Terms and Conditions

1. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

In these Terms and Conditions (hereinafter referred to as "the Agreement"), the following definitions shall apply:

• "Publisher" – Rajvardhan Publications Journals, its affiliates, subsidiaries, editors, and authorised representatives.
• "Author(s)" – Any individual(s) or institution(s) submitting manuscripts, articles, research papers, or any written work to the Publisher.
• "Journal(s)" – Any academic, research, or professional journal owned, managed, or published under the Rajvardhan Publications Journals brand.
• "Manuscript" – Any article, research paper, review, case study, or other written content submitted to the Publisher for consideration of publication.
• "Peer Review" – The confidential, independent evaluation process conducted by subject‑matter experts appointed by the Publisher.
• "User" – Any person accessing the Publisher’s website, platforms, or published content, whether registered or unregistered.
• "Open Access" – A publishing model making content freely available online without subscription or access barriers, subject to applicable licensing terms.
• "APC" – Article Processing Charge — a fee levied upon acceptance of a manuscript under the Open Access model.

2. SCOPE AND ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

These Terms and Conditions constitute a legally binding agreement between the User/Author and Rajvardhan Publications Journals. By accessing the Publisher’s platform or submitting any manuscript, the User/Author expressly acknowledges having read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms.

These Terms apply to, but are not limited to, the following:

• Submission of manuscripts, abstracts, and supplementary materials;
• Registration and use of the online submission portal;
• Access to and downloading of published content;
• Participation in the peer review process;
• Payment of Article Processing Charges and other applicable fees;
• Use of journal branding, logos, or citation materials.

The Publisher reserves the right to amend, update, or revise these Terms at any time without prior notice. Continued use of the platform or submission of manuscripts following such amendments shall constitute acceptance of the revised Terms. It is the sole responsibility of the User/Author to review these Terms periodically.

3. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Eligibility and Requirements

1. The manuscript must be an original work not previously published, accepted for publication, or under simultaneous consideration by any other journal, conference, or publisher.
2. The manuscript must be submitted in the format prescribed by the relevant Journal’s Author Guidelines, as updated from time to time.
3. All authors must be disclosed at the time of submission. Changes to authorship after submission require written justification and approval from the Editor‑in‑Chief.
4. All research involving human subjects or animal experimentation must confirm compliance with applicable ethical standards and obtain necessary institutional approvals.
5. Non‑English submissions, where accepted, must include an accurate English abstract and conform to language standards as specified per Journal.

Declaration at Submission

• They are the sole and exclusive authors, or have obtained all necessary permissions from co‑authors and institutions;
• The work does not infringe upon any copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights of any third party;
• All data, facts, figures, and citations contained in the manuscript are accurate, verifiable, and properly attributed;
• Any financial support, sponsorship, or conflict of interest has been fully disclosed within the manuscript;
• All named authors have materially contributed to the work and have approved the final version for submission.

4. PEER REVIEW POLICY

• All manuscripts submitted to Rajvardhan Publications Journals are subject to a rigorous, double‑blind peer review process, unless otherwise specified for a particular journal. The identity of both reviewers and authors shall be kept confidential throughout the review process.
• The Publisher does not guarantee acceptance of any submitted manuscript. The editorial decision, based on reviewer recommendations, is final and binding. Authors shall not approach members of the editorial board informally regarding the status or outcome of their submission.
• Reviewer comments are provided in good faith for the purpose of academic improvement and quality assurance. The Publisher accepts no liability for inaccuracies in reviewer opinions. Authors may request a reconsideration of a rejection decision only if they can demonstrate a material procedural error in the review process.
• The Publisher reserves the right to reject any manuscript at any stage of the review process, including after initial acceptance, should evidence of ethical misconduct, plagiarism, data fabrication, or misrepresentation emerge.

