1. What Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Voluntarily

• Personal details such as your name, email, password, and mobile number during registration;
• Manuscript details, institutional affiliation, and other academic-related submissions;
• Billing addresses and payment information processed through secure third-party platforms;
• Information submitted via customer support inquiries or other communications.

1.2 Information We Collect Automatically

• Device type, operating system, browser type, access time, and pages visited;
• Behavioral data such as clicks, downloads, and session duration;
• IP address and approximate geolocation data.

1.3 Information Obtained from Third Parties

• Authorized access from ORCID, academic institutions, or social login platforms;
• Data from publishing partners, including manuscript or peer review records;
• Organizational credentials or user access data provided by affiliated institutions.

2. How We Use Your Information

We process your information for the purpose of providing and optimizing our services, including but not limited to:

• Account registration and identity verification;
• Order processing and secure payment handling;
• Personalized service recommendations, such as journal matching, editing, or peer review services;
• Technical and customer support;
• Platform enhancement and user experience improvement;
• Sending service updates, newsletters, and academic event notifications;
• Fulfilling legal obligations and protecting our legal rights.

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. Information may be shared under the following circumstances:

3.1 Service Providers

Third-party vendors who support our operations—such as payment gateways, cloud hosting providers, and technical consultants—may access data strictly within contractual scopes.

3.2 Institutional Access

If your access is provided via a subscribing institution or academic organization, relevant usage data and access records may be shared with that institution.

3.3 Integrated Platforms

If you link your account with platforms like ORCID or Google, limited data exchange may occur with your consent.

3.4 Legal Compliance

We may disclose your information when required by law or in response to legal proceedings, fraud investigations, or the protection of our intellectual property.

4. Your Data Rights

In accordance with applicable laws, you may exercise the following rights:

• Right of Access – Request a copy of your personal data held by us;
• Right to Rectification – Request corrections to inaccurate or outdated information;
• Right to Erasure – Request deletion of personal data under certain conditions;
• Right to Restrict Processing – Temporarily suspend processing under specified conditions;
• Right to Data Portability – Obtain your data in a structured, machine-readable format;
• Right to Withdraw Consent – Revoke consent for data processing at any time for non-essential purposes.

5. Data Security & Retention

We implement robust technical and organizational measures to secure your data, including:

• Multi-layered access control and encryption;
• Regular data backups and disaster recovery protocols;
• Data stored securely on servers located in Singapore, Germany, the United States, and Mainland China.

Unless legal requirements dictate otherwise, your data will be retained for a maximum of three years following the end of service use.

6. Cross-Border Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to or accessed from jurisdictions outside of your country of residence. Regardless of where your data is processed, we will ensure it receives the same level of protection as required by applicable local data privacy regulations.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or your data, please contact our Data Protection Officer: