Privacy Statement

The International Journal of Commerce and Economic Studies (IJCES) is firmly committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and personal information of all individuals who engage with the journal in any capacity, including authors, reviewers, editors, editorial board members, readers, subscribers, and website visitors. The journal recognizes the importance of maintaining trust within the academic community and places a high priority on safeguarding personal data in a responsible, transparent, and ethical manner.

This Privacy Statement explains how IJCES collects, processes, uses, stores, and protects personal information obtained through its journal operations, website interactions, manuscript submission systems, and editorial communications. All personal data is handled in accordance with accepted ethical publishing practices, applicable data protection principles, and international standards governing privacy and information security.

IJCES collects personal information only when it is voluntarily provided by individuals during legitimate academic and administrative activities. Such activities may include manuscript submission, peer review participation, editorial correspondence, registration on the journal website, or direct communication with the journal. The information collected may include names, institutional affiliations, academic qualifications, email addresses, contact details, areas of research interest, and other relevant professional information necessary for the effective management of journal processes.

The journal uses collected personal information solely for journal-related purposes, including managing manuscript submissions, administering the peer review and editorial decision-making process, communicating with authors and reviewers, maintaining accurate publication records, facilitating indexing and archiving of published articles, and responding to inquiries. Personal data is never used for unrelated purposes or commercial marketing activities.

IJCES takes appropriate technical, administrative, and organizational measures to ensure the security and confidentiality of personal information. Access to personal data is restricted to authorized editorial and administrative personnel who require such information to perform their responsibilities. The journal employs reasonable safeguards to protect data from unauthorized access, misuse, loss, alteration, or disclosure.

Confidentiality is a fundamental principle of the journal’s operations, particularly in relation to the peer review process. IJCES follows a double-blind peer review system in which the identities of authors and reviewers are kept strictly confidential. Reviewer reports, editorial assessments, and related communications are used exclusively for editorial evaluation and decision-making and are not disclosed beyond the editorial process.

IJCES does not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise disclose personal information to third parties for commercial purposes. Personal data may only be disclosed if required by law, legal proceedings, or regulatory authorities, or when necessary to investigate and address ethical misconduct, plagiarism, or violations of journal policies.

Personal data is retained by IJCES only for as long as it is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including publication, record-keeping, and compliance with academic and ethical obligations. Once data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymized to prevent unauthorized use.

Individuals who interact with the journal have the right to request access to their personal data, request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information, and, where appropriate and legally permissible, request the removal of their personal data from journal records. Such requests should be made through the official communication channels provided on the IJCES website.

The International Journal of Commerce and Economic Studies reserves the right to revise or update this Privacy Statement as necessary to reflect changes in journal practices, legal requirements, or technological developments. Any modifications to this statement will be published on the journal website and will take effect immediately upon publication.

By submitting manuscripts, participating in peer review, accessing the journal website, or otherwise engaging with IJCES, individuals acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to the terms outlined in this Privacy Statement.