Copyright & Licensing

Purpose and Scope

The SDEWES Journals Copyright & Licensing Policy sets out the principles and procedures governing copyright ownership, the licence to publish granted to SDEWES Centre, Creative Commons licensing, author reuse, article sharing, repository deposit, third-party permissions and lawful reuse of content published in journals published by SDEWES Centre.

This policy supports open access, author rights, transparent licensing, lawful reuse, proper attribution and responsible dissemination of scholarly content.

This policy applies to all submitted, accepted and published manuscripts, including Original Research Articles and Review Articles, whether submitted as regular submissions or within special issues, article collections or conference-linked arrangements. It also applies to supplementary materials, figures, tables, images, data, code, software and other materials submitted or published with an article.

It applies to authors, copyright owners, reviewers, Editors-in-Chief, Associate Editors, Guest Editors, Editorial Board members, readers, institutions, funders, SDEWES Centre staff or representatives and third parties using or reusing SDEWES journal content.

In this policy, the responsible editor means the Editor-in-Chief or another editor authorised by the journal to assess a copyright, permissions or licensing matter, provided that the person has no relevant competing interest.

Related guidance, statement templates, declaration forms and checklists relevant to this policy are listed in Appendix A: Related COPE and International Guidance and Appendix B: Practical Forms, Statements and Checklists.

Definitions and General Principles

Copyright protects eligible original works and may be owned by authors, employers, institutions, government bodies, companies or other rights holders, depending on applicable law, contracts and institutional arrangements.

Third-party material means content included in a manuscript or article that is owned, controlled or licensed by a person or organisation other than the authors or relevant copyright owners.

The Version of Record is the final published version of an article made available by the journal following editorial acceptance, production and publication.

SDEWES journals support open access, wide dissemination and clear public information about copyright ownership, publishing licences and reuse conditions.

A Creative Commons licence grants only those rights that the licensor has the authority to grant. It does not remove or override privacy, confidentiality, moral rights, publicity rights, trademark rights, patent rights, contractual restrictions or other rights and obligations that may affect reuse.

Copyright infringement, plagiarism, text recycling and redundant publication are related but distinct matters. A use may raise a copyright or permission issue without constituting plagiarism, and plagiarism may occur even where no actionable copyright infringement is established.

Authors and other rights holders are responsible for ensuring that they have the authority to submit, publish and license the work and that third-party material is used lawfully.

SDEWES journals do not determine disputed legal ownership where the matter cannot be resolved through available documentation. The journal or SDEWES Centre may seek institutional or legal clarification where necessary.

Copyright Ownership and Author Rights

Authors retain copyright in articles published in SDEWES journals where they own the copyright. Copyright may instead be owned or controlled by an employer, institution, government body, company, funder or another rights holder under applicable law, contract or institutional rules.

Each author is responsible for identifying any copyright, employment, institutional or contractual arrangement affecting their contribution. The corresponding author coordinates the copyright and licensing documentation but does not assume sole responsibility for information concerning contributions or rights controlled by other authors or organisations.

Where copyright is owned or controlled by another person or organisation, the appropriate copyright owner or authorised representative must approve publication and licensing before publication.

Where different parts of the work have different copyright owners or licensing arrangements, those arrangements must be identified and documented.

Where a work or part of a work is in the public domain or is not protected by copyright, the publication record should identify the applicable status where necessary. A Creative Commons notice must not imply that SDEWES Centre or the authors grant rights that they do not hold.

Copyright retention permits authors and other copyright owners to reuse, share and authorise reuse of their work, subject to the licence to publish granted to SDEWES Centre, the Creative Commons licence applied to the published article and any third-party rights or contractual restrictions.

Patent rights, trademark rights and other proprietary rights relating to inventions, processes, data, software, methods or materials described in an article are not transferred or licensed merely because the article is published, unless a separate agreement provides otherwise.

Licence to Publish Granted to SDEWES Centre

As a condition of publication, the authors and, where applicable, other copyright owners grant SDEWES Centre a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, archive, preserve, index, promote and disseminate the article as part of the relevant SDEWES journal.

The licence permits SDEWES Centre to:

• publish the article in electronic, printed, archival, indexing, repository and other appropriate formats; 
• identify and maintain the article as the Version of Record; 
• assign and maintain DOIs and other persistent identifiers; 
• provide article files and metadata to preservation, indexing, discovery and repository services; 
• publish corrections, expressions of concern, retractions and other notices; 
• preserve the publication history and scholarly record; and 
• authorise service providers to perform activities reasonably necessary for publication, dissemination, indexing or preservation. 

