Author Agreement — Copyright & Licensing

Last Updated: 26/02/2026

This Author Agreement sets out the copyright, licensing, and publishing terms for works published in TheSustainImpact Conference Proceedings Series (ISSN 3051-7362). It applies to the final, accepted version of the work (published version).

1. Purpose and Scope

This agreement governs the rights retained by authors, the license granted to TheSustainImpact to publish and disseminate the work, and the open access license applied to the published content.

2. Author Rights

  • Authors retain copyright in their work.
  • Authors may reuse, distribute, and build upon their work, provided proper citation to the published version is included.

3. License to Publish (Non-Exclusive)

Upon acceptance, the authors grant TheSustainImpact a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to publish, reproduce, distribute, translate, display, and archive the work in all formats and media, and to include the work in indexing, discovery, and preservation services. This license enables hosting, metadata distribution, and long-term preservation; it does not transfer copyright.

4. Open License (CC BY 4.0)

The published version is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0), unless explicitly stated otherwise in a specific call for papers. CC BY permits sharing and adaptation for any purpose, including commercial use, with appropriate credit to the authors and source, a link to the license, and an indication of changes.

For details on our open access policy, see the Open Access & Licensing Policy.

5. Author Warranties and Declarations

  • Originality & Prior Submission: The work is original, not under consideration elsewhere, and does not contain plagiarized content. Any prior dissemination (for example, preprints, theses, or conference posters) has been fully disclosed.
  • Authorship: All listed authors made substantial contributions, approved the submitted version, and agree to be accountable for the work.
  • Conflicts & Funding: All financial and non-financial competing interests and funding sources, and the funder’s role if applicable, are disclosed.
  • Research Ethics: Where applicable, ethics approvals, consent to participate or publish, and compliance with relevant standards have been obtained and documented.
  • AI and Assistive Tools: Any use of generative AI or assistive tools, including text, images, code, or translation tools, is disclosed in the submission. Such tools are not authors. Authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, permissions, and privacy.

See our Ethical Guidelines and Responsibilities (PEMS) and Plagiarism & Screening Policy for details.

6. Third-Party Materials and Permissions

Authors must secure and acknowledge permissions for any third-party content, including figures, tables, images, extensive quotations, datasets, code, or instruments, that is not covered by fair use or an open license. License terms for reused materials must be compatible with CC BY 4.0 or clearly stated where different permissions apply.

7. Self-Archiving and Sharing

  • Published Version: Authors are encouraged to deposit the published version in institutional or disciplinary repositories and personal websites, with the DOI or stable URL cited.
  • Preprints and Author-Accepted Manuscripts: Preprints and author-accepted manuscripts may be shared at any time, provided the final publication is cited once available.

8. Corresponding Author & Acceptance

The corresponding author confirms that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the submission, agree to this agreement, and authorize the corresponding author to act on their behalf. Electronic acceptance through the OJS submission process constitutes a binding agreement for all authors. OJS date and time logs serve as the record of consent.

9. Post-Publication Changes

Post-publication updates follow our integrity policies. Where warranted, we may issue corrections, editor’s notes, expressions of concern, or retractions in line with COPE guidance. See PEMS and Complaints & Appeals Policy.

10. Contact

For questions regarding this agreement, copyright, or licensing, please contact the Editorial Office:
editorial@thesustainimpact.com