Privacy

Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (JUDSC)

Last updated: 23 January 2024

The Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (“JUDSC”, “we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and visitors to our website and related services.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have. It applies to:

• Manuscripts and submissions sent to judsc@lockescience.press

• Communications with the editorial office

• Peer review and editorial management activities

• Visits to our journal website and related online services

Because privacy laws vary by country and region (e.g., GDPR in the EU/EEA, other national data protection frameworks), this Policy is intended as a clear, general statement of our practices. It does not constitute legal advice. We encourage you to consult local regulations if needed.

1. Data Controller and Contact

For purposes of this Policy, the primary controller of personal data processed in connection with Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (JUDSC) is:

Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities
Editorial Office
Email: judsc@lockescience.press

If you have questions about this Policy or how your personal data are processed, please contact us at: judsc@lockescience.press

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We collect and process personal data that are necessary for running the journal and providing editorial and publishing services. Depending on your role and interaction with Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (JUDSC), we may collect the following categories of data:

2.1 Authors and Co-authors

When you submit a manuscript or correspond with the journal, we may collect:

• Name and surname

• Academic or professional affiliation(s)

• Position or title

• Postal address (especially for the corresponding author)

• Email address and other contact details

• ORCID iD or similar researcher identifiers (if provided)

• Manuscript content, including any personal data you include in the text, acknowledgments, or biographical notes

• Funding information and declarations of interest

• Correspondence and editorial history related to your submission

2.2 Reviewers

When you are invited to review or agree to review a manuscript, we may collect:

• Name and surname

• Academic or professional affiliation(s)

• Position or title

• Email address and other contact details

• Areas of expertise and keywords

• Review reports, recommendations, and comments

• Correspondence and review history

2.3 Editors and Editorial Board Members

For editorial and governance purposes, we may collect:

• Name and surname

• Academic or professional affiliation(s)

• Positions held within Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (JUDSC) (e.g., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, Board Member)

• Email address and other contact details

• Short biographical details (for publication on the website, with your consent)

• Editorial assignments and decision records

2.4 Website Visitors and Readers

When you visit our website, we may collect:

• IP address and approximate location (depending on your browser and settings)

• Browser type, language, and operating system

• Referring pages, pages visited, and time spent on pages

• Date and time of visits

• Information provided via contact forms or email links (e.g., name, email, message content)

We may use cookies or similar technologies for basic site functionality and anonymous usage statistics. See Section 6 (Cookies and Analytics) for more detail.

3. Purposes and Legal Bases for Processing

We process personal data only for legitimate purposes related to the operation of the journal. Typical purposes include:

3.1 Editorial and Peer Review Process

• Managing manuscript submissions and revisions

• Inviting, selecting, and communicating with reviewers

• Making editorial decisions and maintaining editorial records

• Publishing articles, including author names, affiliations, and biographical notes

Legal basis (where applicable):

• Performance of a contract or steps prior to entering a contract (e.g., handling your submission)

• Our legitimate interests in operating a scholarly journal and maintaining academic standards

3.2 Publication and Dissemination

• Publishing accepted articles in Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (JUDSC) (including author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and related information)

• Assigning and displaying DOIs, volume/issue details, and metadata

• Making articles freely available under the CC BY 4.0 open access license

Legal basis:

• Performance of a contract and our legitimate interests in disseminating research

3.3 Indexing, Archiving, and Discoverability

• Providing article metadata to indexing services, abstracting databases, and repositories (e.g., library catalogs, scholarly databases)

• Long-term archiving and preservation of the journal’s scholarly record

Legal basis:

• Legitimate interests in ensuring discoverability, citation, and preservation of scholarly works

3.4 Communication

• Responding to inquiries from authors, reviewers, readers, and institutions

• Sending editorial correspondence (e.g., review invitations, decisions, proofs)

• Occasionally informing authors and reviewers about journal-related updates or calls for papers

Legal basis:

