PRIVACY POLICY / DATA PROTECTION & CONSENT POLICY

The Link journal of Speech, Language and Audiology (JSLA) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. JSLA collects and processes personal information only to the extent necessary to operate a scholarly publishing workflow and to maintain the integrity, security, and permanence of the scholarly record. The journal applies widely recognized data protection principles, including purpose limitation, data minimization, confidentiality, transparency, and reasonable security safeguards, while recognizing that scholarly publishing requires certain public disclosures to support attribution, accountability, indexing, and research integrity.

This policy explains what personal information may be collected, how it is used and protected, what information becomes public after publication, how long data may be retained, and how individuals can request access, correction, or removal of personal data where appropriate.

Information We Collect

1.1 Author Information

JSLA collects author information necessary for manuscript handling, peer review administration, publication, and indexing. This may include author names, email addresses, institutional affiliations, country information, ORCID iD where provided, manuscript files and associated revisions, metadata required for publication, and administrative declarations such as funding information and competing interests statements. Where authors provide additional information within the manuscript or submission forms, the journal processes that information only for publication-related purposes and integrity safeguards.

1.2 Reviewer Information

JSLA collects reviewer information necessary to administer peer review and maintain the integrity of the editorial process. This may include reviewer names, email addresses, areas of expertise, affiliations, and review activity within the journal system, including invitation status and completion history. Reviewer reports and confidential editorial correspondence are stored within the journal’s secure workflow environment and are used to support editorial decision-making and quality assurance.

1.3 Reader Data

JSLA may collect limited non-identifiable reader and website usage information to support platform performance, security monitoring, and basic service improvement. This may include aggregated website traffic analytics, download statistics, and technical information associated with cookies used for website functionality. JSLA does not require users to register to read published content, and it does not seek to collect unnecessary personal information from readers.

How We Use Personal Data

Personal data collected by JSLA is used strictly for scholarly publishing purposes. This includes managing manuscript submission and editorial workflows, communicating with authors and reviewers, administering peer review, selecting reviewers based on expertise, processing accepted manuscripts for publication, managing publication metadata and persistent identifiers where applicable, supporting indexing and archiving processes, handling publication ethics inquiries, and issuing post-publication updates such as corrections or retractions when necessary. JSLA does not sell personal data and does not use author or reviewer information for unrelated marketing activities or commercial profiling.

Data Storage & Security

JSLA uses reasonable administrative and technical safeguards to protect personal data stored within journal systems. These safeguards may include controlled access for authorized editorial staff, secure authentication practices, encrypted data transmission where available (such as HTTPS), password-protected systems, routine backup procedures, and server maintenance measures intended to reduce risks of unauthorized access, data loss, or service disruption. Access to editorial and reviewer records is restricted to individuals who require access to perform journal functions, and the journal seeks to minimize exposure of personal data in routine operations.

Use of Cookies

JSLA may use cookies to support essential website functionality and to improve usability. Cookies may support user sessions, preference retention where applicable, and basic analytics that help the journal understand aggregated platform usage. Users can typically manage cookie permissions through browser settings, including blocking or deleting cookies; however, restricting cookies may affect some site functionality depending on the user’s environment.

Data Sharing with Third Parties

JSLA does not share personal data with third parties except where necessary for legitimate journal operations and scholarly dissemination. This may include sharing limited metadata and publication information with services that support indexing, discovery, preservation, and repository interoperability, as well as service providers involved in DOI or identifier registration where applicable. Where third-party services are used, JSLA seeks to ensure that the sharing is limited to what is necessary, that reasonable privacy safeguards are applied, and that the processing remains consistent with the purposes described in this policy.

Publicly Available Information

Scholarly publishing necessarily involves public disclosure of certain information to enable attribution, accountability, and discovery. Upon publication, author names, affiliations, article metadata, and acknowledgements such as funding disclosures become publicly available as part of the published article record. ORCID iDs may also be displayed if provided by the author. Reviewer identities remain confidential under the journal’s peer review model unless the journal explicitly adopts an open peer review approach for a specific article or section and all relevant participants have been informed accordingly.

Reviewer Confidentiality

JSLA protects reviewer confidentiality as a core element of its peer review process. The journal maintains reviewer anonymity within its double-blind peer review model, stores review reports securely, limits access to reviewer records to authorized editorial users, and does not disclose reviewer identities to authors or the public except under explicit policy conditions that are communicated in advance. Any suspected breach of reviewer confidentiality is treated as a serious integrity concern and is addressed through editorial governance procedures.

Data Retention

JSLA retains personal data for as long as necessary to operate the journal, maintain publication records, support the scholarly record, comply with ethical and legal obligations, and resolve disputes or integrity concerns. Because published articles form part of the permanent scholarly record, published content and core publication metadata cannot generally be deleted. However, individuals may request removal or anonymization of personal data that is not essential to the published record, subject to the journal’s operational obligations and the need to preserve audit trails for editorial integrity.

Consent

By submitting a manuscript, registering with the journal system where applicable, or accepting an invitation to review, individuals provide consent for the journal to process their personal information for publication-related purposes. This includes storing and using information within editorial systems, communicating about manuscript handling and publishing updates, and publishing author identifiers such as ORCID where provided. The journal relies on this consent and on legitimate publishing purposes to administer peer review, produce publications, maintain records, and ensure compliance with research integrity requirements.

Right to Access, Correct, or Delete Personal Data

Individuals may request access to personal data held by the journal, request correction of inaccurate information, and request deletion of personal information that is not part of the permanent published record or required for legitimate operational and integrity purposes. Requests should be submitted by email to editor@JSLA.com. Where a request requires publisher-level administrative handling, the journal will route the request appropriately while maintaining confidentiality and ensuring that the requester’s identity and authority are verified where necessary.

Data Breach Policy

If JSLA suspects a data security incident or breach that may affect personal information, the journal will take reasonable steps to investigate, secure systems, and limit further exposure. Where appropriate and proportionate to the risk, affected individuals may be notified, and corrective actions will be implemented to strengthen safeguards and prevent recurrence. The journal’s response approach is guided by the seriousness of the incident, the type of data involved, and the practical steps required to protect stakeholders.

Alignment with Data Protection Principles

JSLA manages personal information using widely recognized principles of privacy, confidentiality, and data protection appropriate to scholarly publishing workflows. The journal seeks to collect only what is necessary, protect data with reasonable safeguards, limit use to publication-related purposes, maintain transparency about processing, and balance privacy interests with the need to preserve a reliable, permanent scholarly record.