Journal of Social Transformation and Community Engagement (JSTCE) is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of the personal information of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and other users of the journal website and online submission system.

This Privacy Statement explains how JSTCE collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information provided through the journal's website, Open Journal Systems (OJS), manuscript submission, peer-review, editorial, and publication processes.

1. Information We Collect

The journal may collect information necessary to manage scholarly publishing activities, including:

• name and academic or professional title;
• institutional affiliation and country;
• email address and other contact information;
• ORCID iD and professional profile information, when provided;
• username and account information required for the OJS platform;
• manuscript information, including title, abstract, keywords, authorship, affiliations, and references;
• information related to research funding, ethical approval, and conflicts of interest;
• reviewer information, review reports, editorial decisions, and correspondence; and
• technical information generated through the journal website, such as IP address, browser type, device information, access times, and website activity where applicable.

The journal only collects information that is reasonably necessary for the administration, evaluation, publication, preservation, and dissemination of scholarly work.

2. Use of Personal Information

Personal information is used primarily for legitimate journal and scholarly publishing purposes, including:

• processing and managing manuscript submissions;
• communicating with authors, reviewers, editors, and other journal stakeholders;
• selecting and assigning appropriate peer reviewers;
• conducting the peer-review and editorial decision-making process;
• managing revisions, copyediting, production, and publication;
• conducting plagiarism and similarity checks;
• maintaining accurate scholarly records and article metadata;
• facilitating indexing, archiving, and scholarly dissemination;
• responding to inquiries and providing journal-related services;
• maintaining the security and functionality of the journal website and OJS platform; and
• addressing publication ethics, research integrity, corrections, retractions, and other post-publication matters.

Personal information will not be used for purposes unrelated to journal operations without appropriate consent or a lawful basis.

3. Confidentiality of Peer Review

JSTCE applies a double-blind peer-review process. The identities of authors and reviewers are kept confidential during the review process.

Reviewer identities and confidential review reports will not be disclosed to authors or third parties except where disclosure is required by applicable law, journal policy, or with the explicit consent of the relevant parties.

Reviewers are required to treat manuscripts and all information obtained during the review process as confidential.

4. Disclosure of Personal Information

JSTCE does not sell, rent, or commercially distribute personal information collected through the journal's submission and publication systems.

Personal information may be shared only when necessary to operate the journal, including with:

• authorized editorial and administrative personnel;
• peer reviewers who require relevant information to conduct manuscript evaluation;
• technical service providers supporting the journal's website, OJS, hosting, plagiarism detection, indexing, archiving, or email services; and
• competent authorities where disclosure is required by applicable laws or regulations.

Where third-party services are used, the journal seeks to ensure that personal information is handled appropriately and only for legitimate purposes related to journal operations.

5. Publicly Available Information

Certain information associated with published articles may be made publicly available as part of the scholarly record. This may include the author's name, institutional affiliation, ORCID iD where provided, article title, abstract, keywords, references, publication date, and other article metadata.

Authors should avoid including unnecessary personal or sensitive information about research participants or community members in manuscripts and supplementary materials. Where research involves individuals or communities, authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate consent and protecting participant confidentiality.

6. Data Security

JSTCE takes reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, loss, misuse, or destruction.

Access to personal information within the editorial system is restricted according to the responsibilities of editors, reviewers, and authorized journal personnel.

Although reasonable safeguards are implemented, no electronic transmission or data-storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

7. Data Retention

The journal retains personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to administer the journal, conduct peer review, maintain publication records, preserve the scholarly record, comply with legal and ethical obligations, and manage post-publication activities.

Information associated with published articles may be retained permanently as part of the academic record. Editorial and peer-review records may also be retained when necessary to document editorial decisions and support research-integrity procedures.

8. Authors' and Users' Rights

Subject to applicable laws and journal policies, users may request access to, correction of, or clarification regarding their personal information held by the journal.

Requests concerning personal information may be submitted to the journal's editorial office. The journal will consider such requests in accordance with applicable legal requirements and legitimate scholarly publishing obligations.

Requests to remove information that forms part of the permanent scholarly record may be subject to limitations where retention is necessary to preserve publication integrity and transparency.

9. Cookies and Website Technologies

The journal website and OJS platform may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for account authentication, session management, website functionality, security, and basic usage analysis.

Users may configure their browser settings to manage or restrict cookies. However, disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of the journal website.

10. Privacy of Research Participants and Communities

Because JSTCE focuses on community engagement and social transformation, manuscripts may involve individuals, community groups, organizations, or vulnerable populations.

Authors must ensure that personal information concerning research participants and community members is handled responsibly. Identifying information should be removed or anonymized whenever possible. Appropriate informed consent, ethical approval, or other relevant permissions should be obtained when required by the nature of the research.

The journal expects authors to respect the dignity, privacy, cultural values, intellectual contributions, and rights of participating communities.

11. Changes to This Privacy Statement

JSTCE may periodically update this Privacy Statement to reflect changes in journal practices, technological developments, or applicable legal and ethical requirements.

Any significant changes will be communicated through the journal website. The most recent version of this Privacy Statement will apply to information processed by the journal.

12. Contact

Questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Statement and the handling of personal information may be directed to the Editorial Office of the Journal of Social Transformation and Community Engagement (JSTCE) through the official contact information provided on the journal website.