Privacy Statement

Voices of English Language Education Society (VELES) is committed to safeguarding the privacy of authors, reviewers, and readers. This statement explains what personal data we collect, how we use and protect it, and your rights. It is tailored to the operations of our OJS-based journal and our ELT/EFL community.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only what is necessary to manage submissions, peer review, and publication.

• Authors: name, affiliation, country, email, ORCID (if provided), biography, and submission metadata/files.
• Reviewers: name, affiliation, email, areas of expertise, review history, and availability.
• Readers/Registrants: name and email (e.g., for alerts/newsletters), and account preferences.
• System data: IP address, browser/OS, access timestamps, and usage logs generated by OJS to ensure secure operation.

2. How We Use Information

Personal data is used solely for journal operations and lawful interests related to scholarly communication.

• Editorial workflow: submission processing, peer-review coordination, decision letters, copyediting, production, publication, and indexing.
• Communications: status updates and journal notices; optional alerts (e.g., calls for papers) sent only with your opt-in and revocable at any time.
• Compliance: research integrity checks, COI management, and responding to legal/ethical obligations.

3. Data Protection & Security

We implement technical and organizational measures appropriate to the risks of editorial processing.

• Access control: role-based permissions in OJS; access restricted to authorized staff/editors.
• Security: secure hosting, routine updates/patching, encryption in transit (HTTPS), and protected backups.
• Confidentiality: editorial staff and board members are bound by confidentiality obligations.
• Incident response: if a data breach occurs, we will take prompt remedial action and notify affected users as required by law.

4. Data Sharing & Transfers

We do not sell personal data. Limited sharing occurs only as necessary for journal services.

• Processors: the OJS platform and related service providers (e.g., email delivery, DOI registration) act under confidentiality and process data only on our instructions.
• Legal requests: we may disclose data in response to valid legal or regulatory requests.
• Cross-border transfers: as an international journal, data may be processed on servers outside your country. We take reasonable steps to ensure an adequate level of protection.

5. Your Rights

You may exercise the following rights subject to applicable law and operational needs of the editorial record.

• Access & correction: view/update your profile data; request rectification of inaccuracies.
• Deletion: request deletion of your account data; certain records (e.g., published articles, peer-review decisions) may need to be retained as part of the scholarly record.
• Consent & preferences: withdraw newsletter/alert consent at any time (unsubscribe links or email us).
• Inquiries/complaints: contact us (see Section 9); we respond in a reasonable timeframe.

6. Cookies, Logs & Analytics

OJS uses cookies and server logs to maintain secure sessions and improve usability.

• Cookies: essential session cookies enable login and submission; disabling them may limit functionality.
• Logs: IP addresses and access timestamps help diagnose issues and protect against abuse.
• Analytics: if analytics are enabled, we use aggregated, non-identifying metrics to improve the site; no tracking for advertising.

7. Children & Classroom Data

VELES often handles manuscripts that include classroom research.

• Minors’ data: authors must obtain parental/guardian consent and age-appropriate assent before collecting any personal data from minors and must de-identify all shared materials.
• Confidential materials: recordings/student work shared with the journal for peer review are treated as confidential and must comply with our Publication Ethics.

8. Data Retention

We retain data only as long as necessary for editorial, legal, and archival purposes.

• Accounts: active user profiles are kept while you maintain an account; inactive accounts may be deactivated or deleted per internal schedules.
• Editorial record: submission metadata, decisions, and correspondence may be retained to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.
• Backups: stored for limited periods for disaster recovery, then securely rotated.

9. Contact Us

For inquiries or requests regarding this Privacy Statement or your personal data, contact: velesjournal@gmail.com.

10. Updates to This Statement

We may update this Privacy Statement to reflect legal requirements or operational changes. Any updates will appear on this page and apply from the date of posting. Effective date: .