Open Access

Open Access Policy

1. Introduction

Our journal is committed to the dissemination of high-quality research and ensuring that scholarly works are freely accessible to the global research community. We adhere to the principles set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

2. Open Access Statement

All articles published in our journal are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. This means:

  • Articles are freely available to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts.
  • Articles can be used for any other lawful purpose, provided the original work is properly cited.

3. Licensing

We use the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the work, even commercially, as long as they credit the original creation. Authors retain the copyright to their work.

4. Author Rights

Authors who publish with us retain the following rights:

  • The right to share their research (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their personal websites).
  • The right to use their research for educational purposes (e.g., in lectures or presentations).
  • The right to distribute their work in print or electronic form to colleagues.

5. Archiving and Preservation

We ensure the long-term preservation of our articles through:

  • Partnership with digital archiving services such as CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, and Portico.
  • Inclusion in institutional repositories and other recognized repositories.

6. Submission and Peer Review Process

Submission

Authors can submit manuscripts electronically through our online submission system. All submissions must adhere to our Author Guidelines, which detail formatting and ethical considerations.

Peer Review

  • All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process.
  • Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the relevant field.
  • Reviewers provide constructive feedback, and authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts accordingly.
  • The final decision on publication rests with the editorial board, ensuring impartiality and transparency.

7. Publication Ethics

We adhere to COPE's guidelines to maintain the highest standards of publication ethics. Key practices include:

  • Addressing any allegations of misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication).
  • Ensuring transparency in authorship and contribution.
  • Managing conflicts of interest.

8. Fees and Funding

Our journal operates under an Article Processing Charge (APC) model to cover the costs of publication. Details of the APC are available on our website. We offer waivers and discounts to authors from low-income countries and in exceptional cases.

9. Accessibility and Usability

We strive to make our content accessible and usable by:

  • Providing a responsive website design compatible with all devices.
  • Ensuring compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

10. Data Sharing and Reproducibility

Authors are encouraged to share their research data by:

  • Depositing data in recognized repositories.
  • Providing data availability statements in their articles.
  • Following best practices for data citation.