The licence granted to SDEWES Centre does not transfer copyright from the authors or other copyright owners to SDEWES Centre.

The corresponding author coordinates completion of the Copyright and Licence to Publish Agreement and confirms that all authors have reviewed and approved it. Each author and copyright owner remains responsible for the accuracy of information concerning their rights and authority.

Where the corresponding author does not have the authority to grant rights on behalf of a copyright owner, separate confirmation or signature must be obtained from the authorised rights holder.

Creative Commons Licence and Scope

Unless otherwise stated for a specific journal, article or publication arrangement, SDEWES journals publish the Version of Record under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY 3.0).

The copyright holder and applicable licence must be clearly stated on the article webpage and in each published full-text format, including HTML and PDF where available. The licence statement must link to the applicable Creative Commons licence.

CC BY 3.0 permits users to share and adapt licensed material for any purpose, including commercial purposes, provided that the applicable licence conditions are followed.

Reusers must provide appropriate attribution, identify the authors and original source, include the article title where supplied, provide a link or reference to the applicable licence and indicate modifications or adaptations where required.

The licence applies only to material for which the authors, copyright owners or SDEWES Centre have authority to grant the licence.

Third-party material, data, code, software, images or other content subject to separate rights is not covered by the article licence where it is expressly identified as excluded or separately licensed.

The licence does not imply endorsement by the authors, journal or SDEWES Centre and must not be used in a misleading manner.

Once the Creative Commons licence has been validly applied, existing recipients may continue to rely on it in accordance with its terms. A later correction, retraction or removal does not silently revoke rights previously granted, although the article’s corrected or retracted status must remain visible and must not be misrepresented.

Version of Record and Publication Notices

The Version of Record is the final published article made available by the journal following editorial acceptance, production and publication.

SDEWES Centre is responsible for maintaining the Version of Record on the journal website or designated platform, together with its DOI, article metadata, licence information and any correction, expression of concern, retraction, withdrawal or other post-publication notice.

Authors and users should cite and link to the Version of Record when referring to the final published article.

Deposited or shared copies must not remove, conceal or misrepresent corrections, expressions of concern, retractions or other notices affecting the article.

Where a correction, expression of concern, retraction, retraction with replacement, retraction with removal or another post-publication action is necessary, the matter must be handled under Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals.

Author Reuse, Sharing and Repository Deposit

Authors may reuse and share their work subject to the rights they hold, the licence to publish granted to SDEWES Centre, the licence applied to the relevant article version and any third-party, contractual, privacy or confidentiality restrictions.

The Version of Record may normally be shared immediately under the Creative Commons licence displayed with the published article. Shared copies must retain:

• the complete article citation; 
• the DOI or stable link to the Version of Record; 
• the applicable Creative Commons licence information; 
• third-party material exclusions; and 
• any correction, expression of concern, retraction or other relevant notice. 

The submitted manuscript and accepted manuscript are not automatically covered by the Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record. Authors may deposit or share those versions where permitted by their copyright ownership, the relevant journal instructions, funder or institutional requirements and applicable third-party restrictions.

Each deposited version must be identified accurately as a submitted manuscript, accepted manuscript or Version of Record. A non-final version must not be represented as the Version of Record.

Repository records should include the article title, authors, journal, publication details, DOI or stable link, version deposited and applicable licence or reuse conditions.

Authors may reuse the article in teaching, presentations, theses, dissertations, reports or later works where the applicable rights permit. Translations, adaptations or expanded versions must identify the original article, indicate that changes were made and avoid implying journal or author endorsement of the new use.

Reuse must not conceal prior publication, misrepresent the scholarly record, breach third-party rights or create undisclosed redundant or duplicate publication. Related publication-ethics requirements are governed by Publishing Ethics.

Third-Party Material, Permissions and Attribution

Authors are responsible for identifying all third-party material included in a manuscript or supplementary file and for establishing a lawful basis for its use.

Third-party material may include figures, tables, illustrations, photographs, maps, diagrams, charts, datasets, database extracts, survey instruments, questionnaires, software, code, text excerpts, standards, screenshots, logos or other content created or controlled by another person or organisation.

Third-party material may be used where:

• the authors own or control the necessary rights; 
• the material is covered by a compatible licence; 
• permission has been granted by the relevant rights holder; 
• the material is in the public domain; or 
• the use is permitted under an applicable legal exception or other lawful basis. 

Material available online must not be assumed to be free to reuse.

