Terms & Conditions

Last Updated: 23 June 2025

1. Scope of Agreement

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern the use of all services, content, and systems provided through this journal’s website ("the Site"), including submission, peer review, editorial processing, publication, archiving, and access to published content. By engaging with the Site—whether as author, reviewer, editor, reader, or institutional representative—you consent to these Terms in full.

These Terms operate in conjunction with the journal’s Privacy Policy, Plagiarism Policy, Author Guidelines, and Editorial Ethics frameworks. Continued use constitutes binding agreement.

2. Eligibility and Use

• Access to submission, peer review, and editorial systems is limited to individuals or entities acting in an academic, institutional, or scholarly capacity.
• Unauthorized, automated, or malicious use of the Site is strictly prohibited.
• All users must ensure compliance with local and international research integrity and data protection regulations, including GDPR (EU), HIPAA (US), and applicable jurisdictional laws.

3. Intellectual Property and Licensing

• Authors retain copyright to their work unless explicitly transferred through signed agreement.
• Submission of any content constitutes a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to the journal for purposes of peer review, editorial handling, online publication, indexing, and long-term archiving.
• Reuse of published content must comply with the license under which the work is published (e.g., CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND).
• Third-party content (e.g., images, datasets, code) included in submissions must be properly licensed and cited. Authors are solely responsible for securing necessary permissions.

4. Submissions and Publication

• All submissions must adhere to the current Author Guidelines, which define formatting, citation standards, data transparency requirements, and declarations of conflicts of interest.
• Submissions may be rejected or withdrawn without notice for breaches of publication ethics, including but not limited to plagiarism, redundant publication, authorship misconduct, or undisclosed competing interests.
• Accepted articles undergo peer review as outlined in the Peer Review Policy, which includes reviewer anonymity (where applicable), editorial discretion, and appeals procedures.

5. Peer Review and Editorial Conduct

• The journal enforces impartial, confidential, and rigorous peer review in line with COPE’s Core Practices.
• Reviewers and editors are bound by confidentiality, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and timely review obligations.
• Editorial decisions are final and based solely on academic merit, originality, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

6. User Conduct and Obligations

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during submission and correspondence.
• Refrain from manipulating citation metrics, fabricating data, or engaging in coercive authorship practices.
• Respect intellectual property rights and maintain professional conduct in all interactions with journal representatives.

7. Limitation of Liability

• The journal and its affiliates shall not be held liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from use of the Site or reliance on published content.
• Content is provided “as is” for academic reference only. It does not constitute legal, clinical, or technical advice.
• While the journal takes reasonable measures to ensure accuracy, it does not warrant the completeness or reliability of any published material.

8. Termination and Withdrawal

• The journal reserves the right to suspend or revoke user access at its discretion, particularly in cases of ethical breaches, abusive behavior, or legal infringement.
• Authors may withdraw a manuscript at any stage prior to formal acceptance, subject to written notice and editorial confirmation.
• Post-publication retractions, corrections, and expressions of concern are governed by COPE-aligned retraction procedures.

9. Jurisdiction and Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with international academic publishing norms and the laws of the jurisdiction in which the journal is registered. Any legal disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts in said jurisdiction.

10. Amendments

The journal reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time to reflect legal, technological, or procedural updates. Continued use of the Site after such changes implies acceptance of the revised Terms.

Contact

For queries regarding these Terms & Conditions, contact the editorial office via the official communication channels listed on the Site.