1. Purpose of This Policy
Zoological Records and Reviews recognizes the importance of protecting personal information and is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and security of data collected during the publication process. This Privacy Policy explains how personal data are collected, used, stored, and protected when individuals interact with the journal’s website or editorial systems.
This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, and readers who provide personal information to the journal.
2. Information We Collect
The journal collects only the information necessary to support scholarly publishing activities. This may include, but is not limited to:
- Full name and professional affiliation
- Email address and contact details
- ORCID iD (where provided)
- Manuscript metadata (titles, abstracts, keywords)
- Reviewer comments and recommendations
- IP addresses and system-generated usage data for website functionality
No unnecessary or excessive personal data are collected.
3. How Personal Information Is Used
Collected personal data are used exclusively for legitimate academic and editorial purposes, including:
- Managing manuscript submissions and peer review
- Communicating editorial decisions and publication updates
- Assigning reviewers and editors
- Publishing author and affiliation information within accepted articles
- Maintaining the integrity of the scholarly record
- Improving journal operations and website functionality
Personal data are never used for commercial marketing or unrelated activities.
4. Legal and Ethical Basis for Data Processing
Personal information is processed based on:
- The consent of the data subject
- The necessity of processing for editorial and publishing functions
- Legitimate interests related to academic publishing
The journal adheres to recognized international data protection principles, including fairness, transparency, purpose limitation, and data minimization.
5. Data Sharing and Disclosure
The journal does not sell, trade, or rent personal information to third parties. Limited data may be shared only when necessary with:
- Editorial management system providers
- Indexing and abstracting services
- Digital archiving services
- Plagiarism detection services
All third-party services are selected based on their compliance with recognized data protection and confidentiality standards.
6. Data Retention
Personal data are retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill editorial, legal, and archival obligations. Published article metadata may be retained permanently to preserve the scholarly record. Unpublished manuscript data are retained securely for a limited period in accordance with editorial needs.
7. Data Security Measures
Zoological Records and Reviews implements appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or disclosure. Access to personal data is restricted to authorized editorial personnel only.
8. Rights of Data Subjects
Individuals whose data are held by the journal have the right to:
- Request access to their personal information
- Request correction of inaccurate data
- Request deletion of personal data where applicable
- Withdraw consent for data processing, where legally permitted
Requests may be submitted through the journal’s official contact channels and will be addressed within a reasonable timeframe.
9. Cookies and Website Usage Data
The journal website may use cookies or similar technologies solely to ensure proper system functionality and enhance user experience. Cookies are not used to collect personally identifiable information for tracking or advertising purposes.
10. Privacy of Published Content
Once an article is published, author names, affiliations, and contact details provided during submission become part of the permanent scholarly record. This information is shared openly to support academic communication and citation practices.
11. Policy Updates
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in editorial practices, legal requirements, or technological developments. Any updates will be published on the journal website, with the revised version taking immediate effect upon publication.
12. Contact Information
Questions or concerns regarding privacy or data protection may be directed to the journal through the official contact information provided on the journal website.