Privacy Statement

1. Introduction and Scope

The Doctor of Physical Therapy Middle East (DPTME Journal), published by SmartPhysio Int'l LTD., is committed to protecting the privacy of its users, authors, reviewers, and subscribers. This statement outlines our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data collected through the journal’s website, which operates on the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.

Our commitment ensures that personal data is handled responsibly, securely, and in compliance with global best practices for data protection and ethical publication.

2. Data Collection and Use

The DPTME Journal collects data strictly for the purposes of managing and publishing the journal content, maintaining the integrity of the peer review process, and communicating with our scholarly community.

A. Registered Users (Authors and Reviewers)

We collect the following mandatory personal information upon registration or submission:

  • Name, Affiliation, and Contact Information: Used to communicate regarding the manuscript process (submission, review status, decision), and for publishing the author’s name and affiliation in the final Version of Record.

  • Email Address: Used for essential communication. We will not sell or share email addresses with third parties.

  • ORCID ID (Mandatory for Authors): Used to uniquely identify authors and connect them to their scholarly outputs, ensuring data accuracy in indexing databases.

B. Data Use Specifics

  • Peer Review: Reviewer contact details and institutional information are kept strictly confidential by the Editorial Office and are never shared with the authors (Double-Blind Policy). Authors’ identifying data is removed from the manuscript file sent to reviewers.

  • Indexing and Archiving: Author names, affiliations, titles, and abstracts are shared with necessary third-party indexing services (CrossRef, Google Scholar, Scopus application process) to ensure the article is discoverable and cited correctly.

3. Data Storage and Security

  • OJS Platform: Data is stored securely on the journal’s OJS server and managed by the Publisher’s technical team. We implement technical and administrative safeguards to protect data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

  • Retention: Personal data related to published articles (e.g., author names) will be retained indefinitely as part of the permanent scholarly record. Data related to rejected manuscripts or reviewer history will be retained for a defined period (typically 5–7 years) for auditing purposes, then anonymized or securely deleted.

4. Policy on Third-Party Access

The DPTME Journal treats all personal information as confidential and will not make this information available to any third party outside the journal's operational requirements without explicit user consent, except in the following necessary circumstances:

  • To relevant indexing and abstracting services (as noted in Section 2).

  • To anti-plagiarism screening software providers.

  • When legally required by a competent authority in cases of publication misconduct (e.g., sharing evidence with an author’s Institutional Research Integrity Office, following COPE guidelines).

5. Rights of the User (GDPR Compliance)

Users residing in jurisdictions with strong data protection laws (such as GDPR) have the right to:

  • Access: Request access to the personal data we hold about them.

  • Rectification: Request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.

  • Erasure (‘Right to be Forgotten’): Request the deletion of their personal data, provided it does not compromise the integrity of the published scholarly record (e.g., non-essential user account data).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact the DPTME Journal's Online Publishing Team using the contact information provided on the website.

6. External Links

The DPTME Journal website may contain links to external websites (e.g., ORCID, institutional sites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of any linked websites they visit.