicable engagement checks before outreach or contracting. Keep those next steps visible when handing a shortlist to another team.
Profiles and presentations
Understand experience summaries and create a clear handoff.
Can I download KOL shortlists as PDF and PowerPoint?
Yes. KOL Luminary supports PDF and editable PowerPoint exports of project shortlists. PDF is useful for a stable reading copy, while PowerPoint lets your team adapt the presentation.
Inspect the generated file before sharing, particularly after editing text or changing the layout. Check that important claims still match the underlying evidence.
How is Relevant experience different from Why this KOL fits?
Why this KOL fits connects the candidate to the specific brief. Relevant experience provides a fuller plain-language summary of the professional background supporting that recommendation.
The experience summary should reflect the breadth of documented activity, rather than repeatedly describing one event or copying the fit statement. It should add useful context without inflating the evidence.
Does Congress activity count only invited speaking engagements?
No. Congress and similar professional activity can include different documented roles. A total should not be interpreted as the number of invited talks unless the underlying records establish that.
Review whether the person spoke, chaired, joined a panel or contributed in another way. The summary and count should tell a consistent story about the available evidence.
What does the Research section show?
The presentation's Research section summarizes publication activity and relevant research areas instead of listing individual publications on the profile slide. This keeps the profile focused on what the research tells the reader about the candidate.
Consult the underlying evidence when you need to inspect a specific publication or understand the scope of a count. Do not assume every reported count is a complete lifetime total.
Are internal notes included in client-view exports?
Client-view exports exclude internal notes, ratings, relationship history and client feedback. This helps separate public professional research from private collaboration information.
Review the final file and sharing context before distributing it. Once a file has been downloaded, your team is responsible for handling and sharing that copy appropriately.
How long are generated export files available?
Generated export files expire 30 days after generation. Download the files you need while they are available and store them through your organization's approved process.
Creating a new export requires an active plan. After a paid plan ends, completed files remain downloadable only while the files themselves remain available; the account's read-only period does not extend an export's lifetime.
How does Luminary fit with our existing CRM or KOL database?
Luminary can support the research that feeds your existing relationship-management process. Your CRM may contain valuable internal knowledge, such as previous engagements, relationship history and client preferences; Luminary helps your team gather public professional evidence, assess candidates against a brief and prepare shortlists.
PDF and editable PowerPoint exports support handoffs into existing workflows. Any requirement for a direct system integration should be discussed separately.
Teamwork and your research library
Reuse profiles and keep project decisions current.
Can we reuse existing KOL profiles for another project?
Yes. Existing profiles can provide a starting point for a new project's research and shortlist. Reassess them against the new brief rather than carrying forward the earlier recommendation unchanged.
Check the facts most likely to affect the new decision, such as current role and recent relevant activity. Viewing, editing, comparing and exporting existing profiles do not use the new-profile allowance.
What is a profile refresh?
A refresh is a fresh external research check on an existing profile. Refreshes have a separate shared monthly allowance from new-profile research.
A completed refresh counts even if it confirms there are no changes. Use refreshes when current evidence matters to a decision, rather than assuming that a stored profile stays current indefinitely.
How often should we refresh KOL profiles?
Match the timing to the project and the type of information. Recheck changing facts before important selection or outreach decisions, and review new activity when the brief calls for it.
A historical publication may remain useful, while a current affiliation may need another check. There is no fixed interval that makes every part of a profile current.
How many people can use a workspace?
Both current plans include 3 team seats. Additional seats are available on eligible active paid subscriptions.
The organization shares the research allowances; adding a seat does not add new-profile or refresh capacity. Plan team access and research volume separately.
Plans, allowances and billing
How annual subscriptions and monthly research capacity work.
How much does KOL Luminary cost?
Agency is $1,499 per month as a monthly equivalent, billed annually upfront at $17,988. Founding Member is $1,199 per month as a monthly equivalent, billed annually upfront at $14,388. Prices are in USD before applicable taxes.
The pricing page and checkout show the current offer and payment terms. The monthly equivalent is not a month-to-month billing option.
What research capacity is included?
Both current plans include 100 new profiles and 25 profile refreshes per month, shared by the organization, plus 3 team seats.
Monthly allowances reset monthly even though the subscription is billed annually. Unused monthly capacity does not roll over, so plan discovery and refresh work around the team's current needs.
What counts toward the new-profile allowance?
A successfully created profile from external discovery counts toward the new-profile allowance. Failed research, duplicates and profiles that already exist do not consume that allowance.
