Copyright & Licensing Policy

Copyright & Licensing Policy

The Journal Draft is committed to promoting open scientific communication, transparency, and the global dissemination of knowledge. To support these goals, the journal follows a clear and standardized copyright and licensing framework that protects authors’ rights while ensuring broad access to published research.

1. Copyright Ownership

Beginning from the 2025 launch issue, authors retain full copyright to their articles published in The Journal Draft.

By submitting a manuscript, authors agree that:

  • They own the copyright to their original work.

  • They hold the rights to grant the journal permission to publish and distribute the article.

  • All co-authors approve the submission and publication.

  • The work does not infringe upon the rights of any third party.

Upon acceptance, authors grant The Journal Draft a non-exclusive license to:

  • Publish the article online

  • Distribute and archive the work

  • Index and share the article with databases and repositories

  • Use the content in promotional or educational materials (with proper attribution)

Since the license is non-exclusive, authors remain free to reuse their work in books, teaching material, institutional repositories, or future projects, provided that the original publication in The Journal Draft is cited.

2. Licensing Terms (Creative Commons)

All articles in The Journal Draft are published under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) unless authors request otherwise.

CC BY 4.0 Allows:

  • Free access, sharing, and redistribution

  • Adaptation, remixing, and building upon the work

  • Commercial and non-commercial use

As long as proper attribution to the original authors and the journal is provided.

Why CC BY 4.0?

  • Encourages wide readership and global visibility

  • Complies with major open access mandates

  • Supports academic reuse and innovation

  • Enables maximum dissemination of AI and medical research

If authors prefer a different Creative Commons license (e.g., CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND), they may request it during submission.

3. Rights Granted to The Journal

To publish and distribute the content, authors grant The Journal Draft permission to:

  • Display the article on the journal website

  • Submit the article to indexing services, repositories, and digital archives

  • Use abstracts, figures, or excerpts for journal promotion

  • Preserve the article in long-term digital archives

These rights are non-exclusive and do not affect the authors’ ownership.

4. Third-Party Content

If the manuscript contains:

  • Images

  • Figures

  • Tables

  • Graphs

  • Clinical photographs

  • Data owned by another source

the authors must:

  • Obtain prior written permission

  • Acknowledge and cite the original source

  • Ensure compliance with copyright laws and patient privacy regulations

The Journal may request proof of permission before publication.

5. Post-Publication Sharing

Authors may freely:

  • Deposit the published version (PDF) in institutional or subject repositories

  • Share the article on academic networks (e.g., ResearchGate, Academia.edu)

  • Upload the article to personal websites

  • Use the content in future books or lectures

No embargo period applies.

The only requirement is to cite The Journal Draft as the source of original publication.

6. Use of AI-Generated Content (AI in Medicine Journal)

Authors must ensure that:

  • AI-generated text, images, or code do not infringe copyrights

  • AI tools do not create fabricated clinical data

  • All AI tools used in writing or analysis are transparently disclosed

  • Final responsibility lies with the human authors

7. Copyright Infringement and Violations

If any copyright infringement, unauthorized reuse, or licensing violation is detected:

  • The journal will investigate based on COPE guidelines

  • Authors may be asked to revise or correct the material

  • Severe cases may lead to:

    • Retraction

    • Removal of infringing content

    • Notification of the author's institution or funding body

8. Commitment to Ethical Open Access Publishing

The Journal Draft ensures:

  • Academic integrity

  • Respect for authors’ ownership rights

  • Compliance with international copyright standards

  • Maximum accessibility of scientific knowledge in AI in medicine