Scope of This Privacy Statement

Prismalia Journal is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, readers and other users of its website and editorial platform.

This statement explains how personal data are processed when users:

• Register an account.
• Submit or coauthor a manuscript.
• Participate in peer review or editorial work.
• Communicate with the journal.
• Access content or use journal services.
• Appear as authors or contributors in a published article.

This statement applies to personal data processed through the Prismalia Journal website, its Open Journal Systems platform and the editorial services directly associated with the journal.

Data Controller

The entity responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing personal data through Prismalia Journal is:

International Scope

Prismalia Journal receives registrations, submissions, reviews and communications from users located in different countries.

The principal legal framework governing the journal's processing activities is the data-protection legislation of Ecuador because the publishing entity and data controller are established in Ecuador.

Personal data are therefore processed primarily in accordance with Ecuador's Organic Law on Personal Data Protection, its General Regulations and other applicable Ecuadorian requirements.

Where another data-protection framework is legally applicable to a specific user or processing activity, the journal will take reasonable measures to respect the corresponding obligations and rights.

Personal Data Collected

Depending on the user's role and interaction with the journal, the following categories of information may be collected:

Account and identification data

• Full name.
• Username and account identifier.
• Email address.
• Password stored in protected form by the platform.
• Preferred language and communication preferences.
• User roles and journal permissions.

Academic and professional data

• Institutional affiliation.
• Department, city and country.
• ORCID iD and other scholarly identifiers.
• Professional biography.
• Areas of expertise and reviewing interests.
• Academic qualifications when voluntarily provided.

Editorial and publication data

• Manuscripts and revised versions.
• Cover letters and supplementary files.
• Author contribution statements.
• Funding and conflict-of-interest declarations.
• Ethics and informed-consent statements.
• Data availability and generative AI declarations.
• Review reports and editorial decisions.
• Copyediting, proofreading and production communications.
• Complaints, appeals and research-integrity documentation.

Technical data

• IP address.
• Browser and device information.
• Operating system.
• Date and time of access.
• Pages or resources requested.
• System errors and security logs.
• Session and authentication information.

Users should provide only information that is accurate, relevant and necessary for the editorial or publication process.

Purposes of Processing

Personal data may be processed to:

• Create, verify and manage user accounts.
• Receive and administer manuscript submissions.
• Identify authors and verify affiliations and ORCID iDs.
• Select, invite and communicate with reviewers.
• Conduct editorial screening and external peer review.
• Communicate decisions and revision requirements.
• Manage copyediting, layout, proofreading and publication.
• Publish article metadata and author information.
• Register and disseminate persistent identifiers and metadata.
• Support indexing, preservation and scholarly discovery.
• Maintain editorial history and publication records.
• Respond to inquiries, complaints and appeals.
• Investigate research-integrity or publication-ethics concerns.
• Protect the platform against misuse and unauthorized access.
• Diagnose technical errors and maintain platform operation.
• Produce aggregated or anonymized usage statistics.
• Comply with legal, contractual and ethical obligations.

Legal Basis for Processing

Depending on the activity involved, personal data may be processed on one or more of the following grounds:

• The user's consent.
• The processing necessary to provide editorial or publication services requested by the user.
• The journal's legitimate interest in operating its editorial platform and preserving the scholarly record.
• Compliance with legal, regulatory, ethical or contractual obligations.
• The protection of the journal, its users and its information systems against security threats or misuse.

Where processing is based on consent, users may withdraw that consent through the journal's official privacy contact.

Withdrawal does not affect processing already carried out lawfully and may not require the deletion of information that must be retained for legal, ethical, contractual or scholarly-record purposes.

Information Made Public

Certain information associated with accepted and published articles becomes part of the public scholarly record.

This may include:

• Names of authors.
• Institutional affiliations.
• Institutional city and country.
• ORCID iDs.
• Corresponding-author contact information when applicable.
• Author contribution statements.
• Funding declarations.
• Conflict-of-interest declarations.
• Data availability statements.
• Generative AI declarations.
• Article titles, abstracts, keywords and references.
• Dates of receipt, revision, acceptance and publication.

Public scholarly metadata may be distributed to indexing, discovery, DOI registration, preservation and bibliographic services.

Peer-Review Data and Confidentiality

Prismalia Journal uses a single-anonymized peer-review model. Reviewers may know the identities of authors, while reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors.

Reviewer identities, review reports, confidential editorial comments and internal decision records are accessible only to authorized participants in the editorial process.

The journal may retain reviewer and editorial records to maintain accountability, investigate concerns and document the history of a submission.

Reviewer information will not be made public unless the reviewer expressly authorizes disclosure or disclosure is required by law or a legitimate investigation.

Recipients and Authorized Access

Personal data may be accessed only when necessary for an authorized editorial, technical, administrative, legal or security purpose.

