JATG - Privacy Statement

Privacy Statement

The Journal of Accounting, Transparency and Governance (JATG), published by International Multidisciplinary Academic Research (IMAR), is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of all individuals who interact with this journal — including authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. This Privacy Statement explains what personal data we collect, how we use it, and the rights you have over your data.

By registering an account, submitting a manuscript, or otherwise interacting with the JATG website and OJS system, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Statement.

1. Data We Collect

JATG collects personal data only to the extent necessary to operate the journal and manage the publication process. The following categories of personal data may be collected:

2. How We Use Your Data

Personal data collected by JATG is used solely for the following purposes:

1. Managing the submission and peer review process — including communicating decisions, assigning reviewers, and coordinating revisions
2. Publishing accepted articles — including displaying author names, affiliations, and contact details as part of the published record
3. Communicating with registered users — including sending editorial notifications, submission status updates, and journal announcements via the OJS system
4. Operating and improving the OJS platform — including monitoring system performance and diagnosing technical issues
5. Complying with legal and ethical obligations — including maintaining records of editorial decisions and correspondence in accordance with COPE guidelines
6. Indexing and discoverability — including submitting article metadata (author names, affiliations, abstracts, DOIs) to indexing databases such as Google Scholar, Crossref, BASE, and others

JATG does not use personal data for commercial purposes, advertising, or any purpose unrelated to the operation of the journal and the publication of scholarly research.

3. Data Sharing and Disclosure

JATG does not sell, rent, or trade personal data to third parties. Personal data may be shared only in the following limited circumstances:

1. Indexing and metadata services: Author names, affiliations, email addresses (corresponding author only), ORCID identifiers, and article metadata are submitted to indexing databases and DOI registration services (including Crossref) as part of the standard publication process. This data becomes part of the permanent scholarly record.
2. OJS platform (PKP): JATG operates on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP). PKP may collect anonymized usage statistics. For details, refer to PKP's Privacy Policy.
3. Legal requirements: JATG may disclose personal data if required to do so by applicable law, court order, or regulatory authority.
4. Publication misconduct investigations: In cases of confirmed publication misconduct, information about the parties involved may be shared with the authors' employing institutions or funding bodies in accordance with COPE guidelines.

4. Reviewer Confidentiality

JATG operates a double-blind peer review process. Reviewer identities are kept strictly confidential from authors at all stages of the review process and are not disclosed after publication. Review reports are shared with authors in anonymized form only. Reviewer names are not published in the journal without the explicit written consent of the reviewer.

Reviewers' personal data — including names, affiliations, and email addresses — is used solely to manage the peer review process and is not shared with authors, other reviewers, or third parties, except as required by law or in cases of confirmed misconduct.

5. Data Retention

JATG retains personal data for the following periods:

Data related to published articles — including author names, affiliations, and correspondence addresses — forms part of the permanent scholarly record and cannot be deleted, as this would compromise the integrity of the published literature.

6. Your Rights Over Your Personal Data

Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights regarding your personal data held by JATG:

1. Right of access: You may request a copy of the personal data JATG holds about you.
2. Right to rectification: You may request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected. For published articles, corrections to author information are handled through JATG's correction policy.
3. Right to erasure: You may request deletion of your personal data where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, subject to JATG's legal and ethical obligations to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record. Note that data forming part of the published scholarly record (author names in published articles) generally cannot be deleted.
4. Right to object: You may object to the processing of your personal data for purposes other than those directly related to the publication process.
5. Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on your consent (e.g., receiving journal announcements), you may withdraw consent at any time by updating your notification preferences in your OJS user profile or by contacting the editorial office.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact the JATG editorial office at editor@imarjournal.org with the subject line "Privacy Request — JATG". JATG will respond to all valid privacy requests within 30 days.

7. Cookies and Website Analytics

The JATG website (powered by OJS) may use cookies — small text files stored on your device — to maintain your login session and improve your experience on the site. These are functional cookies necessary for the operation of the OJS platform and do not track your activity across other websites.

JATG does not use third-party advertising cookies or behavioral tracking technologies. Anonymous usage statistics may be collected by the OJS platform to monitor system performance. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect the functionality of the OJS submission and review system.

8. Data Security

JATG and IMAR take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, loss, destruction, or alteration. These measures include:

1. SSL/HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted via the JATG website
2. Encrypted storage of user passwords in the OJS database
3. Access controls limiting editorial data access to authorized personnel only
4. Regular backups of the OJS database to prevent data loss

While JATG takes all reasonable steps to protect your data, no system of data transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. In the event of a data breach that may affect your rights or freedoms, JATG will notify affected users promptly and take all necessary remedial action.

9. Children's Privacy

The JATG website and OJS system are intended for use by adult academics, researchers, and professionals. JATG does not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 18. If we become aware that personal data has been collected from a minor, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Privacy Statement

JATG reserves the right to update or amend this Privacy Statement at any time to reflect changes in our data practices, legal requirements, or the OJS platform. Any material changes will be communicated to registered users via email notification and announced on the journal website. The date of the most recent revision will be noted at the bottom of this page. Continued use of the JATG website and OJS system following notification of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Statement.

11. Contact

For any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Statement or the handling of your personal data, please contact: