Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Contents

Data Controller

The Data Controller responsible for the processing of personal data through the website and editorial platform of International Journal of Wound Research (IJWR) is:

iEditore
Via Baccio Bandinelli, 40
50142 Florence (FI), Italy
VAT number: 08552860721
Email: info@ieditore.com

Editorial enquiries concerning IJWR may also be addressed to ijwr@ieditore.com.

Scope of this Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data are processed when individuals visit the IJWR website, create an account, submit or review a manuscript, participate in editorial activities, contact the journal, or otherwise use services provided through the journal’s Open Journal Systems platform.

The policy applies to authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, Editorial Board members, readers, registered users, correspondents, website visitors, and other persons whose data are processed in connection with the journal’s editorial and publishing activities.

Categories of Personal Data

Depending on the individual’s relationship with the journal, IJWR may process:

  • name and surname;
  • username and account credentials;
  • email address and other contact details;
  • institutional affiliation, department, city, and country;
  • academic and professional qualifications;
  • ORCID iD and links to professional or institutional profiles;
  • research interests, subject expertise, and reviewer information;
  • author, reviewer, editor, and contributor roles;
  • correspondence with the Editorial Office;
  • technical and security data, including IP address, browser information, access logs, and session information;
  • other information voluntarily provided through registration, submission, review, contact, or editorial forms.

The journal does not intentionally request special categories of personal data unless they are necessary for a specific editorial, ethical, legal, accessibility, or publication-related purpose.

Editorial and Publishing Data

The editorial process may involve the processing of:

  • manuscripts and supplementary files;
  • article metadata;
  • author and contributor information;
  • cover letters and declarations;
  • reviewer invitations and reports;
  • editorial decisions and internal editorial notes;
  • author responses and revised manuscript versions;
  • funding and conflict-of-interest disclosures;
  • ethical approval and consent statements;
  • data-availability statements;
  • authorship and contributorship information;
  • research-integrity documentation;
  • correspondence relating to complaints, appeals, corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions.

Authors must not submit personal data concerning patients, research participants, colleagues, or other third parties unless they are legally and ethically entitled to do so.

Signed consent forms, identifiable patient records, confidential ethics documentation, and other sensitive materials should be provided only when specifically requested by the journal and through an appropriate secure method.

Personal data may be processed for the following purposes:

  • creating and managing user accounts;
  • receiving and evaluating manuscript submissions;
  • organizing editorial screening and peer review;
  • communicating with authors, reviewers, editors, and readers;
  • copyediting, typesetting, producing, publishing, indexing, and preserving articles;
  • registering and maintaining DOI and bibliographic metadata;
  • managing corrections, complaints, appeals, expressions of concern, retractions, and research-integrity investigations;
  • protecting the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the journal platform;
  • preventing fraud, spam, abuse, plagiarism, peer-review manipulation, and unauthorized access;
  • complying with legal, regulatory, contractual, and ethical obligations;
  • responding to enquiries and requests;
  • sending optional journal news or promotional communications where the recipient has consented or another valid legal basis applies.

Depending on the processing activity, the legal basis may include:

  • performance of a contract or steps taken at the request of the data subject before entering into a contract;
  • compliance with a legal obligation;
  • the legitimate interests of the Data Controller in operating a scholarly journal, protecting the editorial process, ensuring platform security, and preserving the scholarly record;
  • the data subject’s consent, particularly for optional communications and non-essential tracking technologies.

Where processing is based on consent, consent may be withdrawn at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Publicly Available Information

Where an article is published, certain information forms part of the permanent public scholarly record. This may include:

  • author names;
  • institutional affiliations;
  • ORCID iDs;
  • author contributions;
  • corresponding-author information;
  • funding and conflict-of-interest disclosures;
  • article metadata and bibliographic information;
  • corrections, retraction notices, expressions of concern, and other editorial notices.

Information forming part of the published scholarly record may continue to be processed and displayed even where an account is subsequently closed or other personal data are deleted.

Requests concerning inaccurate published personal information will be assessed in accordance with the journal’s editorial policies and the need to preserve an accurate and transparent scholarly record.

Cookies and Technical Data

The IJWR website uses technical cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the operation, security, authentication, session management, language preferences, and functionality of the Open Journal Systems platform.