Viewing, editing, comparing and exporting existing profiles do not use new-profile capacity. A fresh external check on an existing profile is a refresh and uses the separate refresh allowance.
How does the Founding Member offer work?
The Founding Member offer provides the complete Agency plan at a lower price for the first 25 paid members. Availability is confirmed at checkout, and creating an account does not reserve a place.
The first year is billed upfront at $14,388. The Founding Member price is locked in on every renewal for as long as the account stays active; if the account is deleted and you sign up again later, the Founding Member price no longer applies. The Founding Member offer does not include a free trial.
Can we buy more research capacity?
A research pack adds 20 new profiles for a one-time $299 charge. It does not add refreshes. Monthly credits are used first; unused pack credits roll over until the end of your current paid annual account term. Packs are never purchased automatically.
Research packs are available on active paid subscriptions with renewal enabled, not during a trial. Review the remaining period and team need before purchasing additional capacity.
How are additional seats billed?
An additional seat is $99 per month as a monthly equivalent, billed annually at $1,188 and prorated to the subscription's renewal date when added. Extra seats do not increase research allowances.
Seat reductions take effect at renewal and must leave enough seats for active members and pending invitations. Add-ons require an eligible active paid subscription with renewal enabled.
Can we turn off annual renewal?
Yes. Turn off auto-renew in Billing & Usage to prevent the next annual subscription charge. Full access continues through the paid term.
Additional seats and research packs cannot be purchased while renewal is off. Review the billing screen for your current term and renewal details before making changes.
What happens when our paid subscription ends?
You can view existing profiles for 90 days after the paid plan ends. New research, edits, invitations and new exports require an active plan. Workspace read access ends after the read-only period.
Completed export files remain downloadable while they are available, but expire 30 days after generation. Loss of subscription access is not the same as a data-deletion request; contact support if you need help with account data.
Privacy, security and support
Understand data boundaries and where to get more information.
How does Luminary protect our information?
Luminary uses organization-specific workspaces, access controls, database-enforced separation between organizations and private file storage. Private collaboration fields, such as internal notes, ratings, relationship history and client feedback, are excluded from research-provider request schemas.
Research briefs, clarification messages and public search criteria are sent to research providers, so confidential client strategy and patient information should not be entered into those inputs. Workspace content is not used to train or fine-tune AI models, and third-party processing and retention are governed by the applicable provider terms and account settings; no training does not mean no retention.
The security page explains current certification status and links to a downloadable security and privacy packet for procurement reviews.
Is our workspace content used to train AI models?
KOL Luminary will not use your workspace content to train or fine-tune AI models. Internal notes, ratings, relationship history and client feedback are excluded from research-provider request fields.
Research briefs and clarification messages are sent to research providers. Provider processing and retention are separate from training, so review the security page for the specific data boundaries and provider terms.
Can we enter patient information or confidential project documents?
KOL Luminary is for public professional research and authorized business information. It is not a patient-record system and is not intended for protected health information.
Keep patient information and confidential project material out of research briefs and clarification messages sent to research providers. Use professional criteria that describe the research need without including unnecessary sensitive details.
Where can our IT or procurement team review security information?
The public security page explains workspace isolation, access controls, private storage, export protection, AI data handling, service providers and the incident-response process. It also links to a downloadable client security packet.
KOL Luminary is working towards ISO/IEC 27001 certification and a SOC 2 Type II attestation; it is not currently certified to ISO 27001 and does not yet have a SOC 2 Type II report. Ask for current status as part of procurement.
How do we request correction or deletion of account data?
Contact support with a brief description of the request and a way to reach your authorized workspace owner. Requests are checked with the owner and coordinated through the reviewed deletion or correction process.
Do not include passwords, patient information or sensitive records in the initial email. Support can arrange an appropriate follow-up and explain any required retention or account-access considerations.
Who makes KOL Luminary?
KOL Luminary is a product of Kepler26. Kepler26 works on AI workflow strategy, engineering and implementation for medcomms, pharma and life-sciences teams.
KOL Luminary focuses on the workflow from expert discovery and evidence review to a project shortlist and presentation. The About page explains the product's purpose and its connection to Kepler26.
How can we get help?
Contact support@kolluminary.com for product, account, subscription, seat, security or procurement questions. Include a short description of what you are trying to do and the issue you encountered.
For research methodology, the guides cover briefing, discovery, evidence verification, project fit, congress speakers, advisory boards, presentations and library maintenance. They are available without creating an account.
Still have a question?
Contact support@kolluminary.com for account, product or procurement help. For a closer look at the output, explore the sample shortlist.