Privacy and Data Protection

The International Journal of Medical Students (IJMS) respects the privacy of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, applicants, conference participants, and other individuals who interact with the Journal.

Personal information collected through the Journal’s website, editorial system, forms, correspondence, and related services is used for legitimate scholarly-publishing, editorial, administrative, communication, security, and legal purposes.

The names, email addresses, and other personal information entered into the Journal’s systems are not used for unrelated purposes or disclosed to unrelated parties except as described in this policy or when required by law.

Contents

Scope of This Policy

This policy applies to personal information processed through activities operated or administered by the IJMS, including:

  • the Journal website;
  • Open Journal Systems (OJS);
  • manuscript submission and peer review;
  • editorial and production correspondence;
  • reviewer and Editorial Team records;
  • Journal registration and user accounts;
  • publication announcements and newsletters;
  • applications to Journal programs or positions;
  • conference, webinar, and educational activities;
  • forms, surveys, and requests for information;
  • ethics, integrity, complaint, and appeal procedures; and
  • other services administered by or on behalf of the Journal.

This policy does not govern personal information collected independently by authors, research institutions, conference organizers, external websites, or third-party services that operate under their own privacy terms.

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Information We Collect

The information collected depends on how an individual interacts with the Journal.

Category Examples
Identity information Name, initials, preferred publication name, username, professional title, academic status, and account identifier.
Contact information Email address, institutional address, mailing address, telephone number, and other contact details voluntarily provided.
Professional information Affiliation, department, country, education, qualifications, specialty, research interests, biography, curriculum vitae, and professional roles.
Author information Authorship position, corresponding-author status, ORCID identifier when available, CRediT contributions, acknowledgments, funding, and disclosures.
Submission information Manuscripts, title pages, supplementary files, metadata, revision history, author responses, permissions, and supporting documentation.
Peer-review information Reviewer invitations, responses, reports, recommendations, expertise, availability, conflicts of interest, and review history.
Editorial information Editorial assessments, decisions, internal notes, correspondence, assignments, workflow records, and production queries.
Ethics and integrity information Approvals, consent confirmations, allegations, complaints, appeals, supporting evidence, institutional correspondence, and investigation records.
Technical information Internet Protocol address, browser type, device information, operating system, login activity, timestamps, referring pages, and system logs.
Communication preferences Consent to receive publication announcements, newsletters, calls, or other nonessential Journal communications.
Event and program information Applications, registrations, attendance records, submissions, affiliations, photographs, recordings, and participation information.

Individuals should not provide personal information that is unnecessary for the applicable Journal activity.

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Sources of Personal Information

The Journal may receive personal information:

  • directly from the individual;
  • from a corresponding author or another member of an author group;
  • from an editor, reviewer, nominator, supervisor, or institutional representative;
  • through OJS or another Journal-administered system;
  • from publicly available professional or scholarly sources;
  • from ORCID or another service authorized by the individual;
  • from conference, educational, or collaborative partners;
  • from the Journal’s publisher or technical service providers;
  • through correspondence concerning an ethics, integrity, appeal, or complaint matter; or
  • automatically through website and system activity.

A corresponding author who enters information concerning coauthors must ensure that the information is accurate and that the coauthors know it is being provided to the Journal.

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How Information Is Used

The Journal may use personal information to:

  • create and administer user accounts;
  • receive and process manuscript submissions;
  • verify author, reviewer, and editor information;
  • manage editorial assessment and peer review;
  • identify appropriate reviewers and editors;
  • communicate decisions, requests, reminders, and production information;
  • prepare, publish, index, preserve, and promote accepted articles;
  • maintain an accurate scholarly and editorial record;
  • manage conflicts of interest;
  • evaluate ethics, integrity, authorship, appeal, and complaint matters;
  • administer Journal programs, events, recruitment, and educational activities;
  • send communications requested or authorized by the recipient;
  • maintain website and system security;
  • detect misuse, fraud, manipulation, or unauthorized access;
  • evaluate and improve Journal operations and services;
  • respond to inquiries and technical-support requests;
  • comply with contractual, institutional, regulatory, and legal obligations; and
  • protect the rights, safety, and legitimate interests of the Journal and its users.