5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication:

1. Subscription‑Based Publications: The Author(s) hereby assign and transfer to the Publisher the exclusive, worldwide, perpetual rights to publish, reproduce, distribute, sublicense, and create derivative works from the accepted manuscript in all formats and media, whether now known or hereafter developed.
2. Open Access Publications: The Author(s) retain copyright but grant the Publisher and readers a non‑exclusive, royalty‑free, irrevocable, worldwide licence under a Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC BY 4.0) or such other licence as specified by the relevant Journal, to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works.

Authors affirm that they possess the full legal authority to grant the rights specified herein and that no third‑party consent is required, or if required, has been obtained in writing prior to submission.

Rajvardhan Publications Journals and its journal titles, logos, trade names, and branding are the exclusive intellectual property of the Publisher. No User or Author may use, replicate, or adapt such marks without prior written consent from the Publisher.

The Publisher retains all rights to the typeset, layout, and formatted version of the published article. Authors may share their accepted manuscript (pre‑typeset) in institutional repositories subject to the Publisher’s embargo policy, as applicable.

6. PLAGIARISM, DATA INTEGRITY, AND RESEARCH ETHICS

• Rajvardhan Publications Journals adopts a zero‑tolerance policy towards plagiarism, self‑plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, and any form of academic misconduct. All submitted manuscripts are subject to plagiarism screening using industry‑standard detection tools.
• A similarity index exceeding acceptable thresholds (as determined by the Publisher from time to time) will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript. The Author(s) shall be notified and may be subject to reporting to their affiliated institution.
• Post‑publication discovery of ethical misconduct may result in:
  • Retraction of the published article with a published retraction notice;
  • Notification to the Author’s affiliated institution and funding agencies;
  • Prohibition of future submissions to any Rajvardhan Publications Journal;
  • Legal action where applicable under the laws of India.
• Authors are solely responsible for obtaining all required ethical clearances, informed consent, and institutional approvals for research involving human subjects, patient data, clinical trials, or animal studies. Proof of such approvals must be submitted alongside the manuscript upon request.

7. ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES AND PAYMENT TERMS

• Article Processing Charges (APCs), subscription fees, and any other applicable fees are set forth in the fee schedule published on the respective Journal’s website and are subject to revision without notice.
• Payment of the APC becomes due upon formal acceptance of a manuscript for publication. Acceptance is not conditional upon payment; however, the Publisher reserves the right to withhold publication pending receipt of cleared funds.
• All payments must be made in the currency specified by the Publisher. Applicable taxes, including Goods and Services Tax (GST) as per Indian law, shall be charged in addition to the stated fee and are the sole responsibility of the Author(s).
• APCs are strictly non‑refundable once the article has been typeset and prepared for publication. In cases of rejection, any pre‑payment made shall be refunded in full within thirty (30) working days.
• Fee waivers and discounts may be available on application for authors from low‑income countries or in cases of demonstrated financial hardship. Such applications shall be assessed at the Publisher’s sole discretion.

8. CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION

• The Publisher treats all submitted manuscripts as strictly confidential prior to publication. Manuscripts shall not be disclosed to third parties except for the purposes of peer review, editorial processing, plagiarism screening, and legal compliance.
• Personal data collected from Authors, Reviewers, and Users is processed in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (India), and the Publisher’s Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms by reference.
• By submitting a manuscript or registering on the platform, the Author/User consents to the collection, processing, and storage of personal data for the purposes of editorial management, communication, publication, and analytics. Data shall not be sold to third parties.

9. MANUSCRIPT WITHDRAWAL, CORRECTIONS, AND RETRACTIONS

• Authors may withdraw a submitted manuscript at no charge provided such withdrawal is requested before the manuscript enters the peer review process. Withdrawal after peer review has commenced may attract an administrative fee.
• Withdrawal of an accepted manuscript without valid cause, after peer review and editorial processing have been completed, may subject the Author(s) to a withdrawal penalty fee as specified in the fee schedule, to compensate the Publisher for costs incurred.
• Post‑publication corrections (erratum or corrigendum) may be submitted to the editorial office. The Publisher will assess the nature and materiality of the error and determine the appropriate corrective action, including whether a formal correction notice shall be published.
• The Publisher reserves the right to issue a retraction of any published article, independently of the Author(s)’ consent, where compelling evidence of ethical misconduct, unreliable data, or legal violation is established. A retraction notice shall be published and the article flagged accordingly.

10. DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

• The Publisher does not warrant or represent that the content published in its journals is accurate, complete, or error‑free. Published articles represent the views and findings of the Author(s) alone and do not constitute the opinion or endorsement of Rajvardhan Publications Journals, its editors, or its staff.
• To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Publisher shall not be liable for:
  • Any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from reliance on published content;
  • Errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in published articles;
  • Unauthorized access to or corruption of submitted manuscripts;
  • Technical failures, downtime, or interruptions to online services;
  • Acts of third parties, including peer reviewers, indexing bodies, or aggregators.
• The aggregate liability of the Publisher to any Author or User, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise, shall not exceed the total fees paid by that Author or User to the Publisher in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the claim.

11. INDEMNIFICATION

The Author(s) shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Rajvardhan Publications Journals, its directors, editors, employees, and agents from and against all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or relating to:

• Any breach by the Author(s) of representations, warranties, or obligations under these Terms;
• Any allegation that the manuscript infringes the intellectual property or other rights of any third party;
• Any claim arising from the content of the published article, including but not limited to defamation, privacy violation, or misrepresentation;
• Any breach of applicable law or ethical standards by the Author(s).

12. SUSPENSION, BLACKLISTING, AND TERMINATION

• The Publisher reserves the right to suspend or terminate a User’s or Author’s access to its platforms and submission systems, without notice, in the event of:
  • Material breach of these Terms and Conditions;
  • Submission of fraudulent, fabricated, or plagiarised content;
  • Abusive, threatening, or harassing conduct towards editorial staff, reviewers, or other users;
  • Non‑payment of outstanding fees after due notice;
  • Any conduct that, in the Publisher’s reasonable opinion, brings or is likely to bring the Publisher into disrepute.
• Authors found guilty of serious misconduct may be permanently blacklisted from submitting to any journal under the Rajvardhan Publications Journals umbrella. Such decisions shall be communicated in writing and may be disclosed to relevant academic bodies.

13. GOVERNING LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION

• These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without prejudice to conflict of law principles.
• All disputes, claims, or controversies arising out of or relating to these Terms, or the breach, termination, or validity thereof, shall first be referred to mediation under the auspices of a mutually agreed mediator. In the event mediation fails within sixty (60) days, the dispute shall be referred to binding arbitration.
• Arbitration shall be conducted by a sole arbitrator mutually appointed by the parties, in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (as amended). The seat and venue of arbitration shall be Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Proceedings shall be conducted in English.
• Subject to the above, the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of competent jurisdiction situated at Pune, Maharashtra, India.

14. GENERAL PROVISIONS

• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, such provision shall be deemed severable and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions.
• Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the relevant Journal’s Author Guidelines and the Publisher’s Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between the parties and supersede all prior representations, negotiations, or agreements relating to the subject matter hereof.
• Waiver: No failure or delay by the Publisher in exercising any right or remedy shall constitute a waiver of that right or remedy. A waiver in one instance shall not constitute a waiver on any subsequent occasion.
• Force Majeure: The Publisher shall not be liable for any delay or failure in performance caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, government action, cyber‑attacks, or pandemic.
• Notices: Any formal notice required under these Terms shall be delivered in writing by registered post or email with acknowledgment to the Publisher’s registered office address as published on its official website.
• Assignment: The Author(s) may not assign or transfer any rights or obligations under these Terms without the prior written consent of the Publisher. The Publisher may assign these Terms, or any part thereof, to any affiliate, successor, or acquirer without restriction.