Submission, Recognition, and Privacy Policy

TheSustainImpact
Last updated: 20/08/2025

This policy explains how TheSustainImpact collects, uses, stores, and protects personal data and submitted materials in connection with publications, conferences, recognition initiatives, reviewed visibility features, nominations, and related professional activities.

1. Scope and Who This Covers

This Policy governs how TheSustainImpact collects, uses, and protects personal data and submission materials from authors, contributors, reviewers, conference presenters, event participants, applicants, nominees, nominators, organizational representatives, contact persons, and other individuals who interact with TheSustainImpact activities.

It applies to submissions made to TheSustainImpact for publications, proceedings, Books of Abstracts, conference activities, recognition initiatives, reviewed visibility features, nominations, applications, and related professional or organizational activities, including TheSustainImpact Select.

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 and Portuguese regulations.

Our lawful bases for processing may include:

  • Contract: to receive, review, manage, and publish submissions, or to register and support participation in events or related activities.
  • Consent: for optional updates, marketing communications, and certain communications where explicit consent is required.
  • Legitimate interests: quality control, editorial and review processes, recognition review, security, analytics, record keeping, and maintaining professional and academic activity records.
  • Legal obligation: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, or lawful requests.

3. What We Collect

Depending on the activity, we may collect the following categories of information:

  • Mandatory information for submissions and event registration: full name, email address, institutional or organizational affiliation, country, and relevant submission or participation details.
  • Optional information: ORCID, professional website, phone number, WhatsApp number, job title, designation, biography, photograph, social media link, or other metadata relevant to the submission, recognition activity, or event participation.
  • Submission data: manuscripts, abstracts, supporting files, figures, tables, presentation materials, project descriptions, nomination details, recognition materials, and related metadata.
  • Recognition and review data: organization or initiative name, contact person name, position or designation, email address, phone or WhatsApp where provided, country, city, sector, submission category, recognition direction, description of the submitted work, supporting links, and related evidence voluntarily provided.
  • Technical data: IP address, device and browser information, form submission logs, website usage logs, and basic analytics data for security, functionality, and performance monitoring.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use personal data and submitted materials to:

  • manage submissions, peer review, editorial decisions, publication, indexing, and archiving;
  • manage event registration, scheduling, certificates, attendance records, communications, and Book of Abstracts compilation;
  • review nominations, applications, and submissions for recognition or visibility initiatives, including TheSustainImpact Select;
  • contact the submitted contact person for clarification, verification, follow-up, or confirmation before any public feature;
  • prepare reviewed listings, recognition text, profile features, interviews, case stories, or related visibility materials where selection is confirmed;
  • communicate about your submission, nomination, registration, review status, publication, recognition, or related participation;
  • maintain professional, academic, editorial, conference, and recognition records;
  • produce aggregated or anonymized statistics about reach, participation, publication activity, recognition activity, and impact;
  • protect the security and integrity of our website, forms, systems, publications, and activities;
  • send updates about future calls, publications, conferences, recognition initiatives, sponsorship opportunities, and related activities only where you have explicitly opted in.

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

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Author, contributor, applicant, nominee, nominator, or submitter responsibilities include:

  • submitting accurate information to the best of their knowledge;
  • submitting original work or information that does not infringe third-party rights;
  • listing all relevant authors, contributors, organizations, or partners where applicable;
  • disclosing conflicts of interest where relevant;
  • complying with research ethics and professional standards where applicable;
  • obtaining permission for any copyrighted third-party content, images, materials, or supporting documents submitted.

TheSustainImpact responsibilities include:

  • conducting editorial checks, peer review, nomination review, recognition review, or screening suited to each venue or activity;
  • processing personal data only for the purposes described in this policy;
  • maintaining appropriate technical and organizational safeguards;
  • not publishing personal data, recognition features, or submitted visibility materials without appropriate confirmation where applicable;
  • correcting, withdrawing, or removing published materials where ethical, legal, or accuracy issues require action.

6. Copyright and Licensing

Authors and contributors retain copyright in their original works unless otherwise agreed in writing. By submitting and upon acceptance for publication, authors 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 academic 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.

For recognition initiatives, interviews, case stories, visibility features, and related materials, any public-facing text, image use, or feature format will be confirmed before publication where applicable. Submitted supporting materials remain subject to the rights of their owners.

7. Review Integrity and Misconduct

We apply editorial, peer review, nomination review, recognition review, and screening practices appropriate to each venue or activity. We may use plagiarism detection tools, verification checks, public information checks, or supporting evidence review where applicable.

Proven misconduct, fabrication, misrepresentation, infringement, unethical research, or materially inaccurate claims may lead to rejection, withdrawal, correction, removal, retraction, or notification of relevant parties.

8. Submission Changes, Withdrawals, and Decisions

Authors may request withdrawal prior to completion of peer review where applicable. Applicants, nominees, nominators, and organizational representatives may request correction or withdrawal of submitted information before publication or public use, subject to operational, legal, editorial, or record-keeping requirements.

Revision deadlines, clarification requests, or confirmation steps will be provided where applicable. Final editorial, publication, selection, recognition, and visibility decisions rest with TheSustainImpact.

9. Publication Fees, Conference Fees, and Recognition Arrangements

No submission fees are charged for initial submission unless otherwise stated on a specific activity page.

For accepted publications, an Article Processing Charge (APC) may apply. APC waivers or discounts may be available based on country income level, hardship, or editorial arrangements. Fees do not influence editorial decisions.

Conference registration and optional services may have separate fees. Current fees are listed on the respective event pages.

For recognition or visibility initiatives, initial nomination or submission for review may be free unless otherwise stated. Enhanced visibility formats, partner features, interviews, case stories, or related visibility arrangements may involve additional arrangements, which will be discussed only after review or shortlisting. Payment does not replace review and does not guarantee selection, endorsement, or publication.

10. Data Sharing, Service Providers, and International Transfers

We may share limited personal data with trusted processors strictly for the purposes described in this policy. These may include web hosting providers, form processing tools, email delivery services, analytics providers, payment processors, indexing services, editorial systems, publication platforms, and event management tools.

If data are transferred outside the European Economic Area, we rely on adequacy decisions or appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses where required.

For co-organized events, publications, recognition activities, or partner-supported initiatives, basic presenter, author, nominee, applicant, scheduling, or contact details may be shared with named partners solely to operate the activity, review the submission, or coordinate agreed outputs.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal data and submission materials only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer period is required by law, legitimate interest, professional record keeping, or academic integrity.

  • 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.
  • Recognition and review submissions: typically retained for up to 3 years after submission, shortlisting, selection, or decision, unless a longer period is required for record keeping, legal protection, or ongoing collaboration.
  • Marketing contact data: retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
  • Security and technical logs: retained for a limited period appropriate to security, troubleshooting, analytics, and legal protection.

We may retain minimal metadata where legally required or where necessary 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 also request clarification about how your data are used in relation to a publication, conference, nomination, recognition review, or visibility feature.

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, nomination, recognition review, publication, registration, event participation, or related activity are necessary and do not require separate marketing 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.

14. Children

Our services are intended for adults in academic, professional, organizational, and business contexts. If you believe a minor has submitted personal data, contact us so that we can review and remove it where appropriate.

15. Changes to This Policy

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

16. Contact

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

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