Copyright and Open Access Policy

Journal: African Quarterly Social Science Review (AQSSR)
Publisher: AJER Publishing
Publishing Model: Open Access
Copyright Ownership: Retained by the Author(s)
Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

1. Copyright Ownership

The African Quarterly Social Science Review (AQSSR), published by AJER Publishing, is an open-access, peer-reviewed scholarly journal committed to the dissemination of social science research, the protection of intellectual property rights, and the advancement of responsible scholarly communication.

AQSSR recognises that authors are the original creators and copyright holders of their scholarly contributions. Accordingly, authors retain copyright ownership of their original works published in the journal. Publication in AQSSR does not constitute a transfer of copyright ownership to the journal or AJER Publishing.

By agreeing to publication, authors grant AQSSR and AJER Publishing a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, preserve, archive, and disseminate their articles in print and electronic formats, consistent with the journal's publication agreement and applicable Creative Commons licence.

Authors retain the right to reuse, share, distribute, and incorporate their published articles into subsequent academic works, books, theses, dissertations, teaching materials, policy reports, and other scholarly publications, provided that the original publication in AQSSR is appropriately acknowledged.

The journal does not require authors to surrender their intellectual property rights as a condition of publication.

2. Open Access Policy

AQSSR operates under a fully open-access publishing model, ensuring that published articles are freely and immediately accessible to readers worldwide without subscription fees, paywalls, or mandatory registration.

Under this policy:

All published articles are freely accessible through the journal's official website immediately upon publication.
Readers may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, and link to published articles, subject to the applicable licensing conditions.
Published research may be used for scholarly investigation, teaching, education, policy development, and other lawful purposes consistent with the licence.
Authors and readers are encouraged to disseminate published research through institutional repositories, academic networks, and other scholarly platforms.
Published articles are made available without an access embargo.
Appropriate acknowledgement of the original authors, journal, article title, publication details, and DOI, where available, is required when reusing published materials.

AQSSR recognises that open access promotes equitable access to social science knowledge, academic collaboration, research visibility, and evidence-based policymaking.

Open access does not remove copyright protection or eliminate the obligation to comply with applicable licensing conditions.

3. Creative Commons Licensing (CC BY-NC 4.0)

AQSSR publishes scholarly articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-NC 4.0).

This licence permits readers, researchers, educators, policymakers, institutions, and other users to share and adapt published works for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate attribution is given.

The licence applies to the original scholarly content covered by the article's copyright and licensing notice. Materials owned by third parties and expressly excluded from the licence remain subject to their respective copyright conditions.

Authors retain copyright ownership while allowing lawful public reuse under the specified licence.

Official licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

4. Permissions and Conditions of Reuse

Under CC BY-NC 4.0, users may:

Copy and reproduce: Download, copy, and reproduce published articles in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes.
Share and distribute: Redistribute articles through academic repositories, research networks, educational platforms, and other non-commercial channels.
Display and communicate: Display, present, and communicate published materials publicly for lawful non-commercial purposes.
Adapt and translate: Remix, transform, translate, summarise, and build upon published materials for non-commercial purposes.
Use for research and education: Incorporate published materials into academic research, teaching resources, scholarly presentations, and other non-commercial activities.

These permissions are subject to the following conditions:

a) Attribution: Users must give appropriate credit to the original authors, identify AQSSR as the original publication source, provide a link to the licence where reasonably practicable, and indicate whether changes have been made.

b) Non-Commercial Use: The licence does not authorise uses primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation. Commercial reuse requires separate permission from the relevant copyright holder unless otherwise permitted by law.

c) No Additional Restrictions: Users may not impose legal terms or technological measures that restrict others from exercising the permissions granted under the licence.

d) Third-Party Materials: Materials expressly excluded from the Creative Commons licence remain subject to their respective copyright conditions.

e) Adaptations: Users who modify or translate published materials must identify the changes made and must not imply endorsement by the original authors, AQSSR, or AJER Publishing.

No additional permission is required for activities that comply with the licence.

5. Authors' Rights and Responsibilities

Authors publishing in AQSSR retain the intellectual property rights associated with their original scholarly contributions.

Authors are entitled to reuse their published articles in subsequent academic publications, books, theses, dissertations, teaching materials, policy reports, institutional repositories, and other scholarly activities, subject to appropriate acknowledgement and applicable third-party rights.

Authors are responsible for:

Submitting original scholarly work that does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others.
Obtaining appropriate permissions for copyrighted materials reproduced or adapted from other sources where legally required.
Accurately acknowledging all sources of information, data, tables, figures, illustrations, and other materials.
Ensuring that all listed authors have approved the submitted manuscript and its publication.
Disclosing relevant copyright restrictions or third-party ownership claims before publication.
Ensuring that materials included in their articles comply with applicable copyright laws and ethical publishing standards.
Protecting research participants' privacy and confidentiality and respecting applicable consent requirements.
Cooperating with the journal in resolving copyright-related concerns arising before or after publication.

