Intellectual Property Policy

The journal respects intellectual property rights and is committed to protecting the legitimate interests of authors, publishers and other rights holders.

All authors are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts submitted to the journal comply with applicable copyright laws, licensing conditions and intellectual property regulations.

Originality and Ownership

Authors must submit original work that does not infringe the intellectual property rights of others.

Manuscripts must not contain substantial material copied from previously published works without appropriate attribution and, where necessary, permission from the relevant copyright holders.

Authors must ensure that they have the necessary rights and permissions to submit and publish all materials included in their manuscripts.

Copyright and Licensing

Where articles are published under an open-access licence, readers may use, distribute and reproduce the material only in accordance with the applicable licence terms.

The journal displays the relevant copyright and licensing information on its website and published articles.

Third-Party Materials

Authors must obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, questionnaires or other materials where such permission is required.

Appropriate acknowledgement must be provided for all third-party materials.

The responsibility for obtaining necessary permissions rests with the authors.

Plagiarism and Copyright Infringement

The journal prohibits plagiarism and unauthorised reproduction of copyrighted materials.

All submitted manuscripts are screened for textual similarity and other potential integrity concerns.

Where suspected plagiarism or copyright infringement is identified, the journal will investigate the matter and may request clarification or supporting documentation.

Depending on the seriousness of the issue, the journal may reject the manuscript, publish a correction, retract the article or take other appropriate action.

Intellectual Property Disputes

Complaints concerning copyright infringement or intellectual property ownership must be submitted to the editorial office with relevant supporting evidence.

The journal will review such complaints fairly and may consult the parties concerned or relevant institutions.

Where necessary, publication or access to disputed material may be temporarily restricted while the matter is investigated, subject to applicable legal requirements.