Overview

This policy explains how copyright is handled for manuscripts submitted to ISRN Journals, what rights authors retain, the licensing terms used for published articles, and how third-party content (such as figures, images, or tables owned by others) must be treated. ISRN Journals operates an open access publishing model, meaning articles are made available online for readers to access, share, and cite without subscription barriers.

Copyright ownership

By default, copyright remains with the author(s) (or the author’s employer/organization where applicable). ISRN Journals does not require authors to transfer copyright ownership as a condition of publication. Instead, authors grant ISRN Journals the rights needed to publish and distribute the work.

Publishing license granted to ISRN Journals

When a manuscript is accepted, authors grant ISRN Journals a non-exclusive license to publish the article, host it online, distribute it, and identify ISRN Journals as the original publisher. This license also permits ISRN Journals to create and display publication formats (e.g., PDF and web formats), apply journal branding, and preserve the article in archives for long-term access.

Creative Commons Licensing (CC BY 4.0)

All accepted articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license unless otherwise stated. Under CC BY 4.0, readers and third parties may copy and redistribute the material in any medium and may remix, transform, and build upon it, including for commercial use, provided they give appropriate credit, link to the license, and indicate whether changes were made.
CC BY 4.0 also prohibits adding legal or technical restrictions that would prevent others from using the work in ways the license permits.

Proper attribution and reuse standards

Any reuse of ISRN Journals content must include proper attribution. At minimum, the reuse should include:

  1. The article title
  2. Author names
  3. The journal name (ISRN Journals / specific journal)
  4. Publication year
  5. A reference/URL to the original article page, plus a link to the CC BY 4.0 license. Reuse must not imply that the authors or ISRN Journals endorse the reuser or their work.

Third-party content, permissions, and author responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring they have the right to use any material that is not originally created by them. This includes figures, tables, photos, maps, instruments, long text extracts, and copyrighted datasets. Where permission is required, authors must obtain it before publication and must properly acknowledge the original source in the caption or reference list. ISRN Journals may request written permission evidence if the material appears likely to require clearance.

Republication, duplicate publishing, and author posting

ISRN Journals expects that manuscripts submitted are not simultaneously under review elsewhere and are not previously published in a substantially similar form, consistent with standard publishing expectations. Authors may share preprints or accepted manuscripts according to the Open Access and Archiving guidance (see Open Access Policy), provided the final published version is properly cited as the version of record.

Copyright infringement claims and takedown process

ISRN Journals takes copyright infringement seriously. If you believe content hosted by ISRN Journals infringes copyright, submit a written complaint to the editorial office. The complaint should include:

  1. Identification of the allegedly infringing material,
  2. Proof of ownership or authorization,
  3. A clear explanation of the infringement claim, and
  4. Contact details for follow-up.

ISRN Journals will review the claim, seek clarification from involved parties if necessary, and determine an appropriate outcome, which may include correction, removal, or replacement, depending on the facts and the required remedy. (CC licensing does not override third-party rights; some permissions may still be required for certain elements.)

Contact for rights and permissions

For permissions, reuse questions, or infringement notices, contact the ISRN Journals editorial office via the contact address listed on the website.