Personal information is not sold to advertisers or data brokers.

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Editorial and Peer-Review Information

Manuscript files, reviewer reports, editorial assessments, decision letters, internal discussions, and related correspondence are confidential editorial records.

Access may be provided to individuals who require the information for legitimate editorial purposes, including:

  • assigned editors;
  • invited reviewers;
  • members of the Editorial Team with supervisory responsibilities;
  • the publisher and authorized production personnel;
  • technical administrators supporting the publishing system;
  • statistical, methodological, ethical, or legal advisers;
  • members of the IJMS Ethics Committee when consultation is required; and
  • institutions or authorities involved in evaluating a documented concern.

The Journal uses a double-masked editorial and peer-review model for applicable manuscript categories. Author-identifying title-page information is not ordinarily provided to external reviewers, and reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors.

Complete review procedures are described on the Editorial and Peer-Review Process page.

Review the Editorial and Peer-Review Process
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Information Made Public

Information associated with a published article becomes part of the public scholarly record.

Published information may include:

  • author names;
  • degrees or academic status;
  • institutional affiliations;
  • country information;
  • corresponding-author email address;
  • ORCID identifiers when available;
  • author biographies;
  • CRediT contribution statements;
  • acknowledgments;
  • funding statements;
  • competing-interest declarations;
  • ethics, consent, registration, and data-availability statements;
  • article metadata and citation information; and
  • corrections, retractions, or other publication notices.

Published scholarly information may be distributed to indexing services, repositories, libraries, archives, search engines, metadata services, and other scholarly infrastructure.

Once information has been published or distributed to external indexing and preservation systems, complete deletion may not be possible. Requests to correct published author information are evaluated under the Corrections, Retractions, and Appeals policy.

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Email and Journal Communications

The Journal may send communications necessary to administer an account, submission, review, editorial assignment, publication, complaint, event, or other requested service.

Operational communications may include:

  • account registration and security messages;
  • submission confirmations;
  • reviewer invitations and reminders;
  • editorial decisions and revision requests;
  • copyediting and proof correspondence;
  • publication notifications;
  • technical-support responses;
  • ethics, integrity, appeal, or complaint correspondence; and
  • important notices concerning Journal services or policies.

These operational messages may be necessary to provide the requested Journal service and are distinct from optional announcements or promotional communications.

Users may separately choose whether to receive new-publication announcements, newsletters, calls for submissions, or similar communications. A recipient may withdraw that preference through the available account setting, unsubscribe option, or by contacting the Journal.

Withdrawing from optional communications does not prevent the Journal from sending messages necessary to administer an active submission, review, account, investigation, or publication.

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Cookies, Logs, and Website Analytics

The Journal website and publishing platform may use cookies, session identifiers, server logs, and similar technologies necessary to:

  • maintain user sessions;
  • authenticate accounts;
  • remember user preferences;
  • support navigation and website functions;
  • protect the site against misuse or unauthorized access;
  • diagnose technical problems;
  • measure site performance and use; and
  • improve accessibility and user experience.

Technical records may include an Internet Protocol address, browser and device information, requested pages, date and time of access, referring page, language preference, and actions performed within the system.

Browser settings may permit users to block or delete cookies. Disabling cookies may prevent login, submission, review, or other essential OJS functions from operating correctly.

The Journal does not use necessary website cookies to determine the scholarly outcome of a submission.

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When Information May Be Shared

The Journal may disclose personal information when reasonably necessary to:

  • operate the editorial and publishing process;
  • provide access to a requested service;
  • publish an accepted article;
  • obtain confidential editorial, technical, statistical, ethical, or legal advice;
  • investigate a documented ethics or integrity concern;
  • resolve an authorship dispute, appeal, or complaint;
  • coordinate with the publisher, hosting institution, or service provider;
  • protect the security or integrity of Journal systems;
  • prevent fraud, harassment, manipulation, or unlawful activity;
  • comply with a legal obligation, court order, or valid regulatory request; or
  • protect the rights, welfare, or safety of an individual or the public.

