Open Access Policy

  1. Open Access Statement

   The journal is committed to the widest possible dissemination of scholarly knowledge. All published articles are made freely available online immediately upon publication, without subscription or access fees. Readers are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of articles without restriction, provided proper attribution is given to the original work. This policy ensures equitable access to research and promotes global knowledge sharing.

  1. Licensing

   All articles are published under a Creative Commons licence, typically CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution). This licence allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the work for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and the journal. Authors retain copyright while granting the journal the right to publish and disseminate their work.

  1. Article Processing Charges (APCs)

   To support open access publication and maintain high editorial standards, authors may be required to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs).

  • APCs cover costs related to manuscript handling, peer review management, editorial processes, digital archiving, and platform maintenance.
  • The journal maintains a transparent fee structure, and any changes to APCs will be clearly communicated.
  • Waivers or discounts may be available for authors from low-income countries or for high-quality submissions assessed on a case-by-case basis.
  1. Author Rights and Self-Archiving

   Authors retain full rights to their intellectual property. The journal permits authors to:

  • Deposit preprints (submitted versions), accepted manuscripts (postprints), and final published versions in institutional or subject repositories.
  • Share their published articles on academic networks such as ResearchGate or Academia.edu, provided the CC licence terms are respected.
  • Use the published article in teaching, conference presentations, or future works.

   Self-archived versions must include proper citation and a link to the published article.

  1. Archiving and Preservation

   To ensure long-term digital preservation and continued access:

  • All published content is archived in recognised digital repositories or preservation systems (e.g., LOCKSS, CLOCKSS, institutional repositories).
  • The journal maintains redundant backups and uses stable digital identifiers (such as DOIs) to guarantee article permanence.
  • In the event of journal closure, all articles will remain openly accessible through archived repositories.
  1. Ethical Considerations

   The open access model requires strict adherence to ethical publishing standards.

  • Authors must ensure the originality of submitted work and comply with the journal's ethical guidelines on authorship, data integrity, conflict of interest, and plagiarism.
  • Open access does not affect the rigor of peer review or editorial decisions.
  • All corrections, retractions, and updates will remain openly accessible to maintain transparency and trust.