Authors remain responsible for the originality, accuracy, and lawful use of materials included in their published articles.

6. Self-Archiving and Repository Deposits

AQSSR supports authors' rights to preserve and disseminate their published research through appropriate scholarly repositories and academic platforms.

Authors may deposit the final published version of their articles in institutional repositories, university archives, personal academic websites, and other appropriate non-commercial scholarly platforms without an embargo.

Such deposits must:

Acknowledge AQSSR as the original publication source.
Include the article's complete bibliographic details and DOI, where available.
Preserve the applicable copyright and Creative Commons licence information.
Respect third-party copyright restrictions.
Avoid presenting modified versions as the journal's official version of record.

The journal encourages responsible self-archiving to improve the visibility, accessibility, and long-term availability of social science research.

7. Third-Party Copyrighted Materials

Articles published in AQSSR may contain photographs, maps, tables, figures, illustrations, survey instruments, questionnaires, archival documents, interview excerpts, or other materials owned by third parties.

The inclusion of such materials does not automatically transfer copyright ownership or establish unrestricted reuse rights.

Authors must obtain appropriate permissions where legally required, acknowledge the original copyright holders, and disclose any restrictions governing the use or distribution of such materials.

Authors must also ensure that publication of research materials does not improperly disclose confidential or personally identifiable information.

Where third-party materials are excluded from an article's Creative Commons licence, this exclusion should be clearly identified.

Readers wishing to reproduce excluded materials must comply with the applicable copyright conditions or obtain permission from the relevant rights holders.

AQSSR reserves the right to request evidence of copyright permission and to require the removal, replacement, or correction of materials where adequate authorisation is unavailable.

8. Trademarks and Proprietary Names

The appearance of registered names, trade names, trademarks, service marks, commercial products, organisational names, or proprietary designations in articles published by AQSSR does not imply that such names are exempt from applicable intellectual property laws.

Such names may remain protected even where their registered status is not expressly indicated.

Their use in scholarly publications is intended for academic, descriptive, analytical, or informational purposes and does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, or authorisation by the relevant rights holders.

AQSSR and AJER Publishing do not claim ownership of trademarks or proprietary names belonging to third parties.

9. Accuracy of Published Information and Disclaimer of Liability

AQSSR and AJER Publishing are committed to maintaining high standards of editorial quality, scholarly accuracy, and research integrity.

The journal undertakes editorial assessment, peer review, copyediting, and other quality assurance procedures intended to improve the reliability and presentation of published research.

Nevertheless, inaccuracies, typographical errors, omissions, methodological limitations, or other unintended mistakes may occasionally occur.

The opinions, interpretations, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in published articles are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of AQSSR, its Editorial Board, reviewers, or AJER Publishing.

Although reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of published information, AQSSR and AJER Publishing do not provide an absolute warranty regarding the completeness, accuracy, reliability, or suitability of all information contained in published articles.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the journal, its editors, and the publisher disclaim liability for losses or damages arising from reliance on published information, except where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.

This disclaimer does not diminish the journal's commitment to investigating reported inaccuracies, correcting errors, retracting unreliable publications, or taking other appropriate measures to safeguard the scholarly record.

10. Copyright Infringement and Complaints

AQSSR respects the intellectual property rights of authors, publishers, institutions, and other copyright holders.

Any person or organisation that believes published content infringes their copyright or other intellectual property rights may submit a formal complaint to the journal's editorial office.

Complaints should identify the allegedly infringing material, provide relevant publication details, and include supporting evidence of copyright ownership or authorisation.

The editorial team assesses the complaint and may request additional information from the complainant, authors, or other relevant parties.

Where necessary, AJER Publishing may establish an impartial investigation committee. All concerned parties are given an appropriate opportunity to respond.

Where copyright infringement is established, AQSSR may take corrective measures, including publication of a correction or editorial notice, removal or replacement of infringing material, amendment of copyright acknowledgements, or retraction of the affected article where justified.

Complaints are handled in accordance with the journal's Complaints Handling and Appeals Policy and other relevant publication ethics policies.

11. Policy Implementation and Review

The Chief Editor and Editorial Board are responsible for implementing this Copyright and Open Access Policy in accordance with applicable copyright laws, recognised scholarly publishing principles, and the journal's editorial policies.

AQSSR periodically reviews its copyright and open-access arrangements to ensure that they continue to support authors' rights, responsible reuse of scholarly research, transparency, and broad public access to academic knowledge.

Any changes to licensing arrangements are communicated through the journal's official publication policies and applied consistently with existing publication agreements.

AQSSR remains committed to protecting authors' intellectual property rights while promoting the free, lawful, and responsible dissemination of social science research worldwide.

African Quarterly Social Science Review (AQSSR)
AJER Publishing