19.1 Purpose
Rupkatha Books is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of the personal information entrusted to us by authors, editors, reviewers, translators, readers, institutional partners, and other participants in our publishing activities. We process personal information only for legitimate scholarly, editorial, administrative, legal, and operational purposes and seek to do so in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, internationally recognised privacy principles, and responsible digital publishing practices.
This policy should be read together with the Publication Ethics Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Accessibility Statement, and other relevant publisher policies.
19.2 Scope
The policy applies to all publishing and administrative activities undertaken by Rupkatha Books.
19.3 Information We Collect
Depending on the nature of the interaction, Rupkatha Books may collect the following categories of information.
Personal Information
This may include:
- name;
- institutional affiliation;
- professional position;
- email address;
- postal address where required;
- telephone number where required;
- ORCID iD and other researcher identifiers;
- professional biography; and
- academic qualifications.
Publication Information
This may include:
- book proposals;
- manuscripts;
- reviewer reports;
- editorial correspondence;
- publishing agreements;
- funding information;
- conflict of interest declarations;
- contributor metadata; and
- other information necessary for scholarly publishing.
Technical Information
When users visit our website, limited technical information may be collected, including:
- IP address;
- browser type;
- operating system;
- device information;
- referring pages;
- website usage statistics; and
- other information necessary for website administration, security, accessibility, and service improvement.
Only information reasonably necessary for legitimate publishing purposes is collected.
19.4 Purpose of Processing
Personal information is processed only for legitimate scholarly publishing purposes, including:
- evaluating proposals and manuscripts;
- administering editorial and peer review;
- communicating with authors, editors, reviewers, and contributors;
- preparing and publishing scholarly works;
- registering DOIs, ISBNs, and other scholarly metadata;
- maintaining publication records;
- supporting indexing and digital preservation;
- responding to enquiries;
- administering newsletters where consent has been provided;
- improving website functionality, accessibility, and security; and
- complying with legal and contractual obligations.
Personal information is not processed for purposes incompatible with these objectives.
19.5 Lawful Basis for Processing
Where applicable, personal information is processed on one or more of the following legal grounds:
- performance of publishing agreements;
- legitimate interests associated with scholarly publishing;
- compliance with legal obligations;
- consent, where required; and
- protection of the integrity of scholarly communication and the permanent scholarly record.
19.6 Confidentiality
Book proposals, manuscripts, reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, unpublished research, and other confidential publishing materials are treated as confidential.
Editors, reviewers, Editorial Board members, publishing staff, contractors, and authorised service providers are expected to use such information solely for legitimate publishing purposes and to maintain appropriate confidentiality throughout the editorial and publication process.
Confidential information will not be disclosed except where:
- authorised by the contributor;
- required by law;
- necessary for editorial administration; or
- required to investigate serious ethical or legal concerns.
19.7 Privacy in Editorial and Peer Review
Information generated during editorial assessment and peer review is handled confidentially in accordance with the applicable review model.
Where anonymous peer review is employed, reviewer identities shall remain confidential except where disclosure is required by law or expressly authorised by the reviewer.
19.8 Sharing of Information
Rupkatha Books does not sell, rent, or commercially exploit personal information.
Information may be shared only where reasonably necessary with trusted organisations supporting scholarly publishing, including providers responsible for:
- DOI and ISBN registration;
- metadata registration and dissemination;
- repository deposit;
- indexing and abstracting services;
- website hosting;
- digital preservation;
- scholarly infrastructure; and
- technical support.
Only the minimum information necessary for the relevant purpose shall be disclosed.
19.9 Publication Metadata
Certain information supplied by authors, editors, translators, and contributors forms part of the permanent scholarly record.
This may include:
- names;
- institutional affiliations;
- ORCID identifiers;
- contributor biographies;
- acknowledgements;
- funding information; and
- publication metadata.
Because these data support scholarly attribution, citation, discoverability, and long-term preservation, they may remain permanently accessible as part of the published record.
19.10 Information Security
Rupkatha Books implements appropriate administrative, organisational, and technical safeguards to protect personal information against:
- unauthorised access;
- accidental loss;
- misuse;
- unlawful disclosure;
- alteration;
- destruction; and
- cybersecurity threats.
Security measures are reviewed regularly to reflect evolving technologies and recognised information security practices.
19.11 Data Retention
Personal information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil legitimate publishing, contractual, legal, archival, and administrative purposes.
Publication metadata and bibliographic records forming part of the permanent scholarly record may be preserved indefinitely to support citation, discoverability, interoperability, and long-term digital preservation.
19.12 Cookies and Website Analytics
The Rupkatha Books website may use cookies and comparable technologies to:
- improve website functionality;
- remember user preferences;
- analyse website performance;
- enhance accessibility;
- strengthen website security; and
- improve user experience.
Where technically feasible, users may manage cookie preferences through their browser settings.
19.13 Individual Rights
Subject to applicable law, individuals may request:
- access to personal information held about them;
- correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
- updating of publication records where appropriate;
- withdrawal from mailing lists and promotional communications;
- deletion of personal information where legally permissible; and
- information concerning the processing of their personal data.
Requests relating to published metadata shall be considered in light of the publisher’s responsibility to preserve the integrity, authenticity, and permanence of the scholarly record.
19.14 Third-Party Services
The Rupkatha Books website may contain links to external websites, repositories, scholarly services, social media platforms, or other third-party resources.
Rupkatha Books is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, or content of external services. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of those services before providing personal information.
19.15 Privacy by Design
Rupkatha Books seeks to incorporate privacy considerations throughout the design, development, and operation of its publishing systems.
The publisher is guided by the principles of:
- data minimisation;
- transparency;
- confidentiality;
- accountability;
- secure digital publishing;
- responsible stewardship of information; and
- continuous improvement of privacy practices.
Privacy considerations are integrated into publishing workflows wherever reasonably practicable.
