The Healthcare Quality Professionals Journal respects the privacy of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, contributors, healthcare professionals, institutional users, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how the journal may collect, use, protect, and manage information provided during manuscript submission, peer review, editorial communication, website access, and publication-related activities.
The journal is committed to handling personal, academic, professional, institutional, manuscript-related, and healthcare-related information responsibly and only for legitimate editorial, review, publication, communication, indexing, archiving, and journal management purposes.
Purpose of This Privacy Policy
This policy is intended to inform users about the type of information collected by the journal and how such information may be used during the publication process. The journal uses submitted information only for academic, editorial, review, publication, communication, and record management purposes.
- To protect author, reviewer, editor, and reader information.
- To maintain confidentiality during manuscript submission and peer review.
- To support responsible editorial communication and publication management.
- To manage article metadata, indexing, archiving, and journal records.
- To protect patient-related, institutional, and healthcare information where applicable.
Information We May Collect
| Author Information | Name, affiliation, designation, department, institution, email address, contact details, ORCID or researcher ID where provided, manuscript details, declarations, and publication records. |
| Reviewer Information | Name, email address, affiliation, area of expertise, review comments, review decisions, conflict of interest declaration, and editorial communication. |
| Editor Information | Name, affiliation, designation, email address, editorial role, manuscript handling records, and decision-related communication. |
| Manuscript Information | Submitted article files, title, abstract, keywords, references, author declarations, figures, tables, supplementary files, revision files, quality improvement data, and correspondence. |
| Healthcare Information | Clinical, institutional, patient safety, audit, survey, quality improvement, or healthcare service data where submitted by authors, subject to confidentiality and ethical requirements. |
| Website Usage Information | Basic technical information such as browser type, IP address, access time, page visits, device details, and cookies where applicable. |
How Information Is Used
Information collected by the Healthcare Quality Professionals Journal is used only for journal-related academic and administrative purposes. The journal does not use personal, professional, manuscript, or healthcare information for unrelated commercial activities.
Editorial Processing
To check submissions, communicate with authors, manage revisions, and complete editorial decisions.
Peer Review
To assign reviewers, collect review comments, maintain review records, and support fair manuscript evaluation.
Publication
To publish accepted articles with author names, affiliations, article metadata, references, and publication details.
Communication
To contact authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and institutions regarding journal activities and publication matters.
Indexing and Archiving
To use article metadata for indexing, library records, citation systems, archives, and academic discovery.
Policy Compliance
To handle ethical concerns, plagiarism checks, corrections, withdrawals, retractions, and publication disputes.
Author Privacy
- Author information is used for manuscript processing and publication.
- Author names and affiliations may appear with published articles.
- Email details may be used for editorial communication.
- Submitted files are handled as confidential before publication.
- Author declarations may be used for publication ethics compliance.
Reviewer Privacy
- Reviewer identity and review comments are treated confidentially.
- Reviewer information is used only for review and editorial purposes.
- Reviewers should not disclose manuscript content externally.
- Review communication is not shared with unauthorized persons.
- Reviewer details are protected according to journal policy.
Confidentiality of Manuscripts and Healthcare Data
Submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential documents until they are accepted and published. Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff should not share manuscript files, unpublished healthcare data, patient-related information, institutional information, review comments, revision files, or editorial decisions with unauthorized persons.
- Unpublished manuscripts must not be used for personal or professional benefit.
- Patient names, identifiers, clinical records, or sensitive healthcare details must be protected.
- Healthcare data should not be disclosed before publication or without proper permission.
- Review comments and editorial decisions should remain confidential.
- Manuscript information may be shared only with authorized editors, reviewers, and journal staff involved in processing.
Sharing of Information
The journal does not sell personal information of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, or users. Information may be shared only when necessary for journal publication, academic discovery, legal compliance, indexing, archiving, ethical investigation, or editorial processing.
- Author and article metadata may be shared for indexing, abstracting, citation, archiving, and library listing.
- Published articles may include author name, affiliation, article title, abstract, keywords, references, and publication details.
- Information may be used to investigate plagiarism, authorship disputes, ethical concerns, complaints, or publication malpractice.
- Information may be disclosed if required by law, legal process, institutional inquiry, or valid regulatory requirement.
Website Cookies and Technical Data
The journal website may collect basic technical information through cookies, server logs, or analytics tools where applicable. This information is generally used to improve website performance, understand visitor activity, maintain security, and support user experience.
- Cookies may help improve website navigation and user experience.
- Server logs may record basic technical details such as IP address, browser type, access time, and page visits.
- Technical information is not intended to personally identify users unless required for security or legal reasons.
- Users may manage cookie preferences through their browser settings.
Data Protection
- Journal records are handled with reasonable care.
- Access to manuscript information is limited to authorized persons.
- Healthcare and patient-related information is treated confidentially.
- Editorial communication is used only for journal purposes.
- Reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorized misuse.
User Responsibilities
- Provide accurate contact and affiliation details.
- Do not submit false or misleading information.
- Do not submit identifiable patient data without proper permission.
- Use the journal website and published content responsibly.
- Respect confidentiality during review and publication communication.
Data Retention
The journal may retain necessary records related to submissions, publications, reviews, editorial decisions, author communication, copyright or licensing information, ethical declarations, corrections, withdrawals, and publication history for academic, administrative, indexing, archiving, and legal purposes.
- Published article metadata may be retained permanently for academic record.
- Editorial and review records may be retained for journal management and policy compliance.
- Rejected or withdrawn manuscript records may be retained where needed for administrative or ethical reference.
- Users may contact the journal regarding correction of inaccurate personal information where appropriate.
Third-Party Links
The journal website may include links to indexing services, institutional websites, citation platforms, healthcare databases, publisher resources, or third-party websites. Healthcare Quality Professionals Journal is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, policies, or security of external websites.
Policy Updates
The journal may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in journal operations, editorial practices, website features, indexing requirements, legal obligations, privacy expectations, or publication standards. Users are encouraged to review this page periodically.
Important Note
By using the journal website, submitting a manuscript, participating in peer review, or communicating with the Healthcare Quality Professionals Journal, users acknowledge that their information may be used for legitimate editorial, review, publication, indexing, archiving, communication, and journal management purposes according to this Privacy Policy.