Privacy Policy

Welcome to GULF PRIME PUBLICATIONS. We are committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of personal data collected from authors, reviewers, researchers, and visitors across the Middle East

2. Information We Collect

We collect personal data necessary to facilitate academic publishing, peer review, and platform operations:

  • Account & Profile Data: Full name, academic title, institutional affiliation, contact email, phone number, ORCID ID, and account credentials.
  • Manuscripts & Editorial Data: Research papers, abstracts, submission metadata, co-author disclosures, referee nominations, conflict-of-interest declarations, and peer-review evaluations.
  • Transactional & Payment Data: Billing names, addresses, and transaction history for Author Processing Charges (APCs) or subscription services. All financial transactions are handled via external, secure PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways; we do not store full credit card numbers.

Technical & Usage Information: Web server logs, IP address, browser type, operating system, and standard cookie data collected automatically to maintain platform security and user experience.

3. How We Use Your Information

We process personal data for legitimate academic and administrative purposes:

  • Peer Review & Publication Workflows: Managing manuscript submissions, organizing double-blind or single-blind peer reviews, communicating editorial decisions, and publishing accepted papers.
  • Indexing & Global Academic Reach: Distributing metadata (author names, affiliations, and ORCID IDs) to international scholarly databases and indexing services (e.g., Crossref, Scopus) to ensure global discoverability and accurate citation tracking.
  • Platform Communications: Sending transactional status updates, editorial announcements, call-for-papers invitations, and journal newsletters (which you can opt out of at any time).

Legal & Regulatory Compliance: Fulfilling reporting, auditing, and financial recordkeeping requirements under applicable regional laws.

4. Public Availability of Author Information

Academic publishing relies on transparency and proper attribution. When an article is accepted and published, standard metadata (including author names, institutional affiliations, contact emails, and ORCID identifiers) will be made publicly available worldwide as part of the permanent scholarly record.

5. Third-Party Service Providers & Cross-Border Data Transfers

  • Service Providers: We share data only with trusted vendors essential to our operations (e.g., cloud hosting infrastructure, plagiarism detection systems like Turnitin, and secure payment processors) under strict confidentiality agreements.
  • International Transfers: Due to the global nature of academic indexing and cloud infrastructure, your data may be transferred to and stored on servers located outside your country of residence. We ensure appropriate technical safeguards and legal mechanisms are in place to comply with regional cross-border transfer laws.

6. Data Retention & Security

  • Retention: Account information, draft submissions, and operational records are retained for as long as your account remains active or as required by law. Published scholarly articles and their metadata form part of the permanent academic record and are archived indefinitely.
  • Security: We employ industry-standard technical measures (SSL/TLS encryption, access controls, and security monitoring) to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or alteration.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your country of residence in the Middle East, you have specific rights regarding your personal data:

  • Access & Rectification: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you or update incomplete profile details.
  • Erasure: Request the deletion of non-published personal data (e.g., closing your account or removing unsubmitted draft manuscripts).
  • Objection & Restriction: Opt out of direct communications or request restrictions on certain processing activities.

To submit a request, contact our Data Protection Officer at info@gulfprimepublications.com or through our contact page.

8. Updates to This Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy periodically to align with evolving Middle Eastern data protection laws or platform updates. Revisions will be published on this page with an updated effective date.