Non-essential analytics, advertising, profiling, or third-party cookies are used only where they are actually implemented and in accordance with applicable consent requirements.

Users can find additional information about the cookies currently used, their purposes, duration, providers, and consent controls in the website’s Cookie Policy and cookie-management interface.

Third-Party Services

The journal may use external technical services for hosting, system administration, email delivery, spam protection, analytics, DOI registration, similarity screening, digital preservation, indexing, and other functions necessary for scholarly publishing.

Only services that are actually implemented on the journal website or used in the editorial workflow should be listed in this policy or in the associated Cookie Policy.

Where a third-party service processes personal data on behalf of the Data Controller, appropriate contractual, confidentiality, security, and data-protection arrangements are applied where required.

Recipients and Data Processors

Personal data may be accessed, to the extent necessary for their respective roles, by:

  • the Publisher and authorized editorial staff;
  • the Editor-in-Chief, handling editors, and authorized Editorial Board members;
  • reviewers appointed to evaluate manuscripts;
  • copyeditors, proofreaders, typesetters, and production personnel;
  • technical administrators and hosting providers;
  • service providers supporting email, security, DOI registration, similarity screening, preservation, and platform maintenance;
  • institutions, ethics committees, funders, legal advisers, or public authorities where disclosure is necessary to investigate misconduct or comply with a legal obligation.

In a double-anonymous peer-review process, reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors and author identities are not disclosed to reviewers through the ordinary review workflow.

Personal data are not sold to third parties.

International Data Transfers

Some service providers or recipients may process personal data outside Italy or the European Economic Area.

Where personal data are transferred internationally, the Data Controller applies an appropriate legal mechanism and safeguards as required by applicable data-protection law, which may include adequacy decisions, standard contractual clauses, or other recognized safeguards.

Further information concerning applicable transfer safeguards may be requested from the Data Controller.

Data Retention

Personal data are retained only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which they were collected, subject to legal, contractual, ethical, security, and scholarly-record requirements.

Retention periods may vary according to the type of information:

  • account information is retained while the account remains active and for an appropriate period thereafter;
  • submission, peer-review, editorial-decision, and publication records may be retained long term to document the integrity and history of the scholarly record;
  • published metadata and editorial notices may be preserved permanently;
  • technical and security logs are retained for a limited period appropriate to security and operational requirements;
  • optional marketing data are retained until consent is withdrawn or the communication purpose no longer applies;
  • documentation relating to complaints, disputes, misconduct, or legal obligations may be retained for the period necessary to resolve the matter and protect legal rights.

Data Security

The Data Controller applies appropriate technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal data against unauthorized access, accidental loss, unlawful disclosure, alteration, destruction, or misuse.

Access to editorial and personal data is restricted according to user roles and operational necessity.

No online system can guarantee absolute security. Users are responsible for protecting their login credentials and for promptly reporting suspected unauthorized access to their accounts.

Rights of Data Subjects

Subject to the conditions and limitations established by applicable law, data subjects may request:

  • access to their personal data;
  • rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
  • erasure of personal data;
  • restriction of processing;
  • data portability;
  • objection to processing based on legitimate interests;
  • withdrawal of consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

The exercise of these rights may be limited where continued processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations, establish or defend legal claims, protect research integrity, or preserve an accurate and transparent scholarly record.

Requests should be sent to info@ieditore.com. The Data Controller may request information necessary to verify the identity of the person making the request.

Complaints to the Supervisory Authority

Data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent data-protection supervisory authority.

In Italy, the competent authority is the Garante per la protezione dei dati personali.

Changes to this Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated to reflect changes in the journal’s services, editorial procedures, technology, service providers, or applicable legal requirements.

The current version and date of the latest update will be published on this page. Material changes may also be communicated through the journal website or directly to affected registered users where appropriate.

Contact

Questions or requests concerning this Privacy Policy or the processing of personal data may be addressed to:

Data Controller: iEditore
Registered office: Via Parenzo, 16, 76125 Trani (BT), Italy
Editorial and operational office: Via Baccio Bandinelli, 40, 50142 Florence (FI), Italy

 

Last updated: July 24, 2026