Privacy Policy

Last updated: 02 February 2026

This Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect through the International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM) website, why we collect it, how it is used within the editorial and publishing workflow, and what choices and rights you have in relation to your data.

1. Journal and Publisher (Data Controller)

Journal: International Journal of Disaster Risk Management (IJDRM)
Publisher: Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management (SPS-DRM)
Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Dr. Vladimir M. Cvetković
Address: Dimitrija Tucovića 121, Belgrade, Serbia
Email (privacy & correspondence): office@ijdrm.com; editor@ijdrm.com

For any questions, requests, or concerns regarding personal data processing, please contact us at the email addresses above.

2. What This Policy Covers

This Policy applies to:

• Visitors who browse the journal website,

• Users who create accounts (authors, reviewers, editors, readers),

• All stages of submission, peer review, editorial handling, production, and publication.

3. What Personal Data We Collect

Depending on your interaction with the journal, we may process the following categories of data:

A. Registration and profile information

• Full name

• Email address

• Affiliation and country (and other profile details you choose to provide)

• ORCID iD (if provided)

• Username and account preferences

B. Submission and peer-review content

• Manuscript files and any supplementary files (figures, tables, appendices)

• Article metadata (title, abstract, keywords, references, author details)

• Editorial correspondence (messages exchanged via the platform or email)

• Review reports, recommendations, decision records, and revision history

C. Technical and security-related information

• IP address and basic device/browser information

• Log data generated by the server and the journal management system

• Session cookies necessary for login and platform functionality

D. APC-related administrative data (where applicable)
If an Article Processing Charge (APC) applies, we may record limited information needed for administrative purposes, such as invoice details, payer name (where provided), payment confirmation, and payment status.
We do not store payment card details. Payments are processed by third-party providers (e.g., PayPal, banks) under their own privacy policies.

4. Why We Use Your Data

We process personal data in order to:

• Create and manage user accounts,

• Receive and process manuscript submissions,

• Organize and conduct peer review,

• Make editorial decisions and communicate them,

• Prepare accepted papers for publication and maintain the published scholarly record,

• Manage APC invoicing and payment confirmations (if applicable),

• Protect the website and editorial platform from misuse and maintain system security,

• Produce basic operational statistics to improve editorial workflows and service quality.

5. Legal Grounds for Processing

Where data protection rules apply (e.g., GDPR), we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

• Contract / performance of services (handling submissions, review, editorial processing, publication),

• Legitimate interests (journal operations, quality control, integrity of the scholarly record, security and fraud prevention),

• Consent (only where required, e.g., optional communications or non-essential cookies),

• Legal obligations (e.g., accounting requirements for invoices/records, where applicable).

6. Who Can Access Your Data and When We Share It

We do not sell personal data.

Your data may be accessed by:

• Authorized members of the editorial office and journal team, strictly for editorial processing,

• Reviewers, to the extent necessary to perform peer review (depending on the review model),

• Technical service providers that support the platform (hosting, maintenance, backups, email delivery), as needed for operation.

We may also share limited data with trusted scholarly infrastructure services where required for publication processes (e.g., DOI registration and metadata dissemination). This typically includes publication metadata and author/article information for published content.

7. Cross-Border Processing

Depending on where our service providers operate, some data may be stored or processed outside your country. When cross-border processing occurs, we apply reasonable safeguards to protect data in accordance with applicable rules.

8. How Long We Keep Data

We keep personal data only as long as it is needed for editorial and publishing purposes, and for maintaining reliable records.

• Submission and peer-review records may be retained for long periods (and sometimes permanently) to preserve editorial accountability and the integrity of the scholarly record.

• Account information is retained while your account remains active, subject to Section 10.

• Invoices and payment confirmations may be retained to comply with financial and legal requirements.

9. Cookies

The journal website uses cookies primarily to ensure essential functionality (e.g., maintaining login sessions, enabling secure navigation, and saving basic preferences). You can disable cookies in your browser settings; however, doing so may affect website functionality.

If analytics or other non-essential tracking technologies are introduced, the journal will provide appropriate notice and, where legally required, request consent.

10. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data,

• Request correction of inaccurate data,

• Request deletion or restriction of processing in certain circumstances,

• Object to specific processing activities,

• Withdraw consent (where processing depends on consent).

Please note: complete deletion may not be possible for records that must be preserved to protect the scholarly record (e.g., editorial decisions and review history). Where deletion is not feasible, we will apply reasonable minimization and restriction measures.

To submit a request, please contact: office@ijdrm.com or editor@ijdrm.com.

11. Data Security

We apply reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect the confidentiality and integrity of personal data, including access controls and standard security practices. Despite these measures, no online service can guarantee absolute security.

12. Children

This journal and its services are intended for academic and professional users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children.

13. Updates to This Policy

We may revise this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in journal practices or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on the website with a revised “Last updated” date.

14. Contact

Editor-in-Chief

Prof. Dr. Vladimir M. Cvetković

Scientific-Professional Society for Disaster Risk Management (SPS-DRM)
Dimitrija Tucovića 121, Belgrade, Serbia
office@ijdrm.com; editor@ijdrm.com