Copyright Policy

Copyright Policy

Thoughts Review (TR) is committed to protecting the rights of authors while ensuring the widest possible dissemination and reuse of scholarly content. This policy explains copyright ownership, the rights retained by authors, the permissions granted to users, and the responsibilities of the journal and its contributors. It aligns with the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence, the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME), and the expectations of major indexing databases, including DOAJ, Scopus, and the Web of Science.

This policy should be read alongside the journal’s Open Access Policy, Licensing Policy, Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, and Plagiarism and Similarity Policy.

1. Purpose and Scope

This policy applies to all scholarly content published in Thoughts Review, including research articles, review articles, and other contributions. It sets out:

1.Who owns the copyright in published articles?

2.The rights retained by authors.

3.The rights granted to readers and users.

4.How copyright and licence information is displayed.

5.How third-party material is handled.

6.How copyright complaints and disputes are addressed.

2. Copyright Ownership

Authors retain copyright in their published articles. Thoughts Review does not require authors to transfer or assign copyright ownership to the journal or publisher.

By publishing in the journal, authors grant Thoughts Review a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to:

§  Publish the article in the journal (online and in any other formats the journal may use).

§  Identify itself as the original publisher.

§  Archive, index, and distribute the article.

§  Make the article available under the CC BY 4.0 licence.

§  Promote and disseminate the article.

 

This non-exclusive licence does not prevent authors from reusing their own work or granting similar non-exclusive rights to others, provided the original publication in Thoughts Review is acknowledged.

The copyright notice displayed on each published article identifies the author(s) as the copyright holder, in accordance with the journal’s Licensing Policy.

3. Rights Retained by Authors

Authors publishing in Thoughts Review retain the following rights:

§  Copyright ownership: Authors remain the copyright holders of their work.

§  Reuse: Authors may reuse their published work, in whole or in part, in future publications, teaching materials, presentations, and other scholarly activities, provided the original publication in Thoughts Review is properly cited.

§  Self-archiving: Authors may deposit the published version of their article in institutional repositories, subject-based repositories, personal websites, or academic networks immediately upon publication, without embargo.

§  Distribution: Authors may share and distribute their published article freely, including on social media, provided the original source is acknowledged.

§  Attribution: Authors will always be identified as the author(s) of the work in all published versions and metadata.

§  Moral rights: Authors’ moral rights are respected and are not waived by publication in the journal, where such rights are recognised by law.

Authors are not required to sign any agreement that would restrict their scholarly or educational use of their own work.

4. Rights Granted to Users

Under the CC BY 4.0 licence, users are free to:

                                                              i.      Share: Copy and redistribute the article in any medium or format.

                                                            ii.      Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the article for any purpose, including commercial purposes.

These rights are granted provided that users comply with the attribution requirements set out in the journal’s Licensing Policy (the TASL components: Title, Author, Source, Licence), and indicate if changes were made.

Users may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the licence permits.

No permission is required from the journal or the author for uses that comply with the CC BY 4.0 licence.

5. Display of Copyright Information

Thoughts Review ensures that copyright information is clearly displayed:

                                                              i.      On the journal website: A clear statement that authors retain copyright and that articles are published under CC BY 4.0, with a link to this Copyright Policy and the Licensing Policy.

                                                            ii.      On the full text of every published article (HTML and PDF): A copyright notice identifying the author(s) as the copyright holder, the year of publication, and a statement that the article is published under CC BY 4.0, with a link to the licence.

                                                          iii.      In article metadata: Copyright and licence information is included in the article’s metadata to ensure consistency across indexing databases and repositories.

The standard copyright and licence statement displayed on articles is:

> “© [Year] [Author Name(s)]. This article is published in Thoughts Review under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.”

6. Third-Party Material and Permissions

The CC BY 4.0 licence applies to the original content authored by the submitting author(s). It does not automatically apply to third-party material included in the article, such as figures, tables, photographs, or extended quotations from other sources.

Authors are responsible for:

                                                              i.      Obtaining written permission from the copyright holder for any third-party material included in their article, where required.

                                                            ii.      Ensuring that the permission permits publication under the CC BY 4.0 licence.

                                                          iii.      Clearly identifying third-party material and its source in the manuscript.

                                                          iv.      Providing evidence of permission to the editorial office upon request.

Where permission cannot be obtained for CC BY 4.0 publication, the author must remove or replace the material, or the journal may exclude it from the CC BY 4.0 licence with a clear note in the article.

The journal will not publish third-party material that cannot be lawfully included under the CC BY 4.0 licence without appropriate permission.

7. Moral Rights

Nothing in this Copyright Policy or the CC BY 4.0 licence operates to waive or diminish the moral rights of authors, including:

                                                              i.      The right to be identified as the author of the work.

                                                            ii.      The right to object to derogatory treatment of the work.

These rights are respected by the journal and are recognised where provided by applicable law.

8. Copyright Complaints and Disputes

Thoughts Review takes copyright infringement seriously. If a copyright holder believes that their work has been used in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, they should contact the editorial office with:

                                                              i.      A description of the copyrighted work.

                                                            ii.      The location of the allegedly infringing material (e.g., article URL or DOI).

                                                          iii.      A statement of the complainant’s good faith belief that the use is not authorised.

                                                          iv.      Contact information for the complainant.

The journal will:

a.       Acknowledge receipt of the complaint in a timely manner.

b.      Assess the complaint and, where appropriate, seek a response from the author(s).

c.       Take appropriate action, which may include removing or amending the material, publishing a correction, or retracting the article in accordance with the journal’s Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern Policy.

d.      Notify relevant indexing databases and repositories where necessary.

All complaints will be handled fairly, confidentially, and in accordance with applicable law and the journal’s policies.

9. Copyright of Website Content

The copyright of the Thoughts Review website (including its design, layout, logos, and non-article content) is separate and distinct from the copyright of published articles. Website content is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without permission, except as permitted by applicable law.

The CC BY 4.0 licence applies specifically to published articles and their associated metadata, not to the website’s design, branding, or editorial content.

10. Compliance with Funder and Institutional Requirements

The journal’s copyright arrangements are compatible with the open access requirements of major research funders and institutions that require CC BY licensing for funded research. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their funder’s or institution’s requirements are met and should disclose relevant funding information at submission.

Where a funder or institution requires a specific copyright or licensing arrangement that differs from this policy, authors should contact the editorial office before submission to discuss compliance.

11. International Standards and Best Practices

This policy is developed in accordance with internationally recognised standards and informed by the recommendations of:

                                                              i.      Creative Commons — CC BY 4.0 licence terms and attribution requirements.

                                                            ii.      Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) — copyright and licensing requirements for open access journals.

                                                          iii.      Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) — Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.

                                                          iv.      Major indexing databases, including Scopus and Web of Science.

Thoughts Review follows the copyright principles and best practices recommended by these organisations to ensure responsible publishing and the protection of the scholarly record.

12. Policy Review

Thoughts Review periodically reviews and updates this Copyright Policy to ensure continued alignment with evolving standards of copyright, open access, and ethical publishing. The editorial team is responsible for implementing this policy consistently and for reviewing it when significant developments arise.

Any revisions to this policy will be published on the journal website.

Contact

Questions or concerns regarding this Copyright Policy should be directed to the Thoughts Review editorial office using the official contact details published on the journal website.

Website: https://www.thoughtsreview.com/index.php/TR

ISSN (Print): 3106-9509

ISSN (Electronic): 3106-9517

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Licence URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/