Terms and Conditions

 

Introduction

Welcome to the International Journal of Peace, Governance and Social Change (IJPGSC). These Terms and Conditions govern the use of the journal's website, manuscript submission system, peer review process, publication services, and all content published by the journal. By accessing the journal's website, submitting a manuscript, serving as a reviewer or editor, or otherwise using the journal's services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to comply with these Terms and Conditions.

The journal reserves the right to revise these Terms and Conditions at any time. Updated versions will be published on the journal's website, and continued use of the journal's services constitutes acceptance of any changes.

Scope of the Journal

The International Journal of Peace, Governance and Social Change is a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly journal that publishes original research, review articles, case studies, policy analyses, and other scholarly contributions related to peace studies, governance, public policy, conflict resolution, international relations, development studies, social change, and related disciplines.

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee publication. All manuscripts are subject to editorial screening and a rigorous double-blind peer review process.

Eligibility for Submission

Authors submitting manuscripts to the journal confirm that they have the legal authority to submit the work and that all listed authors have approved the submission. The corresponding author accepts responsibility for communicating with the journal on behalf of all co-authors throughout the editorial and publication process.

Authors must ensure that the submitted manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication by another journal.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made independently by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board based solely on the academic quality, originality, significance, ethical compliance, and relevance of the submitted work. Payment of publication fees or any other financial consideration shall not influence editorial decisions.

The journal reserves the right to reject any manuscript that falls outside its scope, fails to meet academic standards, violates ethical guidelines, or does not comply with the journal's submission requirements.

Peer Review

All manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment followed by a double-blind peer review process conducted by independent experts. Authors agree to participate in the review process by responding to reviewer comments and submitting revisions within the specified deadlines when requested.

The journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts that fail to satisfy reviewer recommendations or editorial requirements.

Publication Ethics

Authors, editors, reviewers, and the publisher are expected to comply with the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. The journal does not tolerate plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate authorship, citation manipulation, or any other form of research misconduct.

Where ethical violations are identified, the journal may reject the manuscript, retract published articles, notify relevant institutions, or take other appropriate actions to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain the copyright to their work unless otherwise stated in the journal's copyright policy. By accepting publication, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, archive, and make the article available through the journal's website and other indexing or archiving services.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted materials, including figures, tables, photographs, or substantial extracts from previously published works.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of all information contained in their manuscripts. They must disclose conflicts of interest, funding sources, ethical approvals, and any use of artificial intelligence tools where appropriate. Authors also agree to cooperate fully with the editorial office in responding to reviewer comments and correcting any errors identified before or after publication.

If significant errors are discovered after publication, authors must promptly notify the journal and cooperate in issuing corrections or retractions where necessary.

Article Processing Charges

The journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of USD 100 for manuscripts accepted for publication. The APC becomes payable only after a manuscript has successfully completed peer review and has received formal acceptance. Submission of manuscripts is free of charge, and no payment is required before editorial acceptance.

Payment of the APC does not guarantee publication and does not influence editorial decisions in any way.

Withdrawal of Manuscripts

Authors may withdraw their manuscripts before acceptance by providing written notification to the Editorial Office. Once a manuscript has been accepted and production activities such as copyediting or typesetting have commenced, withdrawal requests may be subject to administrative charges or may not be approved except under exceptional circumstances.

Corrections and Retractions

The journal is committed to maintaining the accuracy of the scholarly record. Where errors are identified after publication, the journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions in accordance with internationally accepted publishing standards. Such decisions are made by the editorial team after appropriate investigation.

Website Use

Users agree to use the journal's website only for lawful purposes. Users shall not attempt to interfere with the operation of the website, gain unauthorized access to journal systems, upload malicious software, or engage in activities that compromise the security or integrity of the journal's services.

The journal reserves the right to restrict or terminate access to users who violate these Terms and Conditions or misuse the website.

Privacy

The journal collects and processes personal information necessary for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial management, and publication. Personal information is handled in accordance with the journal's Privacy Statement and applicable data protection laws. The journal does not sell or disclose personal information to third parties except where necessary to facilitate publication or where required by law.

Limitation of Liability

The journal, its editors, reviewers, editorial board members, publisher, and affiliated organizations shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from the use of published content, the submission of manuscripts, editorial decisions, publication delays, or the use of the journal's website.

The opinions and conclusions expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal, its editors, or the publisher.

Intellectual Property

All journal content, including the journal name, logo, website design, and published materials, is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Users may not reproduce, modify, distribute, or commercially exploit journal content without prior written permission, except as permitted under the applicable copyright license.

Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws applicable to the Publisher's jurisdiction. Any disputes arising from the use of the journal or its services shall be resolved through the appropriate legal processes in the competent courts of that jurisdiction.

Contact Information

Questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, manuscript submissions, publication policies, or other journal matters should be directed to the Editorial Office through the official contact information provided on the journal's website.

Acceptance of Terms

By submitting a manuscript, registering as a user, serving as a reviewer or editor, or accessing the International Journal of Peace, Governance and Social Change website, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions. Continued use of the journal's services constitutes ongoing acceptance of these terms.