P-ISSN: 2664-9659
E-ISSN: 2664-9667
At the International Journal of HIV and AIDS Sciences, we take privacy seriously. This isn't just about ticking regulatory boxes — it's about respecting the people who participate in research and those who contribute to our publication process. Given the sensitive nature of HIV/AIDS, protecting privacy is especially critical to prevent stigmatization and discrimination.
Clinical research depends on people willing to participate in studies. We owe them our best efforts to protect their privacy. When you submit a manuscript to us, you're responsible for ensuring that research participants cannot be identified from your published work — unless they've given explicit written consent.
This means stripping out names, hospital numbers, and similar identifiers. But it also means thinking carefully about less obvious details. A combination of age, specific condition, treatment dates, and institution can sometimes identify someone even without a name. In HIV/AIDS research, this concern is heightened due to potential stigma and discrimination patients may face.
Medical images often have significant educational value, but they can also reveal more than intended. A photograph showing a patient's face, distinctive tattoo, or other identifying feature requires that patient's explicit consent for publication.
When such images are necessary for the manuscript, we require that identifying features be masked before publication. Eye bars alone are generally not sufficient — they can still leave many people identifiable. We may ask for documentation confirming that the patient has seen and approved the image as it will appear.
Authors should also check image metadata. Digital photographs often contain embedded information about when and where they were taken. Strip this data before submission.
Sometimes complete anonymization simply isn't feasible — a case report about an extremely rare condition, for instance, might be identifiable no matter how carefully you write it. In these situations, the patient must consent to publication knowing they may be recognizable.
We don't ask authors to submit consent forms with their manuscripts, but they must confirm in writing that appropriate consent was obtained. We may request to see consent documentation if questions arise during review.
We collect certain information from authors during submission — names, affiliations, email addresses, and so on. This information is used to manage the publication process and is retained as part of the scholarly record. We won't share it with third parties for marketing purposes.
Peer review at our journal is confidential. We don't reveal reviewer identities to authors unless reviewers specifically agree to be identified. Reviewer information is stored securely and used only for managing the review process and maintaining quality control.
All personal data collected through our systems is stored on secure servers with appropriate access controls. We use encryption for data transmission and follow industry-standard security practices.
We retain submission records and related correspondence for as long as necessary to support the published literature and address any questions that might arise about published work. This may be indefinitely for published articles.
If you've submitted a manuscript or served as a reviewer, you can request access to the personal data we hold about you. You can also ask us to correct inaccurate information or, in some circumstances, to delete your data — though our ability to do the latter may be limited by our obligations to maintain the scholarly record.
Our practices align with major data protection frameworks and ethical guidelines for medical research. These include the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for European residents, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) where applicable to health information, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for California residents, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) for Canadian users, Brazil's Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD), India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), Australia's Privacy Act, and the Declaration of Helsinki principles governing ethical conduct in medical research involving human subjects.
We also follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and UNAIDS guidelines on ethical engagement in HIV research, which address the particular privacy concerns relevant to HIV/AIDS research populations.
We may update this policy from time to time as regulations evolve or our practices change. When we make significant revisions, we'll note the date of the most recent update. Continued use of our services after such changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
If you have questions about this policy or concerns about how your data is being handled, please get in touch with our editorial office at hiv.publish@gmail.com.
P-ISSN: 2664-9659
E-ISSN: 2664-9667
International Journal of HIV and AIDS Sciences
