Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy outlines the policies and procedures of the Indian History Journal (IHJ) regarding the collection, use, processing, storage, and protection of information received from authors, reviewers, editors, readers, applicants, and website visitors.

This Policy applies to information received by the Indian History Journal through its official website, manuscript submission system, email communications, registration forms, payment channels, and other official communication or publication platforms.

By using the Journal's website, submitting a manuscript, registering as a reviewer, or voluntarily providing personal information, users acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Collection and Use of Information

The Indian History Journal may collect personal or professional information in the following circumstances:

When an author submits a manuscript;
When a reviewer registers or accepts a review invitation;
When an individual communicates with the Editorial Office;
When a user subscribes to Journal announcements or updates;
When an author makes an applicable Article Processing Charge (APC) payment;
When an individual applies for an editorial, reviewer, or academic position;
When a user submits a query or request through the Journal's website; or
When information is voluntarily provided through an official Journal form or communication channel.

Types of Information Collected

Depending on the nature of the interaction, the Journal may collect information such as:

Full name;
Institutional affiliation;
Academic designation or position;
Email address;
Contact number;
Academic qualifications;
Research interests and areas of expertise;
ORCID iD, where voluntarily provided;
Postal or mailing address, where necessary;
Manuscript and publication-related information;
Reviewer information and review records; and
Payment-related information where applicable.

Where an APC or other authorised payment is processed electronically, additional information may be required by the relevant payment service provider.

The Journal seeks to collect only information reasonably necessary for legitimate editorial, academic, administrative, publication, and legal purposes.

2. Confidentiality and Data Protection

The Indian History Journal treats personal, professional, editorial, and financial information with appropriate confidentiality.

Reasonable administrative and technical measures are used to protect information against unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, misuse, or destruction.

Access to personal information is limited to authorised individuals who require such information for legitimate editorial, publication, administrative, or operational purposes.

The Journal does not sell, rent, or trade personal information for commercial purposes.

Email addresses and contact information are not ordinarily shared with unrelated external organisations or individuals except where:

The user has provided permission;
Disclosure is necessary for an authorised service;
Disclosure is required by law or lawful authority; or
Disclosure is necessary to protect the rights, security, or integrity of the Journal or its users.

3. Information from Payment Processors

Where APCs or other authorised payments are made electronically, payment transactions may be processed through third-party payment service providers.

Such providers may collect and process financial information necessary to complete the transaction.

The Indian History Journal does not ordinarily collect or retain sensitive payment credentials such as complete credit or debit card numbers, CVV numbers, banking passwords, or payment authentication credentials.

Users are advised to review the privacy and security policies of the payment service provider used for their transaction.

4. Use of Collected Information

Personal and professional information may be used for legitimate Journal-related purposes, including:

Processing manuscript submissions;
Managing editorial correspondence;
Conducting peer review;
Communicating editorial decisions;
Communicating revision requests and publication decisions;
Maintaining author and reviewer records;
Preparing publication and bibliographic metadata;
Issuing publication-related certificates or correspondence;
Processing applicable APC payments;
Managing editorial and reviewer databases;
Responding to enquiries and requests;
Maintaining academic and publication records;
Fulfilling legal and regulatory obligations; and
Communicating Journal announcements, calls for papers, and other relevant academic information where appropriate.

The Journal does not use personal information for purposes unrelated to its legitimate academic, editorial, publishing, administrative, or legal functions without appropriate justification or consent.

5. Website Usage Data

Visitors may browse the Indian History Journal website without directly providing personal information.

The website or associated technical systems may automatically collect certain non-personal or technical information, which may include:

IP address;
Browser type and version;
Operating system or device type;
Referring and exit pages;
Pages visited;
Date and time of access;
Approximate usage patterns; and
Other basic technical information generated during website access.

Such information may be used for:

Website administration;
Security and fraud prevention;
Statistical analysis;
Improving website functionality;
Understanding general usage patterns; and
Maintaining the reliability and performance of the Journal's online platform.

Where such information is aggregated or anonymised, it may be used for analytical and operational purposes without identifying individual users.

6. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The Journal's website or its underlying technical services may use cookies or similar technologies where necessary for website functionality, security, analytics, or user experience.

Cookies may allow the website to recognise a user's browser or retain certain technical preferences.

Users may be able to control or disable cookies through their browser settings. However, disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of some parts of the website.

Third-party services integrated with the Journal's website may also use their own cookies or similar technologies in accordance with their respective policies.

7. Visitor and User Consent

By using the Indian History Journal website or voluntarily submitting personal information, users consent to the collection and processing of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Where an author submits personal information relating to another individual, such as a co-author, the submitting author is responsible for ensuring that the information has been provided appropriately and that the relevant individual has been informed where required.

Submission of a manuscript may necessarily involve the processing of author and co-author information for editorial and peer-review purposes.

8. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

The Indian History Journal does not ordinarily disclose personal information to unrelated third parties.

Information may, however, be disclosed where reasonably necessary:

To comply with applicable law or a lawful request from a competent authority;
To investigate suspected plagiarism, academic misconduct, fraud, or other serious violations;
To protect the rights, safety, security, or property of the Journal, its authors, reviewers, editors, or users;
To operate essential publishing, hosting, submission, payment, archiving, or technical services;
Where disclosure is necessary to resolve a legitimate editorial or publication matter; or
Where the user has otherwise provided appropriate consent.

Where third-party service providers are used, the Journal seeks to use services appropriate for the relevant publishing or administrative function.

While reasonable security measures are maintained, no electronic system or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. The Journal therefore cannot guarantee absolute protection against unauthorised access resulting from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including cyberattacks, hacking, phishing, malware, or other unlawful third-party activity.

9. Peer-Review Confidentiality

Information relating to the peer-review process is handled with particular confidentiality.

Reviewer identities are not ordinarily disclosed to authors under the Journal's double-blind peer-review system.

Reviewer reports, editorial communications, and unpublished manuscript materials are used only for legitimate editorial and publication purposes.

Reviewers are also required to maintain the confidentiality of manuscripts and must not disclose or use unpublished information obtained through the review process.

10. Users' Rights

Subject to applicable law and legitimate academic or legal requirements, users may have the right to:

Request information about how their personal data is being used;
Request correction of inaccurate or outdated personal information;
Request clarification regarding information held about them;
Request removal from non-essential mailing or announcement lists;
Withdraw consent where consent is the applicable legal basis; and
Raise concerns regarding the handling of their personal information.

Requests concerning personal information may be submitted to the Journal's official email address.

The Journal may retain certain records where continued retention is necessary for publication history, academic integrity, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or other legitimate purposes.

11. Data Retention

The Indian History Journal retains information for periods appropriate to the purpose for which it was collected.

This may include:

Manuscript submission and editorial records retained for academic and publication-record purposes;
Peer-review records retained for editorial management and integrity purposes;
Published article and bibliographic metadata retained permanently as part of the scholarly record;
Author and publication records retained as necessary for maintaining accurate publication history; and
Reviewer information retained for legitimate editorial administration.

Personal information is not retained indefinitely without purpose, except where permanent retention is necessary for the integrity of the published scholarly record or required by law.

12. Third-Party Websites and Services

The Journal's website may contain links to external websites, repositories, scholarly services, payment providers, indexing services, or other third-party platforms.

The Indian History Journal is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of external websites.

Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of third-party websites before providing personal information to them.

13. Data Security

The Journal takes reasonable steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, misuse, loss, alteration, or disclosure.

However, users acknowledge that no website, database, email system, or electronic transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

In the event of a security incident affecting personal information, the Journal will take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances and applicable legal requirements.

14. Policy Updates

The Indian History Journal reserves the right to modify, update, or revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in its editorial practices, technology, legal requirements, or publishing operations.

Any revised version will be published on the official Journal website and will carry an updated effective date where appropriate.

Users are encouraged to review this page periodically for the latest version of the Privacy Policy.

15. Contact

Questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of personal information by the Indian History Journal may be directed to:

Indian History Journal
Email: ihjournal@allahabadacademicpres.com

The Journal will endeavour to respond to legitimate privacy-related enquiries within a reasonable period.