1. Introduction

OpenMed Research (“we,” “our,” “us”) is an international open-access scholarly publishing platform committed to safeguarding the privacy of all authors, reviewers, editors, and visitors to our website. This Privacy Policy explains, in comprehensive detail, the types of information we collect, the legal grounds for processing it, how we use and store it, the circumstances under which it may be shared, and your rights as a data subject under applicable laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other relevant data protection regulations.

Our publishing model relies on open access to scholarly content while ensuring that personal and confidential information related to manuscript handling, peer review, and user accounts is managed in strict compliance with legal and ethical standards.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Identification Information

When you submit a manuscript, register as a reviewer, subscribe to updates, or otherwise interact with OpenMed Research, we may collect your full name, title, professional designation, institutional affiliation, postal address, country of residence, email address, phone number, and professional identifiers such as ORCID ID, Scopus Author ID, or ResearcherID. This data is necessary to properly attribute scholarly work, communicate with contributors, and maintain academic records.

2.2 Manuscript and Research Data

If you submit a manuscript, we collect the full text of the article, including title, abstract, figures, tables, supplementary materials, datasets, and metadata. We also store related communications, cover letters, editorial decisions, peer review reports, and correspondence between authors, editors, and reviewers. This information forms part of the scholarly publishing process and, in many cases, the permanent academic record.

2.3 Financial and Transactional Data

For authors subject to article processing charges (APCs) or other fees, we collect billing information, transaction records, and payment confirmations. We do not store complete payment card details; transactions are processed through secure, PCI-DSS-compliant third-party payment providers.

2.4 Technical and Usage Data

When you visit our website, we automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type and version, device identifiers, operating system, referring URLs, time and date of access, and the pages you view. This data helps us maintain website security, monitor performance, and improve user experience.

3. Purpose of Data Collection and Processing

We process your data for the following purposes:

1. Manuscript Submission and Review — To facilitate editorial management, peer review, revisions, and final publication.
   
   
2. Author and Reviewer Communication — To send editorial decisions, peer review requests, revision reminders, and policy updates.
   
   
3. Publication and Indexing — To assign Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), register works with indexing services, and ensure long-term discoverability.
   
   
4. Website Security and Optimization — To detect and prevent unauthorized access, monitor traffic patterns, and improve site functionality.
   
   
5. Legal and Ethical Compliance — To fulfill obligations under publishing ethics, intellectual property law, tax regulations, and archival requirements.
   
   

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under GDPR, we process personal data based on:

• Consent: Provided voluntarily by the data subject (e.g., registration, submission).
  
  
• Contractual Necessity: To fulfill publishing agreements between authors and OpenMed Research.
  
  
• Legitimate Interests: Including maintaining a permanent academic record, preventing misconduct, and ensuring research integrity.
  
  
• Legal Obligation: Compliance with statutory requirements, including retention of records for tax or audit purposes.
  
  

5. Data Retention

Published articles and their associated metadata are retained indefinitely as part of the scholarly record and may not be removed except under rare circumstances such as formal retraction.
Unpublished manuscripts, peer review reports, and related correspondence are retained for seven (7) years after the final editorial decision to meet audit, compliance, and dispute resolution needs. Technical logs and analytics data are generally retained for no longer than twelve (12) months, unless required for security investigations or legal compliance.

6. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We share your information only with entities essential to the publishing process, including:

• Editorial Board Members and Peer Reviewers for manuscript evaluation.
  
  
• Indexing and DOI Services such as CrossRef, PubMed, and Scopus.
  
  
• Plagiarism Detection Services such as iThenticate.
  
  
• Third-Party IT and Hosting Providers under strict confidentiality agreements.
  
  
• Regulatory Authorities when legally required.
  We never sell your personal information to third parties.
  
  

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Maintain secure login sessions.
  
  
• Store user preferences (e.g., language settings).
  
  
• Analyze traffic patterns through tools like Google Analytics.
  You can disable cookies through your browser, but this may impact site functionality.
  
  

8. International Data Transfers

Because OpenMed Research operates globally, your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your jurisdiction. We ensure such transfers are safeguarded through Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent legal protections, in accordance with GDPR and other applicable laws.

9. Security Measures

We employ secure servers, encrypted data transmission (SSL/HTTPS), role-based access controls, and regular system vulnerability testing. While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed as completely secure.

10. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to:

• Access and obtain a copy of your data.
  
  
• Request corrections to inaccurate information.
  
  
• Request deletion of personal data (except for published academic records).
  
  
• Restrict or object to certain processing activities.
  
  
• Request data portability.
  To exercise these rights, contact us at info@openmedresearch.com. We will respond within 30 days in accordance with applicable laws.
  
  

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. This Privacy Policy does not extend to third-party sites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our services, laws, or industry practices. Updated policies will be posted on our website with a revised “Last Updated” date.

13. Contact Information

For all privacy-related inquiries, please contact:
Email: info@openmedresearch.com