Author Agreement & Privacy Policy

TheSustainImpact
Last Updated: 20/08/2025

1) Scope and who this covers

This Agreement governs how TheSustainImpact collects, uses, and protects personal data and submission materials from authors, contributors, reviewers, and conference presenters. It applies to all submissions made to TheSustainImpact for publications, proceedings, Books of Abstracts, and conference activities.

2) Legal basis and compliance

We comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Portuguese Law No. 58/2019, the EU Copyright Directive (Directive (EU) 2019/790), and other applicable EU regulations.
Our lawful bases for processing are:

  • Contract: to receive, review, and publish your submission or to register you for an event.
  • Consent: for optional updates and marketing communications.
  • Legitimate interests: quality control, analytics, security, and record keeping consistent with academic practice.

3) What we collect

Mandatory for submissions and event registration: full name, email address, institutional affiliation, country.
Optional: ORCID, professional website, phone, other metadata relevant to your submission or event participation.
Submission data: manuscripts, abstracts, supporting files, figures, tables, and metadata.
Technical data: IP address, device and browser information, basic usage logs for security and analytics.

4) How we use your data

We use your data to:

  • manage submissions, peer review, editorial decisions, and publication;
  • manage event registration, scheduling, certificates, and Book of Abstracts compilation;
  • communicate about your submission or registration, including required updates;
  • maintain academic records and produce aggregated, anonymized statistics about reach and impact;
  • where you explicitly opt in, send updates about future calls for papers, publications, conferences, and sponsorship opportunities.

Marketing emails are sent only if you have opted in. You may opt out at any time.

5) Roles and responsibilities

Author responsibilities

  • Submit original work that does not infringe third‑party rights.
  • List all co‑authors and acknowledge contributors.
  • Disclose conflicts of interest and comply with research ethics.
  • Obtain permissions for any copyrighted third‑party content.

TheSustainImpact responsibilities

  • Conduct editorial checks and peer review suited to each venue.
  • Process personal data only for the purposes described in this policy.
  • Maintain appropriate technical and organizational safeguards.
  • Retract or correct published materials if ethical violations are later identified.

6) Copyright and licensing

Authors retain copyright. By submitting and upon acceptance for publication, you grant TheSustainImpact first publishing rights and a non‑exclusive license to publish, archive, index, and disseminate the work in print or digital formats.
Unless otherwise stated at acceptance, published works are licensed under CC BY 4.0. Authors may share preprints and postprints in institutional or subject repositories with proper citation of the version of record.

7) Peer review integrity and misconduct

We apply editorial and peer review practices appropriate to the venue. We use plagiarism detection tools where applicable. Proven misconduct, fabrication, or unethical research may lead to rejection, retraction, and notification of relevant parties.

8) Submission changes, withdrawals, and decisions

Authors may request withdrawal prior to completion of peer review. Revision deadlines will be provided where applicable. Final editorial decisions rest with TheSustainImpact.

9) Publication fees and conference fees

No submission fees are charged.
For accepted publications, an Article Processing Charge (APC) may apply. APC waivers or discounts may be available based on country income level or hardship. Fees do not influence editorial decisions.
Conference registration and optional services may have separate fees. Current fees are listed on the respective event pages.

10) Data sharing, service providers, and international transfers

We may share limited personal data with trusted processors strictly for the purposes above, for example: web hosting, email delivery, form processing, analytics, payment processors, and indexing services.
If data are transferred outside the EEA, we rely on adequacy decisions or appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses.
For co‑organized events, basic presenter and scheduling details may be shared with named partners solely to operate the event.

11) Data retention

  • Submission and publication records: typically retained for up to 10 years after publication or decision to maintain academic record integrity.
  • Event registration records: typically retained for up to 3 years after the event.
  • Marketing contact data: retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
    We may retain minimal metadata where legally required or to protect our legitimate interests.

12) Your rights

You have the right to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, data portability, and to object to certain processing. Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
You may lodge a complaint with the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD) in Portugal.

13) Communications and consent

Operational communications related to your submission or registration are necessary and do not require consent.
Marketing communications are sent only if you explicitly opt in. You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe instructions in our emails or by contacting us at the address below.

14) Children

Our services are intended for adults in academic and professional contexts. If you believe a minor has submitted personal data, contact us to remove it.

15) Changes to this policy

We may update this policy to reflect legal, technical, or operational changes. The “Last updated” date will change accordingly. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.

16) Contact

Privacy and submissions: submissions@thesustainimpact.com
Editorial and publications: editorial@thesustainimpact.com
Website: https://thesustainimpact.com
Address: Lisbon, Portugal

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