• Performance of a contract and legitimate interests in running the journal and communicating with stakeholders

3.5 Compliance and Integrity

• Ensuring compliance with publication ethics and research integrity (e.g., investigating plagiarism or misconduct)

• Handling complaints, disputes, or legal claims

• Complying with legal obligations where applicable

Legal basis:

• Legitimate interests in protecting the integrity of the scholarly record

• Compliance with legal obligations

4. How We Share Personal Data

We do not sell personal data. However, we may share personal data with the following categories of recipients when necessary:

• Editors, editorial board members, and reviewers involved in the evaluation of your manuscript (authors’ names, affiliations, and manuscript content are shared; reviewers’ identities are normally kept confidential from authors).

• Publishers, typesetters, and technical service providers involved in production and website hosting.

• Indexing and abstracting services (e.g., library catalogs, scholarly databases), which may display author names, article titles, affiliations, abstracts, and other metadata.

• Institutional or funding bodies, if necessary for reporting or compliance (e.g., funding acknowledgments, mandates).

• Regulatory or legal authorities, if required by law or in the context of legal claims or investigations related to publication ethics or misconduct.

In all cases, we aim to share only the minimum personal data necessary for the relevant purpose.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy or as required by applicable law.

In particular:

• Editorial and peer review records (including author and reviewer identities, decision letters, and associated correspondence) are retained as part of the permanent scholarly record.

• Published articles and metadata (including author names and affiliations) are preserved indefinitely for citation, indexing, and archiving purposes.

• Email correspondence and administrative records may be retained for a reasonable period to manage editorial history, respond to queries, and ensure accountability.

If you request deletion of certain data, we will consider it in light of our obligations to preserve the scholarly record and applicable legal requirements (see Section 8 below).

6. Cookies and Analytics

Our journal website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Enable basic site functions and preferences

• Collect anonymous or aggregated statistics on page views, downloads, and navigation

• Help us understand which content is most useful to readers and how the site is used

Depending on your browser and local regulations, you may:

• Receive a cookie notice when visiting the site

• Configure your browser to block or delete cookies

If we use third-party analytics services (e.g., privacy-respecting web analytics), these services may collect anonymized or pseudonymized usage data. We do not use such tools to identify individual visitors.

7. Security Measures

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against:

• Unauthorized access or disclosure

• Accidental loss, alteration, or destruction

These measures may include secure servers, access controls, and appropriate handling practices for email and digital files. However, no system can guarantee absolute security, and you are encouraged to use caution when transmitting information over the internet or email.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction and applicable law (e.g., GDPR in the EU/EEA), you may have some or all of the following rights:

• Right of access – to request information about the personal data we hold about you.

• Right to rectification – to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

• Right to erasure – to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances (e.g., where data are no longer needed for the original purpose).

• Right to restriction of processing – to request temporary limitation of processing under certain conditions.

• Right to data portability – to receive a copy of the data you provided in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format (where applicable).

• Right to object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests, in certain situations.

Because we must preserve the integrity of the scholarly record and maintain essential editorial and publication archives, some rights (especially erasure and restriction) may be limited with respect to published articles, decision records, and core editorial files.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at: judsc@lockescience.press

If you believe that your data protection rights have been violated, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority in your jurisdiction.

9. Children’s Data

The journal is intended for adult professionals, researchers, and students in higher education. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age defined by local law for data consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us so that we can review and address the situation.

10. Third-Party Links

Our website and articles may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., institutional pages, external repositories, or publisher platforms). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in our practices

• Updates to applicable laws or regulations

• Developments in technology or journal operations

Any changes will be posted on our website with an updated “Last updated” date. Continued use of our services after such changes indicates your acknowledgment of the revised Policy.

12. Contact

For questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal data, please contact:

Journal of Urban Development and Smart Cities (JUDSC)
Editorial Office
Email: judsc@lockescience.press

We will do our best to respond promptly and to address your concerns in a fair, transparent manner.