Privacy Statement

1. Introduction and Commitment to Privacy

The Andalasian International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (AIJANS) is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and personal information of individuals who interact with the journal. This commitment applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, readers, registered users, and other individuals who communicate with the journal.

AIJANS is published by Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM), Universitas Andalas, Indonesia. The journal uses Open Journal Systems (OJS) to manage manuscript submissions, editorial evaluation, peer review, publication, and related scholarly communications.

This Privacy Statement explains what personal information may be collected, why it is processed, how it is used and protected, under what circumstances it may be disclosed, and how individuals may exercise their rights concerning their personal information.

AIJANS seeks to handle personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable Indonesian laws, including Law Number 27 of 2022 concerning Personal Data Protection, as well as relevant principles of research integrity, confidentiality, and scholarly publishing.

2. Scope of This Privacy Statement

This statement applies to personal information processed in connection with:

  • Registration and management of user accounts on the journal website.
  • Submission and processing of manuscripts.
  • Editorial assessment and peer review.
  • Publication and dissemination of scholarly articles.
  • Communications between the journal and its users.
  • Management of editorial boards, reviewers, and contributors.
  • Handling publication ethics concerns, complaints, and appeals.
  • Website administration, security, maintenance, and usage analysis.

This statement concerns the journal's processing of personal information. The processing of personal information by external services linked from the journal website is governed by the applicable policies of those services.

3. Personal Information Collected

Depending on the individual's role and interaction with the journal, AIJANS may collect and process the following categories of information.

3.1 Identification and Contact Information

  • Full name and preferred form of address.
  • Email address and other contact information voluntarily provided.
  • Institutional affiliation, department, and country.
  • Academic title, position, and professional profile.
  • ORCID iD and other scholarly identifiers, where provided.

3.2 Account and Authentication Information

  • OJS username and account-related settings.
  • Assigned roles, such as author, reviewer, editor, or journal manager.
  • Account registration and activity records.
  • Authentication and security information necessary to operate and protect user accounts.

Users should not provide their passwords to journal staff. Requests relating to account access or password recovery should be handled through the journal's designated account-management procedures.

3.3 Manuscript and Editorial Information

  • Manuscript titles, abstracts, keywords, and submitted files.
  • Author names, affiliations, and contribution statements.
  • Correspondence concerning submissions and editorial decisions.
  • Reviewer invitations, assignments, recommendations, and reports.
  • Manuscript revisions and associated editorial records.
  • Declarations concerning funding, competing interests, ethical approval, and data availability.

3.4 Technical and Website Usage Information

When individuals access the journal website, technical information may be processed as necessary for website operation, security, and functionality. Depending on the journal's server configuration and enabled services, this may include:

  • Internet Protocol (IP) addresses or related connection information.
  • Browser type, device characteristics, and operating system information.
  • Access times, requested pages, and server event records.
  • Session information and cookies required for account authentication and website operation.
  • Aggregated information concerning website usage and article access.

The specific technical information processed depends on the journal's hosting environment, OJS configuration, and enabled components.

4. Purposes of Personal Information Processing

AIJANS processes personal information for purposes directly related to scholarly publishing and journal administration.

These purposes include:

  1. Account management: Creating and maintaining user accounts, managing permissions, and providing access to appropriate journal functions.
  2. Editorial processing: Receiving manuscripts, conducting preliminary assessments, coordinating reviews, and communicating editorial decisions.
  3. Peer review: Identifying suitable reviewers, managing reviewer invitations, collecting evaluations, and maintaining appropriate records of the review process.
  4. Scholarly publication: Preparing, publishing, identifying, disseminating, indexing, and preserving accepted scholarly works.
  5. Publication ethics: Investigating credible concerns involving research integrity, authorship, peer review, or other publication-related matters.
  6. Communication: Sending submission notifications, review invitations, editorial correspondence, and other communications necessary for journal operations.
  7. Security and maintenance: Protecting the website, preventing unauthorized access, investigating technical incidents, and maintaining system reliability.
  8. Recordkeeping: Maintaining records necessary for editorial accountability, scholarly integrity, and applicable legal obligations.

Personal information will not be used for purposes incompatible with those described in this statement without an appropriate legal basis or other authorization required by applicable law.

5. Basis for Processing Personal Information

AIJANS processes personal information only where an appropriate basis exists under applicable law.

Depending on the circumstances, the basis for processing may include:

  • Consent provided by the individual for a specified purpose.
  • The need to provide a journal-related service or fulfill an arrangement requested by the individual.
  • Compliance with applicable legal obligations.
  • The journal's legitimate interests in operating a scholarly publishing service, maintaining editorial records, protecting its systems, and safeguarding research integrity, where permitted by applicable law.
  • Other lawful grounds applicable to the particular processing activity.

Where consent is the applicable basis, individuals may withdraw it in accordance with applicable law. Withdrawal does not necessarily invalidate processing performed lawfully before withdrawal or processing that must continue on another lawful basis.

