Privacy Statement

1. Introduction: The Pakistan Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Medical Research (PJAIMR) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all users of our website, authors, reviewers, and other stakeholders involved in the publication process. This Privacy Statement outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data, ensuring compliance with relevant data protection regulations and best practices in the field of academic publishing.

2. Information We Collect: PJAIMR collects personal data in the course of the manuscript submission, peer review, and publication processes. The types of information we may collect include:

  • Author Information: Names, affiliations, contact information (email addresses, phone numbers), ORCID IDs, biographical details, and manuscript submissions.

  • Reviewer Information: Names, affiliations, contact information, reviewer history, and comments made during the review process.

  • Editor Information: Names, affiliations, contact information, editorial duties, and involvement in the decision-making process.

  • User Information: For individuals accessing our website, we may collect basic usage data such as IP addresses, browser types, and pages visited for site functionality, security, and analytics purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information: We use the collected information for the following purposes:

  • Manuscript Submission and Publication: To manage the submission, peer review, and publication of manuscripts. This includes communicating with authors, reviewers, and editors, processing article submissions, and ensuring the accurate publication of accepted articles.

  • Peer Review Process: To assign appropriate reviewers, send manuscripts for review, collect and evaluate feedback, and make decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, revision, or rejection.

  • Communication: To communicate with authors, reviewers, and other users regarding submission status, publication updates, journal announcements, or changes to journal policies.

  • Website Functionality and Security: To ensure the website functions properly and securely, monitor user engagement, and improve the user experience.

  • Compliance and Legal Requirements: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and journal policies, such as preventing plagiarism or addressing misconduct.

4. Sharing and Disclosure of Information: PJAIMR takes appropriate measures to protect the privacy of the information it collects. We may share personal data with third parties under the following circumstances:

  • With Reviewers and Editors: In order to facilitate the peer review process, we share relevant author and manuscript details with invited reviewers and editorial team members.

  • With Service Providers: We may share personal data with trusted third-party service providers that help us manage the journal’s operations, including manuscript submission systems, plagiarism detection services, and payment processors. These providers are obligated to safeguard your information and use it only for the purposes of assisting with journal operations.

  • For Legal and Regulatory Purposes: We may disclose information if required by law or in response to a legal request or process (e.g., a subpoena, court order, or government investigation).

5. Data Retention: PJAIMR will retain personal data for as long as it is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected. This includes retaining data related to published articles, review history, and author information for archival and reference purposes. We will retain data in accordance with our record-keeping policies and any legal or regulatory requirements.

6. Data Security: PJAIMR employs industry-standard security measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction. These measures include encryption, secure servers, and access control policies. However, please be aware that no data transmission or storage method can guarantee absolute security, and users are advised to take precautions when submitting personal data online.

7. Your Rights: As a data subject, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access to Your Data: You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you, including information related to your manuscript submissions and reviews.

  • Correction of Data: You may request corrections or updates to any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.

  • Data Deletion: You may request the deletion of your personal data, subject to legal or contractual obligations to retain certain information (e.g., published articles).

  • Withdrawal of Consent: If you have provided consent for the processing of your personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Please note that withdrawal of consent may impact the publication process or your ability to access certain services.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact the editorial office using the appropriate communication channels.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies: PJAIMR’s website may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance the user experience and gather information about website usage. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that allow us to remember your preferences and improve site functionality. Users can choose to disable cookies through their browser settings; however, this may affect some features of the website.

9. Third-Party Websites: Our website may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Statement applies solely to the PJAIMR website and does not cover third-party sites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites they visit to understand how their personal data will be handled.