Recipients may include:

• Editors and authorized editorial personnel.
• Reviewers assigned to a manuscript.
• Copyeditors, proofreaders and production personnel.
• Authorized system administrators.
• Web-hosting and technical service providers.
• Persistent-identifier and metadata-registration services.
• Indexing, preservation and discovery services.
• Research institutions, ethics committees or competent authorities when necessary for a legitimate investigation.
• Public authorities when disclosure is required by applicable law or a valid legal order.

Service providers acting on behalf of the journal must process personal data only for authorized purposes and under appropriate confidentiality and security obligations.

International Data Transfers

Because Prismalia Journal operates internationally, personal data may be accessed or processed from countries other than the user's country of residence.

International processing may occur when:

• An editor or reviewer is located in another country.
• A technical or preservation service operates internationally.
• Metadata are supplied to global indexing services.
• A DOI or persistent identifier is registered.
• International research-integrity inquiries are conducted.

The journal will seek to limit international transfers to the data necessary for the relevant purpose and to apply reasonable contractual, organizational or technical safeguards when required.

Public article metadata may be accessed and reused internationally as part of scholarly communication and under the journal's applicable open-access license.

Data Retention

Personal data are retained for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this statement.

Retention periods may depend on:

• The existence of an active user account.
• The status of a submitted manuscript.
• The need to preserve editorial accountability.
• The maintenance of the published scholarly record.
• Legal, ethical, contractual or security obligations.
• The resolution of complaints, disputes or investigations.

Information associated with submissions, reviews, decisions and published articles may be retained for an extended period because it forms part of the journal's editorial and scholarly record.

Information that is no longer necessary may be deleted, blocked, restricted or anonymized where technically and legally appropriate.

Data Security

Prismalia Journal and Chaski Group apply reasonable technical, organizational and administrative measures intended to protect personal data against:

• Unauthorized access.
• Accidental loss or destruction.
• Improper alteration.
• Unauthorized disclosure.
• Misuse of accounts or credentials.
• Malware and other technical threats.

Measures may include:

• Encrypted web connections.
• Password and authentication controls.
• Role-based access permissions.
• Restricted access to editorial files.
• Software maintenance and security updates.
• System and security logs.
• Backups and recovery procedures.
• Confidentiality obligations for authorized personnel.

No online platform can guarantee absolute security. Users are responsible for protecting their login credentials and should notify the journal promptly if they suspect unauthorized access.

Rights of Users and Data Subjects

Subject to applicable legal requirements, limitations and exceptions, users may request:

• Information about the processing of their personal data.
• Access to their personal data.
• Correction or updating of inaccurate information.
• Deletion of data that are no longer lawfully required.
• Opposition to certain processing activities.
• Suspension or restriction of processing.
• Portability when legally and technically applicable.
• Withdrawal of consent when consent is the applicable basis.

Requests should identify the applicant and clearly describe the information or processing activity concerned.

The journal may request reasonable proof of identity before providing, modifying or deleting personal data.

A request may be limited or denied when retaining the data is necessary to:

• Comply with a legal obligation.
• Protect the rights of another person.
• Preserve the editorial or scholarly record.
• Investigate misconduct or security incidents.
• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Cookies, System Logs and Technical Information

The journal platform may use cookies and comparable technical mechanisms necessary for:

• User authentication.
• Session management.
• Language and interface preferences.
• Security and fraud prevention.
• Basic operation of the website.

Server and application logs may record IP addresses, access times, browser information, requested resources, errors and security events.

These records may be used for maintenance, troubleshooting, security, platform administration and aggregated usage analysis.

Users may configure their browsers to restrict cookies, but some functions may not operate correctly when essential cookies are disabled.

Editorial Communications

Names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used for the academic, editorial, administrative and publication purposes of Prismalia Journal.

Users may receive communications concerning:

• Registration and account verification.
• Submission status.
• Peer-review invitations and reminders.
• Editorial decisions and revision requests.
• Copyediting and production requirements.
• Corrections and publication-ethics matters.
• Security or administrative notifications.

Messages necessary to manage an active submission, review or editorial assignment are operational communications and may not be treated as optional promotional messages.

Personal contact information will not be sold or supplied to unrelated third parties for advertising purposes.

Personal Data Concerning Minors

The journal platform is intended primarily for adult authors, reviewers, editors and readers.

When research involves children or adolescents, authors must obtain the ethical approvals, parental or guardian authorization and participant assent required by the applicable standards and law.

Personally identifying information about minors must not be submitted or published unless:

• It is scientifically necessary.
• It is legally and ethically permitted.
• Valid authorization has been obtained.
• Appropriate safeguards have been implemented.

Changes to This Privacy Statement

This statement may be updated to reflect changes in law, technology, journal services, organizational practices or editorial procedures.

The current version and its latest update date will remain publicly accessible on the Prismalia Journal website.

Material changes may also be communicated through the platform or official journal channels when appropriate.

Privacy Requests and Contact

Questions, requests or complaints concerning privacy and personal data may be sent to:

Requests should include sufficient information to verify the applicant's identity and identify the relevant personal data or processing activity.

Users may also submit a complaint to the competent data-protection authority when they believe that their rights have not been adequately addressed.