6. Confidentiality of Manuscripts and Peer Review

AIJANS recognizes that confidentiality is essential to the integrity of scholarly publishing.

The journal applies a double-anonymized peer-review process, in which authors' identities are not disclosed to reviewers and reviewers' identities are not disclosed to authors during the review process, subject to circumstances addressed under the journal's editorial and ethical policies.

Manuscripts, unpublished research findings, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and confidential editorial assessments must be handled only for authorized scholarly publishing purposes.

In particular:

  • Editors and editorial staff must restrict access to confidential manuscript information to individuals who need it for legitimate editorial responsibilities.
  • Reviewers must not disclose, distribute, or use unpublished manuscript information for personal or professional advantage.
  • Reviewer identities and confidential review records must not be disclosed without an appropriate basis.
  • Authors must respect the confidentiality of editorial and peer-review communications.
  • Confidential manuscript materials must not be entered into external artificial intelligence services or other third-party systems unless their use is authorized and appropriate safeguards are in place.

Confidential information may be disclosed when required by law or when a limited disclosure is justified by a legitimate investigation into research or publication misconduct, subject to applicable confidentiality and data protection requirements.

7. Sharing and Disclosure of Personal Information

AIJANS does not sell personal information.

Personal information may be shared only to the extent reasonably necessary for legitimate publishing activities or otherwise permitted or required by applicable law.

Recipients may include:

  • Authorized editorial personnel: Editors, journal managers, and authorized staff responsible for processing submissions and administering the journal.
  • Peer reviewers: Information necessary to evaluate manuscripts and communicate about assigned reviews, subject to the journal's double-anonymized review procedures.
  • Publishing and technical service providers: Organizations providing authorized hosting, system maintenance, technical support, preservation, or other publishing infrastructure services.
  • Scholarly infrastructure services: DOI registration agencies, indexing and discovery services, and preservation systems receiving appropriate publication metadata.
  • Research institutions and competent authorities: Where disclosure is necessary and lawful for investigating credible ethical concerns, complying with legal obligations, or responding to authorized requests.

Information shared with third parties should be limited to what is necessary for the relevant purpose and subject to appropriate confidentiality and security arrangements.

Public article metadata, including published author names, affiliations, abstracts, and identifiers, is distinguished from confidential editorial records and may be distributed for scholarly discovery, citation, indexing, and preservation.

8. Publicly Available Scholarly Information

Scholarly publication requires certain information to be made publicly available.

For accepted and published articles, the following information may be publicly displayed and disseminated:

  • Author names and affiliations.
  • ORCID iDs and other scholarly identifiers, where provided.
  • Article titles, abstracts, keywords, and bibliographic details.
  • Author contribution statements and relevant declarations.
  • Corresponding author contact information when included in the publication.
  • Published article content and associated supplementary materials.

Authors should ensure that information intended for publication is accurate and that personal information concerning research participants or other individuals is included only when there is an appropriate ethical and legal basis.

Publication metadata may remain accessible through third-party indexing, citation, and preservation systems even if information on the journal website is subsequently corrected or removed.

9. Personal Information in Research Materials

Authors are responsible for protecting personal information contained in submitted research materials.

Research involving human participants, identifiable individuals, or sensitive personal information must comply with applicable legal and ethical requirements.

Before submitting manuscripts, datasets, photographs, recordings, or supplementary materials, authors must consider whether:

  • Appropriate ethical approval or exemption has been obtained, where required.
  • Necessary informed consent has been obtained.
  • Personal identifiers can be removed, anonymized, or appropriately restricted.
  • The proposed publication or sharing of information is consistent with participant consent and applicable law.
  • Any third-party materials have been used with appropriate permission.

AIJANS may request clarification or supporting documentation when concerns arise concerning the lawful or ethical use of personal information in submitted research.

10. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The journal website may use cookies and related technologies to support essential functions, including account authentication, session management, user preferences, and website security.

Additional technologies may be used by services integrated into the website, depending on the configuration and tools enabled by the journal.

Users can manage cookies through their browser settings. Disabling cookies necessary for authentication or session management may affect access to certain OJS functions.

Any optional analytics, tracking, or third-party technologies must be evaluated for consistency with this statement and applicable data protection requirements.

11. Information Security

AIJANS recognizes the importance of protecting personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, and misuse.

The journal and its authorized technical administrators are responsible for applying appropriate organizational and technical safeguards proportionate to the nature of the information processed and the associated risks.

Relevant safeguards may include:

  • Role-based access controls within OJS.
  • Authentication and account-management procedures.
  • Restrictions on access to confidential editorial records.
  • Software maintenance and security updates.
  • Appropriate backup and recovery arrangements.
  • Secure handling of editorial correspondence and manuscript files.
  • Procedures for identifying and responding to suspected security incidents.