Depending on the circumstances, information may be shared with:

  • editors and reviewers;
  • the Journal’s publisher and hosting institution;
  • production, indexing, preservation, and repository services;
  • technical and communications service providers;
  • the IJMS Ethics Committee;
  • research institutions and integrity offices;
  • ethics committees, funders, or regulators;
  • other journals or publishers evaluating related publication concerns;
  • legal advisers or law-enforcement authorities; and
  • other parties authorized by the individual.

Only information reasonably relevant to the purpose should be disclosed.

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Publishers and Service Providers

The Journal relies on organizations and technical systems that support hosting, publishing, communication, preservation, indexing, security, and administration.

These providers may process personal information on behalf of the Journal or as independent organizations operating under their own legal and institutional responsibilities.

Services may include:

  • website and OJS hosting;
  • publisher administration;
  • email delivery;
  • Digital Object Identifier registration;
  • indexing and metadata distribution;
  • digital preservation;
  • document production;
  • forms and survey administration;
  • video-conferencing or event platforms;
  • file storage and backup;
  • security monitoring; and
  • technical support.

The Journal seeks to limit service-provider access to the information reasonably necessary to perform the applicable function.

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International Processing

The IJMS serves an international community. Authors, reviewers, editors, publishers, service providers, and technical systems may be located in different countries.

Personal information may therefore be accessed, stored, transferred, or processed outside the country in which it was originally provided.

Privacy, public-record, disclosure, and data-protection requirements may differ among jurisdictions. The Journal uses reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect personal information during international editorial and publishing activities.

Individuals should avoid submitting legally restricted, confidential, or sensitive personal information unless it is necessary and an appropriate method has been identified.

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Information Retention

The Journal retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to support scholarly publishing, maintain the editorial and publication record, provide services, resolve disputes, protect system security, and comply with legal or institutional requirements.

Information Retention considerations
Published article information Retained as part of the permanent scholarly record.
Submission and editorial records May be retained to document decisions, correspondence, peer review, and publication history.
Rejected or withdrawn submissions May be retained to maintain an accurate editorial record, identify duplicate submissions, resolve concerns, and document the outcome.
Reviewer and editor records May be retained to manage assignments, expertise, conflicts, performance, recognition, and editorial history.
Ethics, integrity, appeals, and complaints May be retained for the duration of the assessment and afterward when necessary to document the matter and resulting action.
User accounts Retained while active and afterward when necessary for security, editorial history, publication records, or legal obligations.
Optional communication preferences Retained until consent is withdrawn or the communication service ends.
Technical logs Retained according to operational, security, hosting, and institutional requirements.

Information may be anonymized or aggregated when continued retention of identifiable information is unnecessary.

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Information Security

The Journal and its service providers use reasonable administrative, organizational, and technical safeguards intended to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, loss, misuse, or disclosure.

Safeguards may include:

  • password-protected user accounts;
  • role-based system permissions;
  • restricted access to confidential editorial records;
  • secure connections and system updates;
  • logging and monitoring of system activity;
  • backup and preservation procedures;
  • editorial confidentiality requirements;
  • staff and editor training;
  • controlled disclosure to service providers; and
  • procedures for responding to security incidents.

No electronic system or transmission method can guarantee absolute security. Users are responsible for protecting their credentials, using secure devices, and notifying the Journal promptly if they suspect unauthorized access.

Users must not share passwords or use another person’s account.

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Individual Privacy Rights

Depending on the applicable law and the nature of the information, an individual may request:

  • confirmation that the Journal holds personal information concerning them;
  • access to personal information they provided;
  • correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • withdrawal from optional communications;
  • closure or deactivation of an account;
  • deletion of information that is no longer required;
  • restriction of certain processing;
  • an explanation of how information is being used; or
  • review of a privacy concern.

Some requests may be limited when retention or processing is necessary to:

  • preserve the scholarly and editorial record;
  • protect reviewer or editor confidentiality;
  • complete an active submission or review;
  • investigate an ethics, integrity, security, appeal, or complaint matter;
  • exercise or defend legal rights;
  • comply with institutional or legal obligations; or
  • protect another individual’s rights and personal information.

Removing an account does not ordinarily require deletion of published articles, authorship records, completed peer reviews, editorial decisions, or information necessary to maintain publication integrity.

The Journal may request information necessary to verify the identity and authority of an individual making a privacy request.

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Research and Participant Data

This privacy policy governs personal information processed by the Journal. It does not authorize authors to submit confidential participant-level research data through ordinary manuscript files or correspondence.

Authors must:

  • remove unnecessary participant identifiers from manuscripts and supplementary files;
  • avoid uploading identifiable source documents unless specifically requested;
  • use an appropriate confidential method when supporting documentation is required;
  • comply with participant consent, ethics approval, data-use agreements, and applicable law;
  • avoid including identifiable data in reviewer responses or screenshots;
  • review clinical images and records for hidden identifiers; and
  • explain legitimate restrictions on research-data sharing.

Requirements for participant privacy, informed consent, Case Report publication, biobanks, registries, and secondary data are provided in the Research Ethics policy.

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Information Concerning Minors

The Journal is intended primarily for authors, reviewers, editors, researchers, healthcare professionals, and students who can lawfully create an account and participate in the relevant activity.

A minor should not provide personal information, submit a manuscript, register for an activity, or participate in a Journal program without any authorization or supervision required by applicable law, institution, school, or program.

When the Journal becomes aware that personal information concerning a minor was collected without appropriate authorization, it may restrict access, request verification, contact the responsible adult or institution, or delete the information when deletion is appropriate.

This section concerns personal information collected through Journal services. Ethical requirements for research participants who are minors are addressed in the Research Ethics policy.

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External Websites and Services

The Journal website may contain links to external websites, repositories, registries, forms, social-media services, publishers, educational resources, or other platforms.

External services may collect information according to their own privacy, cookie, security, and retention practices. The IJMS does not control those practices merely because it provides a link.

Users should review the applicable external policy before:

  • creating an account;
  • submitting personal information;
  • uploading a file;
  • connecting an ORCID or another profile;
  • registering for an event;
  • using an external form; or
  • sharing information through social media.
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Changes to This Policy

The Journal may revise this policy to reflect changes in law, institutional requirements, publishing practices, technology, services, or Journal operations.

Material revisions may be announced through the Journal website or another appropriate communication channel.

The version displayed on the Journal website applies from its stated effective or publication date. Earlier handling of information remains subject to the requirements applicable at the time and to continuing obligations concerning confidentiality and the scholarly record.

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Privacy Questions and Requests

Questions, correction requests, account requests, communication-preference changes, and privacy concerns should be submitted through the Journal’s contact page.

A request should include:

  • the requester’s full name;
  • the email address associated with the Journal account;
  • the manuscript or article number when relevant;
  • a clear description of the information or action involved;
  • the reason for the request when relevant; and
  • supporting information necessary to verify identity or authority.

Do not include passwords, complete identification documents, confidential participant information, or unrelated sensitive information in an ordinary support message.

Submit a Privacy Question or Request
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Editorial Policies

Editorial confidentiality, peer-review procedures, decision-making, and access to submission information.

Research Ethics

Participant privacy, informed consent, Case Reports, identifiable data, registries, and biological material.

Authorship and Disclosures

Public author information, CRediT contributions, acknowledgments, funding, and competing interests.

Research Integrity

Confidential assessment of integrity concerns, supporting records, and institutional communication.

Corrections, Retractions, and Appeals

Correction of published personal information and handling of appeals, complaints, and post-publication concerns.

Open Access, Copyright, and Licensing

Public distribution of articles, metadata, author information, licenses, repositories, and preservation.
Review Editorial Policies Contact the Journal
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