Permission documentation should cover, as applicable:

• publication in an open-access journal; 
• electronic and printed publication; 
• long-term preservation and archiving; 
• distribution through indexing, repository and discovery services; 
• adaptation or modification; and 
• downstream reuse under the article’s Creative Commons licence. 

Where permission does not allow inclusion under the article’s Creative Commons licence, the material must be clearly excluded through an appropriate caption, credit line or licence statement.

Reproduced and adapted material must identify the original source, rights holder, applicable licence or permission basis and any modifications made.

Authors must provide permissions or other supporting documentation where requested by the journal.

Personal data, identifiable images, participant quotations and confidential information must also comply with Research Ethics and Privacy. Data, code, software and research material availability must comply with Research Data and Transparency.

Preprints, Conference Papers and Prior Versions

SDEWES journals may consider manuscripts that have previously appeared as preprints, conference papers or other prior versions where permitted by the relevant journal.

Authors must disclose and cite the prior version and explain the relationship between it and the submitted manuscript where required.

Authors must ensure that submission and publication do not breach:

• copyright or publishing agreements applying to the prior version; 
• preprint-server, conference or repository terms; 
• licences already applied to the prior version; 
• third-party rights; or 
• confidentiality or contractual obligations. 

A licence validly applied to a prior version may continue to apply to that version. Publication of the Version of Record under another compatible licence does not necessarily terminate the earlier licence.

Where the submitted manuscript is based substantially on a conference paper or another formally published version, authors must explain the relationship and provide sufficient original scholarly development to meet the relevant journal’s requirements. A preprint must be disclosed and cited where required, but does not automatically require substantial extension solely because it was posted as a preprint, provided that preprints are permitted by the relevant journal.

Text recycling, duplicate or redundant publication and undisclosed overlap are assessed under Publishing Ethics.

Research Data, Code, Software and Supplementary Materials

The licence applied to the article text does not automatically apply to associated datasets, code, software, models, algorithms, protocols or supplementary materials.

Authors must identify the applicable licence, access conditions or reuse restrictions for such materials where they are shared.

Data and databases may be affected by copyright, database rights, privacy, consent, confidentiality, contractual restrictions, third-party terms or other rights. Authors must not apply a licence where they lack authority to do so.

Code and software should normally use an appropriate software or open-source licence rather than an article-oriented Creative Commons licence.

Supplementary material may be distributed under the article licence only where this is stated clearly and the relevant rights permit it. Otherwise, its separate licence or access conditions must be identified.

Repository deposition, availability, citation, versioning and restrictions must comply with Research Data and Transparency.

Personal, identifiable, confidential or restricted data must comply with Research Ethics and Privacy.

Generative AI, Copyright and Licensing

Authors remain responsible for ensuring that content generated, transformed or supported using generative AI or AI-assisted technologies does not infringe copyright, misrepresent authorship, misuse third-party material or breach licence, confidentiality or privacy requirements.

Authors must not assume that AI-generated output is free from third-party rights or that they automatically own or can license all generated output.

Generative AI tools must not be used to reproduce, transform or disclose copyrighted, confidential, personal or third-party material without the necessary rights, permissions and safeguards.

Where AI-assisted output is included in text, images, figures, code, data or supplementary materials, authors must verify its provenance, lawful use, accuracy and licence compatibility.

Disclosure, accountability and other requirements for such use are governed by Generative AI Policy.

Copyright, Permissions and Licensing Concerns

Copyright, permissions and licensing concerns must be assessed fairly, confidentially and proportionately. A missing permission, an incomplete credit line or an unclear licence does not by itself establish deliberate misconduct.

The responsible editor should determine whether the concern primarily involves:

• disputed or unclear copyright ownership; 
• absence of authority to publish or license the work; 
• incompatible or incomplete third-party permissions; 
• missing or inaccurate attribution or licence information; 
• plagiarism or unattributed use; 
• text recycling or redundant publication; 
• unauthorised repository posting or article sharing; 
• data, database, code or software licensing; 
• confidential, personal or restricted material; or 
• another legal or publication-ethics concern. 

The journal may request proportionate documentation, including copyright ownership confirmation, licences, permission letters, rights-holder authorisation, source information, credit-line requirements, repository terms, software licences or institutional confirmation.

Information requested must be limited to what is reasonably necessary. Personal data and confidential information must be handled under Privacy.

Before publication, the journal may:

• request clarification or corrected attribution; 
• request licence or permission documentation; 
• require replacement or removal of problematic material; 
• require a third-party material exclusion statement; 
• pause editorial handling, peer review, production or publication; 
• seek independent, institutional or legal advice; or 
• reject or discontinue handling where the concern cannot be resolved or the work cannot lawfully be published. 

