Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions as presented below shall constitute the entirety of the legal relationship between OAR Platform (‘us’, ‘we’) and with authors and users of our service (‘you’), and your use of the OAR Platform website (the ‘website’).

The provisions contained within these Terms and Conditions shall be deemed to override any contrary terms or conditions published by us in relation to any dealings with you. By using the website, you agree to be bound by all provisions as applicable at the date of access.

1. Author Generated Content

OAR Platform attempts to provide a range of views from the academic and research community, and only publishes material submitted in accordance with our submission policy.

The views expressed are the personal opinions of the authors named. They may not represent the views of OAR Platform or any other organisation unless specifically stated. We accept no liability in respect of any material submitted by users and published by us. We are not responsible for its content and accuracy.

For the purpose of these Terms and Conditions ‘author’ refers to the person responsible for a work presented on OAR Platform whether that work be in written form, or in any form of creative or artistic expression.

General Principles for Authors

OAR Platform is committed to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct. Authors have a duty to ensure that their work maintains the good name of OAR Platform and that of the academic and research community.

OAR Platform requires authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest. A conflict exists where an individual’s interests diverge from their professional responsibilities such that an independent observer might reasonably conclude that the author has been unduly influenced by their own interest.

Authors may submit material for publication under the following terms and conditions:

1. You grant OAR Platform a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide license to publish and communicate to the public any material you submit to us in any format, including without limitation print and electronic format. You also agree that OAR Platform may permit other parties to publish and communicate to the public any material you submit to us in any format.

2. You warrant that any material you submit is your own original work and that you own the copyright and any other relevant rights.

3. You warrant that the inclusion of any use of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic or any other work for which you do not own the copyright and any other relevant rights is done so with appropriate authorisation from the relevant copyright owner/s. For a work to be stored on OAR Platform’s online servers you must have explicit permission from the copyright owner for inclusion.

4. You warrant that the material you submit is not obscene, offensive or otherwise illegal.

5. You will take reasonable steps to ensure that any material you submit is not defamatory of any person. If you suspect that material may be defamatory (or if you are not sure), you must notify OAR Platform at the time you submit the material.

You acknowledge that any breach of these conditions may cause OAR Platform damage or loss. You agree to indemnify OAR Platform in full and permanently against any third-party liabilities, claims, costs, loss or damage we incur as a result of your breach of conditions (1) to (5) above.

You must act honestly and in good faith in your dealings with OAR Platform and (if requested) you must provide OAR Platform with reasonable assistance to settle, defend or investigate any third party claims arising as a result of OAR Platform’s publication of material you submit.

You will be deemed to consent to these guidelines if you choose to submit any content to OAR Platform.

2. Republishing

OAR Platform operates in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access.All contributions published by OAR Platform are done so under a Creative Commons – Attribution/Non Commercial/No Derivatives – License (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). This means that material published on OAR Platform is free to re-publish provided the following criteria are met:

1. The work is not altered, transformed, or built upon, and is published in full.
2. The work is attributed to the author and OAR Platform.
3. The work is not used for any commercial purposes.

The above is only a summary, the full license can be accessed here.

3. Privacy Policy

OAR Platform is committed to protecting the privacy of our contributors and readers. OAR Platform is bound by the Data Protection Act and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations. OAR Platform will only collect, use or disclose personal information in accordance with this Act and Regulations, along with the conditions outlined in these terms and conditions.

In this Privacy Policy, ‘personal information’ means information or an opinion about a person whose identity is apparent, or can be reasonably ascertained, from the information or opinion.

OAR Platform reserves the right to amend this Privacy Policy at any time and for any reason. OAR Platform may highlight changes to this Privacy Policy, but you should check regularly for changes.

Collection and Use of Personal Information

OAR Platform will, from time to time, collect and use personal information. The types of personal information collected and the purposes for which that personal information will be used will depend on the circumstances. For example, OAR Platform may collect personal information when you:
· submit a contribution as an author;
· sign-up for our email list; or
· participate in a survey or provide feedback to OAR Platform.

Disclosure of Personal Information

If your submission is accepted for publication on OAR Platform we publish your name, position and/or relevant institutional affiliations. Other than this situation, OAR Platform will not disclose your personal information except in the following circumstances:
· to third parties which assist OAR Platform to operate the journal and website – OAR Platform requires these contractors to keep that personal information confidential and not to use or disclose it for any purpose other than in direct connection with providing those services to OAR Platform;
· in exceptional circumstance, OAR Platform may be required or authorised by law to disclose personal information, for example to law enforcement authorities or to prevent a serious threat to public safety; or
· otherwise with your explicit consent.

Handling Personal Information

OAR Platform will take all reasonable steps to protect all personal information held by it from misuse and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. To ensure this, OAR platform has put in place administrative, digital and physical procedures.

Accessing Your Personal Information and the Right to be Forgotten

Any person may seek access to personal information which OAR Platform holds about that person and such information will be provided in accordance with the Act and Regulations. There are certain exemptions which may apply to the provision of that information. We may require that the person requesting access provide suitable identification.

Any person may request to be forgotten by having all of their personal information deleted. We may require that the person requesting to be forgotten provide suitable identification.

Requests to access personal information held by OAR Platform, or to delete personal information held by OAR platform should be addressed to info@oarplatform.com.

4. Liability

In using the OAR Platform website you warrant that under no circumstances will OAR Platform be liable for any loss or damage arising from your use, or inability to use, this website.

OAR Platform do not warrant that our website will always be available to you and we shall not be liable for any reason if our website is unavailable at any time or for any period. OAR Platform also do not warrant that our website, and any material accessed therein, is free of malicious software or other harmful or disruptive elements. By using OAR Platform’s website you agree OAR Platform accepts no liability for any loss or damage caused by any such material. OAR Platform accepts no responsibility for any indirect or consequential harm arising from your use of this website.

You make use of information, materials and work contained on the OAR Platform website at your own risk and you should make your own relevant enquiries before relying on them. OAR Platform provides its service on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. OAR Platform makes no guarantee as to their accuracy, completeness, or quality.

Nothing in these terms and conditions should be read as to exclude or limit OAR Platform’s liability for death or personal injury caused to you arising from our negligence, or for our fraud. These terms and conditions do not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

5. Third Party Rights

A person who is not a party to these Terms and Conditions shall have no right
to enforce or rely upon any provision of them.

6. Changes to these Terms and Conditions

We may change these Terms and Conditions from time to time. Any changes will be displayed on our website. You are deemed to have agreed to any changes when you next use our website following such changes.

7. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. You hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

8. Questions

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. You hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

If you have any queries or comments about access to OAR Platform please email info@oarplatform.com.