Privacy Policy

Journal of Engineering Research and Applied Sciences (JERAS) — College of Engineering Technology, Houn

Last Updated: July 2025

1. Introduction & Our Commitment to Privacy

The Journal of Engineering Research and Applied Sciences (JERAS), published by the College of Engineering Technology – Houn, is committed to protecting the privacy of all website users, including authors, reviewers, and readers. This policy transparently explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how it is used and protected, and what rights you have over your information.

By using this website and its services, you implicitly agree to the practices described in this document. We encourage you to read it carefully and contact us with any questions.

2. Data We Collect

a. Registration & Account Data

Full name, email address, and institutional affiliation
ORCID identifier
Academic specialisation and research interest areas
Encrypted password (never stored in readable form)

b. Submission & Review Data

Research paper files and accompanying documents uploaded by authors
Peer review reports and reviewer comments
Correspondence records related to the editorial workflow

c. Automatic Technical Data

IP address, browser type, and operating system
Pages visited and browsing statistics
Session cookies required for site operation

3. How We Use Your Data

Collected data is used exclusively for the following academic and operational purposes:

Managing research paper submissions and tracking editorial workflow stages
Communicating with authors and reviewers regarding the status of their submissions
Sending journal notifications and new issue announcements to opted-in subscribers
Improving platform performance and analysing anonymised, aggregate usage patterns
Complying with legal, academic, and institutional requirements

4. Confidentiality of Peer Review

The journal operates a rigorous Double-Blind Peer Review system, under which:

Author identities are not disclosed to reviewers at any stage of evaluation
Reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors unless the reviewer explicitly consents
Reviewers' comments and feedback (without disclosing their identities) are sent to authors to help improve their research paper. The review reports remain confidential and are used solely for editorial decision-making and research paper improvement.

5. Data Sharing with Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or trade your data to any third party under any circumstances. Limited data sharing occurs only in the following cases:

Academic Indexing Databases: Bibliographic metadata for published articles (name, affiliation, abstract) is shared with indexing engines such as Google Scholar to facilitate academic discoverability
OJS/PKP Infrastructure: The platform operates on the Open Journal Systems developed by Simon Fraser University, subject to strict privacy requirements
Legal Obligation: Only when legally required or compelled by a binding judicial order

6. Cookies

This website uses essential functional cookies only for the following purposes:

Maintaining login sessions and storing preferred language settings
Protecting forms against unauthorised automated submissions (CSRF protection)

No advertising cookies or cross-site tracking cookies are used on this website.

7. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including:

Password encryption using secure hashing algorithms
Access to user data restricted to authorised personnel only
Regular database backups and security audits

However, no method of Internet transmission is 100% secure, and we encourage users to take their own precautions when using the service.

8. Data Retention

Published articles and bibliographic data: Retained permanently to ensure archival continuity
User account data: Retained for the duration of account activity; deletion may be requested at any time

9. Personal Data Management

Registered users can access, update, and correct their personal data at any time by logging into their accounts and editing their profile. To request assistance with account management or inquire about data, please contact the journal administration via the official email.

10. External Links

This website may contain links to external sites such as Google Scholar, academic repositories, and others. JERAS accepts no responsibility for the privacy practices of those external websites and recommends that users review the privacy policy of each site they visit.

11. Changes to This Policy

The journal reserves the right to periodically review and update this policy to reflect technical and legal developments. Any material changes will be published on this page with the updated date indicated. Continued use of the website following the publication of changes constitutes implicit acceptance thereof.