Privacy Statement

Opus Mundi Privacy Policy & Data Legal Framework

Last updated: July 2026

This Privacy Policy constitutes a legally binding agreement between you and Opus Mundi ("the Journal", "we", "our"). By registering, accessing, submitting to, or interacting with opusmundi.org, you explicitly consent to the collection, storage, retention, and dissemination of your personal and professional metadata in accordance with this agreement. If you do not agree, you must immediately cease all use of this platform.

1. Mandatory ORCID Registration & Authentication

To ensure academic integrity, protect the scholastic record, and prevent bots, spamming, and identity fraud, registration and login on this platform are gated exclusively through ORCID OAuth. We collect and permanently store your verified name, primary email address, institutional affiliation, country, and unique ORCID iD. This data is verified at the point of origin, and accounts without verified ORCID credentials cannot be created.

2. Absolute Scholarly Record Retention & Non-Erasure

Pursuant to Article 17(3)(d) of the GDPR, and comparable global data protection doctrines, the right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") does not apply to published academic articles, citations, or associated author and co-author metadata. Once a submission is accepted and published, it becomes part of the permanent scholarly record. Under no circumstances will published research, author names, or affiliations be modified or deleted from current issues, archives, or third-party indexers, except under formal editorial retraction rules dictated by COPE guidelines.

3. Data Processor and Security Disclaimers

The platform is operated on third-party cloud infrastructure (Hostinger). While we implement security patches, we make no warranties regarding absolute security. All submissions and registrations are done at the user's sole risk. Opus Mundi disclaims all liability, to the maximum extent permitted by law, for unauthorized access, data leaks, or service interruptions.

4. Third-Party Sharing and Dissemination

We do not license or sell your personal data. We disclose your data only to: a) Editorial board members and peer reviewers (under double-blind or peer-review protocols); b) The ORCID Registry (to push published works and credit to your ORCID profile); c) Scholarly indexes, DOIs, preservation archives (CLOCKSS/LOCKSS), and public search networks to maximize your research dissemination.

5. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

Any disputes related to this policy, data processing, or platform access shall be governed exclusively by the laws of the jurisdiction of the Journal's primary administration, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any legal proceedings must be initiated solely in the competent courts of the Journal's choice.