After publication, the journal may correct attribution or licence information, replace or remove limited material through a transparent correction or other appropriate notice, issue an expression of concern, retract the article or take another proportionate action under Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals.

Suspected plagiarism, deliberate concealment, false declarations, duplicate publication or other possible misconduct must also be assessed under Publishing Ethics.

Where a matter involves an actual, potential or perceived competing interest, it must be managed under Competing Interests and Funding Disclosure, and independent handling must be arranged under Editorial Independence.

The Copyright, Permissions and Licensing Concern Checklist for Editors listed in Appendix B should be used to document the concern, evidence, policy routing, decision and follow-up.

Formal complaints concerning the journal’s assessment or handling of a copyright, permissions or licensing matter are considered under Editorial Decision Appeals and Complaints.

Policy Review and Updates

SDEWES Centre may review and update this policy periodically to reflect developments in copyright, licensing, open access, Creative Commons licences, repository practices, author rights, funder mandates, research data, software licensing, artificial intelligence, publication ethics and legal requirements.

Updated policies apply from the date of publication on the SDEWES Journals Policies website unless otherwise stated.

Appendix A. Related COPE and International Guidance

COPE Core Practice. Intellectual property

Relevant to clear journal policies on copyright, publishing licences, Creative Commons licences, plagiarism, text recycling, redundant publication, previous publication and permission to reproduce copyrighted material.

COPE DOAJ OASPA WAME. Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing

Relevant to clear public information on copyright and licensing, including licence terms on the journal website and published articles, repository posting rules and Creative Commons licence links.

COPE Council. Handling text recycling (also known as self-plagiarism)

Relevant to distinguishing transparent and acceptable reuse from misleading, excessive or inappropriate reuse of previously published text.

COPE Council. COPE Flowcharts and infographics - Plagiarism in a submitted manuscript

Relevant where editors suspect before publication that a submitted manuscript contains unattributed or unauthorised use of another person’s work.

COPE Council. COPE Flowcharts and infographics - Plagiarism in a published article

Relevant where concerns arise after publication that a published article contains unattributed or unauthorised use of another person’s work.

COPE Council. COPE Flowcharts and infographics - Redundant (duplicate) publication in a submitted manuscript

Relevant where a submitted manuscript substantially overlaps with the authors’ earlier publication or another concurrent submission.

COPE Council. COPE Flowcharts and infographics - Redundant (duplicate) publication in a published article

Relevant where substantial undisclosed overlap or duplicate publication is identified after publication.

COPE Council. Handling material previously published on a preprint server

Relevant to journal policies on preprints, disclosure and citation of prior versions, licensing considerations and assessment of whether preprint posting affects eligibility for journal publication.

Creative Commons. Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY 3.0).

Relevant where SDEWES journals publish open-access articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence and need to explain reuse, adaptation, attribution and licence-link requirements.

Appendix B. Practical Forms, Statements and Checklists

The documents below provide practical support for documenting copyright ownership and publication authority, identifying and licensing third-party material, preparing article licence statements, guiding article sharing and repository deposit, and assessing copyright, permissions or licensing concerns.

Copyright and Licence to Publish Agreement

Required author and copyright-owner agreement – Used to confirm copyright ownership or authority, grant SDEWES Centre a non-exclusive licence to publish, record the Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record and confirm author and third-party rights responsibilities. The corresponding author coordinates completion, while each author and copyright owner remains responsible for information concerning their rights.

Third-Party Material Permission and Attribution Form

Required author form, where applicable – Used to identify third-party material, rights holders, permission or licence terms, open-access and archiving permissions, required credit lines and whether the material is included in or excluded from the article’s Creative Commons licence.

Copyright and Licensing Statement Template

Author and journal guidance template – Used to prepare article copyright and licence notices, third-party material exclusions, adapted or reproduced material statements, Version of Record notices and separate licence statements for data, code, software or supplementary material.

Repository Deposit and Article Sharing Guidance Template

Author guidance template – Used to distinguish submitted manuscripts, accepted manuscripts and the Version of Record and explain the rights, version labels, citation, DOI, licence information and third-party restrictions applicable when each version is deposited or shared.

Copyright, Permissions and Licensing Concern Checklist for Editors

Internal editor and publisher checklist – Used by the responsible editor and, where appropriate, SDEWES Centre to assess copyright ownership, publication authority, licence compatibility, third-party permissions, attribution, plagiarism, text recycling, redundant publication, repository sharing and data or software licensing concerns before or after publication.