Privacy Policy

The Journal of Exact Community Health & Rehabilitation Sciences (JECH), published by EXACT RESEARCH SOLUTIONS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED, is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. This policy outlines how personal information is collected, stored, processed, and protected within our Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, in full compliance with internationally recognized data protection principles and ethical standards governing physical therapy, rehabilitation, community health, and allied medical research publishing.

Information We Collect

JECH collects only the necessary personal and professional information required to execute scholarly publishing operations.

1.1 Author Information

  • Full name, academic title, and institutional affiliation.

  • Official email address and contact details.

  • ORCID iD (where provided by the author).

  • Country/region of research practice.

  • Submitted manuscript files, supplementary datasets, figures, and revision histories.

1.2 Reviewer Information

  • Full name, academic credentials, and institutional affiliation.

  • Verified contact email address.

  • Subject matter expertise, clinical focus areas, and peer-review history within the OJS platform.

1.3 Reader & Website User Data

  • Non-identifiable web traffic analytics and page-view statistics.

  • Article download metrics.

  • Session cookies necessary for core OJS website functionality and navigation.

How We Use Personal Data

Personal data is used strictly for legitimate academic publishing and editorial administration, including:

  • Managing manuscript submissions and editorial evaluation workflows.

  • Facilitating double-blind peer-review communications and reviewer assignments.

  • Formatting and embedding structured metadata (e.g., Dublin Core, OAI-PMH) into accepted articles.

  • Communicating journal updates, editorial decisions, and publication notifications.

  • Facilitating long-term digital preservation and indexing repository submissions.

  • Ensuring compliance with publication ethics, COPE flowcharts, and ICMJE Recommendations.

Personal data is never sold, leased, rented, or utilized for commercial marketing purposes.

Data Storage & Security

EXACT RESEARCH SOLUTIONS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED maintains rigorous technical and organizational measures to safeguard stored data:

  • Restricted Administrative Access: Access to OJS backend systems is restricted strictly to authorized editorial and publishing personnel.

  • Encrypted Data Transfer: All communications and file transfers across https://jech.exactresolution.com/ are secured via HTTPS/SSL encryption.

  • Password Protocols: Secure, password-protected administrative interfaces for authors, editors, and reviewers.

  • System Safeguards: Encrypted off-site backups, routine system updates, and secure cloud server architecture.

Use of Cookies

Cookies are utilized solely to enhance user experience on the journal website (https://jech.exactresolution.com/), including:

  • Maintaining active user login sessions.

  • Storing display preferences.

  • Aggregating basic, non-identifiable web usage metrics.

Users may adjust their web browser settings at any time to block or delete cookies; however, disabling cookies may impact certain interactive features of the OJS platform.

Data Sharing With Third Parties

Personal data is not shared with third parties except where essential for core publishing, indexing, and preservation operations, such as:

  • Digital Preservation Networks: Transferring publication metadata and full-text files to the PKP Preservation Network (PKP-PN) for permanent archiving.

  • Indexing & Discovery Databases: Disseminating bibliographic metadata to scholarly indexing and discovery systems.

  • Technical Infrastructure Partners: Trusted hosting and technical support providers operating under binding confidentiality agreements with EXACT RESEARCH SOLUTIONS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED.

Publicly Available Information

Upon publication of an article in JECH, the following information is made publicly accessible worldwide under the CC BY 4.0 license:

  • Author name(s), academic affiliations, and corresponding author contact email.

  • ORCID iDs (where provided).

  • Abstract, keywords, and structured bibliographic metadata.

  • Funding declarations and conflict-of-interest disclosures.

Reviewer identities and individual peer-review evaluations remain strictly confidential and are never made public.

Reviewer Confidentiality

JECH enforces strict reviewer privacy protocols:

  • Total anonymity of peer reviewers is guaranteed under our double-blind peer-review model.

  • Reviewer reports, comments, and personal details are stored securely within the OJS editorial system.

  • Reviewer information is protected against unauthorized third-party disclosure.

Data Retention

Personal data is retained for as long as necessary to maintain:

  • The permanent scientific record and scholarly archives.

  • Editorial accountability and publication integrity.

  • Legal, institutional, and compliance obligations.

Authors may request the removal of account profiles or personal data not associated with published scientific articles. Published articles and associated metadata form part of the permanent scholarly record and cannot be altered or removed.

Consent

By registering on the journal platform, submitting a manuscript, or accepting a peer-review invitation, individuals grant explicit consent for:

  • Secure storage and processing of their personal data within the journal’s OJS platform.

  • Receiving essential editorial and publication-related communications.

  • Public display of author names, affiliations, and ORCID identifiers upon article publication.

Right to Access, Correct, or Delete Personal Data

Individuals maintain the right to:

  • Access their stored personal information.

  • Correct or update inaccurate profile details.

  • Request the deletion of personal data not tied to published scientific records.

Contact for Data Requests:

  • Official Email: Admin@jech.exactresolution.com

  • Publisher: EXACT RESEARCH SOLUTIONS (SMC-PRIVATE) LIMITED, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

Data Breach Policy

In the event of a confirmed or suspected data security breach:

  • Affected users and relevant administrative authorities will be notified promptly.

  • Immediate technical containment, password resets, and system audits will be executed.

  • Hosting infrastructure will be re-secured and strengthened against future vulnerabilities.

Alignment with Data Protection Principles

JECH adheres strictly to internationally recognized data privacy, confidentiality, and open-access publishing guidelines to ensure fair, ethical, and secure data handling across all journal workflows.