Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing our website, creating an account, submitting a manuscript, serving as a reviewer, or otherwise using our services, you agree to these Terms of Service and to any policies referenced on this site, including our Privacy Policy, Author Guidelines, and Publication Ethics policy.

2. About Our Services

Pearl Academic Publishing operates an open-access academic publishing platform focused on applied computing, informatics, software engineering, human-computer interaction, and related fields. Through the site you may:

• Create and manage an account
• Submit manuscripts and supplementary files
• Participate in peer review, if invited or approved
• Track editorial decisions and publication status
• Access published articles and supporting content

3. Eligibility and Account Responsibility

You must provide accurate and complete information when registering or submitting content. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity performed through your account. You must notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access, credential compromise, or suspicious account activity.

• You may not create an account using false identity information.
• You may not impersonate another person or institution.
• You may not share your account with others unless expressly authorized by us.

4. Manuscript Submissions

When you submit a manuscript, you represent that, to the best of your knowledge:

• The submission is original and does not infringe third-party rights.
• All authors have approved the submission and its content.
• The work is not under consideration elsewhere, unless this has been disclosed to us in writing.
• Any required permissions, approvals, or consents have been obtained.

You are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of author details, affiliations, references, figures, and disclosures. We may request revisions, additional files, ethics confirmations, or other information needed to complete editorial assessment.

5. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

All submissions are subject to editorial screening and peer review. Review outcomes may include rejection, revision requests, acceptance, publication scheduling, or other editorial decisions. We do not guarantee acceptance, publication, or a specific timeline.

We may remove or reject content that does not meet editorial standards, ethical requirements, formatting requirements, or legal obligations.

6. Article Processing Charges

Accepted manuscripts may be subject to an Article Processing Charge (APC). The default APC amount is $600.00 USD, unless a different amount is specified in writing for a particular submission or journal.

• APCs are payable only after acceptance unless we state otherwise.
• Payment may be required before final publication or release of certain files.
• APCs support editorial management, peer review coordination, typesetting, hosting, archiving, and publication infrastructure.

Payment terms, discounts, vouchers, waivers, or refunds, if any, are governed by the specific instructions shown during the payment process or communicated by the editorial office.

7. Open Access and Licensing

Published articles are made available as open access under the license or publication terms stated on the article page and in the author instructions. Unless otherwise indicated, published content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under this license, readers may share and adapt the published work, provided proper attribution is given and any other license conditions are followed.

8. Intellectual Property

Authors retain the rights described in the applicable publishing license and agreement for their accepted work. Pearl Academic Publishing retains rights in its website design, branding, editorial workflow, code, and non-author content unless otherwise stated.

You may not copy, scrape, reproduce, modify, or redistribute website content or editorial materials except as allowed by law, by the applicable license, or by our written permission.

9. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to use our website or services to:

• Upload malicious code, spam, or harmful content
• Attempt unauthorized access to user accounts, servers, or data
• Interfere with submissions, reviews, or editorial decisions
• Use the platform to harass, defame, or impersonate others
• Submit plagiarized, fabricated, or manipulated material
• Use automated tools to scrape or harvest content without permission

10. Reviews and Reviewer Conduct

If you are invited or approved to review manuscripts, you must keep review materials confidential and use them only for the review process. You must disclose conflicts of interest, decline assignments when appropriate, and avoid sharing review content with unauthorized persons.

11. Communications

We may contact you by email or through the platform about submissions, editorial decisions, reviewer assignments, account notifications, fee notices, or policy updates. You are responsible for keeping your email address current and for checking spam or junk folders for important correspondence.

12. Third-Party Services

Our website may rely on third-party services for authentication, payments, email delivery, analytics, hosting, or other technical functions. Your use of those services may also be subject to the third party's terms and privacy practices.

13. Availability and Changes

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue parts of the website or services at any time, with or without notice. We may also update these Terms of Service from time to time. The most recent version posted on this page governs your use of the site.

14. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend or terminate accounts, submissions, or access to the website if we reasonably believe there has been a violation of these Terms, our editorial policies, applicable law, or any agreement between you and Pearl Academic Publishing.

15. Disclaimer of Warranties

The website, editorial tools, and published content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components. We make no guarantee that published content is accurate, complete, or suitable for any particular purpose.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Pearl Academic Publishing, its editors, staff, contractors, and affiliates will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of the website or services. Our total liability for any claim relating to the services will be limited to the amount you paid to us for the specific service giving rise to the claim, if any, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Pearl Academic Publishing from claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and expenses arising from your breach of these Terms, your submitted content, your misuse of the site, or your violation of law or third-party rights.

18. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable to the location from which Pearl Academic Publishing operates, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute relating to the website or services should first be raised with our editorial team so we can attempt to resolve the matter informally.

19. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us at legal@pearlacademicpublishing.com or use the contact details provided on our website.

Last updated: May 14, 2026