No information system can be guaranteed to be completely free from security risks. AIJANS will address identified privacy and security concerns according to their nature, applicable procedures, and legal requirements.

12. Retention and Deletion of Personal Information

Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary for legitimate publishing purposes, scholarly recordkeeping, system administration, dispute resolution, or compliance with applicable legal obligations.

Retention requirements may differ according to the type of information involved.

  • Account information: Retained while needed for journal participation and legitimate administrative purposes.
  • Submission and editorial records: Retained as necessary to document editorial decisions, maintain accountability, investigate publication ethics concerns, and preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
  • Reviewer records: Retained as appropriate for editorial accountability, reviewer management, and ethical oversight.
  • Technical logs: Retained according to relevant operational, security, and administrative requirements.
  • Published article metadata: May be retained for the long-term identification, citation, discovery, and preservation of scholarly publications.

Individuals may request the deletion of personal information when permitted by applicable law. Such requests will be assessed in relation to relevant legal obligations, legitimate editorial records, and the need to preserve the scholarly record.

Deletion from the journal's systems does not automatically remove information already disseminated through independent indexing services, citation databases, institutional repositories, or preservation networks.

13. Rights of Individuals

Individuals whose personal information is processed by AIJANS may exercise rights available under applicable data protection law.

Depending on the applicable legal requirements and circumstances, these may include the right to:

  • Obtain information about the processing of their personal data.
  • Request access to personal information concerning them.
  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
  • Request deletion or restriction of processing where legally applicable.
  • Withdraw consent when processing is based on consent.
  • Object to certain processing activities where applicable.
  • Request a copy of personal information in an appropriate format where required by law.
  • Submit a complaint concerning the handling of personal information.

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and limitations.

For example, a request concerning publicly published bibliographic information, confidential reviewer identities, or essential editorial records may require a different response from a request to correct an unpublished account profile.

AIJANS will consider requests in accordance with applicable law and the journal's legitimate responsibilities.

14. Requests Concerning Personal Information

Individuals wishing to exercise their data protection rights or raise privacy concerns may contact the AIJANS Editorial Office.

Requests should describe the relevant concern and identify the information or processing activity involved.

Where necessary, the journal may request sufficient information to verify the requester's identity or authority before disclosing, modifying, or deleting personal information.

The journal will evaluate the request, consult responsible institutional or technical personnel when necessary, and communicate its response within the period required by applicable law.

Individuals should avoid sending unnecessary sensitive personal information when making an initial inquiry.

15. Personal Data Breaches and Privacy Incidents

Suspected unauthorized access, loss, disclosure, alteration, or misuse of personal information should be reported promptly to the Editorial Office.

When a possible personal data breach is identified, the journal will coordinate with the responsible institutional and technical personnel to assess the incident, take appropriate containment and remedial measures, and determine whether notifications to affected individuals or competent authorities are required under applicable law.

The journal will not disclose confidential security details when doing so could create additional risks or compromise a legitimate investigation.

16. External Links and Third-Party Services

The AIJANS website may provide links to external services, such as scholarly identifier systems, indexing platforms, research repositories, publication infrastructure providers, and institutional websites.

External services may operate under their own privacy statements, terms of service, and data protection arrangements.

AIJANS encourages users to review the privacy information provided by external services before submitting personal information to them.

The inclusion of an external link does not mean that AIJANS controls the external service's processing of personal information.

17. Privacy Responsibilities of Journal Participants

Protecting personal information is a shared responsibility.

Authors should provide accurate personal information, obtain necessary permissions for personal information included in research materials, and avoid disclosing confidential information without authorization.

Reviewers must protect confidential manuscripts, personal information, and editorial communications obtained through the review process.

Editors and editorial staff must use personal information only for authorized purposes and ensure that access to confidential records is appropriately restricted.

Registered users are responsible for safeguarding their account credentials and informing the journal of suspected unauthorized use of their accounts.

Technical administrators and authorized service providers must handle information according to their assigned responsibilities and applicable security and confidentiality requirements.

18. Changes to This Privacy Statement

AIJANS may revise this Privacy Statement when necessary to reflect changes in applicable law, journal operations, publishing technologies, or privacy and information-security practices.

The current statement will be made available on the journal website. Significant changes affecting the processing of personal information should be communicated appropriately, taking into account their nature and applicable legal requirements.

Continued use of the journal website does not replace any consent that must be obtained separately under applicable law.

19. Contact Information

Questions, requests, or complaints concerning this Privacy Statement or the handling of personal information may be directed to:

AIJANS Editorial Office
Andalasian International Journal of Agriculture and Natural Sciences (AIJANS)
Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM)
Universitas Andalas
Kampus Limau Manis, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Email: aijans@unand.ac.id

Please use the subject line "Privacy Inquiry – AIJANS" when contacting the Editorial Office about a personal data protection matter.

20. Applicable Standards and References

This Privacy Statement has been prepared with reference to the following legal and scholarly publishing frameworks: