Licensing Policy
Licensing Policy
Thoughts Review (TR) is committed to the clear, transparent, and consistent licensing of all scholarly content it publishes. This policy sets out the licensing terms that apply to published articles, the rights retained by authors, the permissions granted to readers and users, and the responsibilities of the journal and its contributors. It aligns with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME), the DOAJ Guide to Applying, and the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.
1. Purpose and Scope
This policy applies to all research articles, review articles, and other scholarly content published in Thoughts Review. It governs:
i. The licence under which content is published.
ii. The rights retained by authors.
iii. The rights granted to readers, users, and third parties.
iv. The responsibilities of the journal in displaying and communicating licensing information.
v. The handling of third-party material included in published works.
This policy should be read alongside the journal’s Open Access Policy, Copyright Policy, Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement, and Plagiarism and Similarity Policy.
2. Licence Applied to Published Content
All articles published in Thoughts Review are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) . This licence is applied to the Version of Record (the final published HTML and PDF versions) and is displayed on the full text of every published article, in accordance with the requirements of DOAJ and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice.
The CC BY 4.0 licence permits the widest possible reuse of scholarly content, including commercial use, provided that proper attribution is given. It allows users to:
§ Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
§ Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercially.
These freedoms cannot be revoked, provided the licence terms are complied with.
The full legal text of the CC BY 4.0 licence is available at:
> https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
The licence deed (human-readable summary) is available at:
> https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
3. Attribution Requirements (TASL)
Attribution is a legal requirement of the CC BY 4.0 licence. Any use, reuse, or adaptation of content published in Thoughts Review must include the four TASL components:
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| T — Title | The title of the article must be identified. |
| A — Author | The author(s) must be named. |
| S — Source | A link to the original work must be provided (e.g., the DOI or the article URL on the journal website). |
| L — Licence | A link to the CC BY 4.0 licence must be provided. |
An example of a compliant attribution statement is:
> “[Article Title]” by [Author Name(s)], published in Thoughts Review, [Year], [Volume/Issue], is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Original source: [DOI or URL]. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Users must also indicate if changes were made to the original work.
Attribution may be given in any reasonable manner, but it must not suggest that the author(s) or Thoughts Review endorse the user or the use of the work.
4. Rights Retained by Authors
Authors publishing in Thoughts Review retain copyright of their work. The journal does not require authors to transfer copyright ownership or assign exclusive rights to the publisher.
By publishing in the journal, authors grant Thoughts Review a non-exclusive licence to:
i. Publish the article in the journal.
ii. Identify itself as the original publisher.
iii. Archive, index, and distribute the article.
iv. Make the article available under the CC BY 4.0 licence.
Authors retain the right to:
i. Reuse their own published work in future publications, teaching, presentations, and other scholarly activities, provided the original publication is cited.
ii. Deposit the published version of their article in institutional or subject repositories immediately upon publication, without embargo.
iii. Share and distribute their published article freely, provided the original source is acknowledged.
iv. Be identified as the author(s) of the work in all published versions.
Authors are not required to sign any agreement that would restrict their scholarly or educational use of their own work.
5. Rights Granted to Readers and Users
Under the CC BY 4.0 licence, readers and users are free to:
Ø Read, download, copy, print, search, and link to the full text of articles.
Ø Distribute and redistribute the content in any medium or format.
Ø Adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the content for any purpose, including commercial purposes.
Ø Use the content for text and data mining, indexing, and other lawful purposes.
These rights are granted without prior permission from the journal or the author, provided the attribution requirements in Section 3 are met. No embargo periods apply to any published content.
6. Display of Licensing Information
Thoughts Review ensures that licensing information is clearly described on the journal website and indicated on the full text of all published articles (HTML and PDF), in line with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice.
6.1 On the Journal Website
The journal website displays:
i. A clear statement that articles are published under CC BY 4.0.
ii. A link to this Licensing Policy.
iii. A link to the CC BY 4.0 licence deed and legal code.
iv. Information about authors’ copyright retention.
6.2 On Published Articles
Every published article includes:
A. A copyright notice identifying the author(s) as the copyright holder.
B. A licence statement indicating publication under CC BY 4.0.
C. The CC BY 4.0 licence logo.
D. A link to the licence.
E. The recommended attribution statement for the article.
The standard 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.”
6.3 On the Article Landing Page
The article landing page displays the licence information prominently and links to the full licence text, enabling users to understand their rights and obligations before downloading or reusing the content.
7. Third-Party Material and Permissions
The CC BY 4.0 licence applies to the original content of the article 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.
8. Self-Archiving and Repository Deposit
The CC BY 4.0 licence supports and encourages the deposit of published articles in repositories.
8.1 Version of Record
Authors may deposit the final published version (Version of Record) of their article in:
a. Institutional repositories.
b.Subject-based repositories.
c. Personal or institutional websites.
d.Academic social networks.
No embargo period applies. Authors do not need to seek permission from the journal to deposit the published version.
8.2 Accepted Manuscript and Preprint
Authors may share the accepted manuscript and preprint versions at any time. Where a preprint has been posted, authors should disclose this at the time of submission.
8.3 Attribution in Repositories
When depositing the article in a repository, authors must ensure that the CC BY 4.0 licence and the attribution information are retained and displayed, so that users of the repository are aware of their rights and obligations.
9. Commercial Use and Derivative Works
The CC BY 4.0 licence permits commercial use of published content, provided attribution is given. It also permits the creation of derivative works, including translations, adaptations, and educational materials.
Users creating derivative works must:
i. Clearly indicate that changes were made.
ii. Retain the attribution to the original author(s) and source.
iii. Comply with the CC BY 4.0 licence terms.
The journal does not grant exclusive commercial rights to any party. Authors who wish to enter into separate commercial arrangements for their work should ensure that such arrangements are consistent with the non-exclusive nature of the CC BY 4.0 licence.
10. No Additional Restrictions
Users may not apply legal terms or technological measures (such as digital rights management or paywalls) that legally restrict others from doing anything the CC BY 4.0 licence permits. This includes restrictions that would prevent the lawful reuse, adaptation, or redistribution of the content.
11. Licensing of Website Content
The CC BY 4.0 licence applies to published articles and their associated metadata. It does not automatically apply to:
i. The design and layout of the journal website.
ii. Logos, branding, and non-article content.
iii. Editorial policies and other website text.
Such content is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without permission, except as permitted by applicable law. The copyright terms of the website are separate and distinct from the copyright terms of published articles.
12. Moral Rights and Author Attribution
Nothing in the CC BY 4.0 licence or this policy operates to waive or diminish the moral rights of authors, including the right to be identified as the author of the work and the right to object to derogatory treatment of the work, where such rights are recognised by law.
The journal is committed to ensuring that authors are correctly and consistently identified in all published versions and metadata.
13. Compliance with Funder and Institutional Requirements
The CC BY 4.0 licence is compliant with the open access requirements of major research funders and institutions, including those 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 licence or deposit arrangement that differs from this policy, authors should contact the editorial office before submission to discuss compliance.
14. 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) — licensing and copyright 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 licensing principles and best practices recommended by these organizations to ensure responsible publishing and the protection of the scholarly record.
15. Policy Review
Thoughts Review periodically reviews and updates this Licensing Policy to ensure continued alignment with evolving standards of open access, licensing, 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 Licensing 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/
