Copyright Policy
The Gazette of Medicine (TGM) is a peer-reviewed, open-access biomedical journal published by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH). The Journal is committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of authors while promoting the widest possible dissemination of high-quality scientific knowledge.
This Copyright Policy establishes the ownership, licensing, use, reproduction, archiving, and distribution rights relating to all content published in TGM. The policy seeks to balance the rights of authors, readers, institutions, publishers, and the scientific community while ensuring compliance with international publishing ethics and copyright standards.
This policy applies to all articles, editorials, reviews, case reports, letters, conference proceedings, supplements, images, tables, figures, datasets, multimedia materials, and other scholarly content published in TGM.
2. PURPOSE
The objectives of this policy are to:
· Protect the intellectual property rights of authors and the Journal.
· Promote open access to scientific knowledge.
· Define ownership of published works.
· Clarify licensing arrangements.
· Explain permissions for reuse and reproduction.
· Prevent copyright infringement.
· Ensure legal compliance with Nigerian copyright legislation and international copyright conventions.
· Promote ethical scholarly publishing.
3. SCOPE
This policy applies to:
· Authors
· Co-authors
· Editors
· Editorial Board members
· Reviewers
· Readers
· Publishers
· Sponsors
· Institutions
· Librarians
· Indexing services
· Third-party users
· Commercial organizations
· Government agencies
It applies to all content submitted to or published in TGM.
4. COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP
4.1 Author Copyright
Authors retain the copyright to their published work. Upon acceptance for publication, authors grant The Gazette of Medicine a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable license to:
· Publish the work.
· Reproduce the work.
· Archive the work.
· Index the work.
· Distribute the work.
· Preserve the work permanently.
· Display the work electronically and in print.
· Promote the published article.
Retention of copyright allows authors to maintain ownership while enabling the Journal to publish and disseminate the work globally.
4.2 Rights Granted to TGM
Authors grant TGM the right to:
· Publish the article in print and electronic formats.
· Include the work in future journal issues.
· Deposit the work in indexing databases.
· Archive the work permanently.
· Translate abstracts where necessary.
· Produce metadata for indexing services.
· Promote the article using various media.
· Assign Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs).
5. OPEN ACCESS COPYRIGHT POLICY
The Gazette of Medicine is an Open Access journal.
All published articles are made immediately and permanently available online without subscription charges or access restrictions.
Readers may:
· Read
· Download
· Share
· Copy
· Link
· Cite
· Distribute
the published work in accordance with the Journal's licensing terms.
6. CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE
Unless otherwise stated, articles published in TGM shall be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. This license permits anyone to:
· Copy
· Share
· Redistribute
· Adapt
· Translate
· Remix
· Build upon the work
· Use commercially
provided that:
· Appropriate credit is given to the original authors.
· Proper citation of the Journal is included.
· A link to the license is provided.
· Any modifications are clearly indicated.
7. AUTHOR RIGHTS
Authors retain the unrestricted right to:
· Reuse their work in future publications.
· Deposit published articles in institutional repositories.
· Share articles on personal websites.
· Upload articles to academic social networking platforms.
· Use figures and tables in books.
· Present the work at conferences.
· Include the work in theses and dissertations.
· Distribute copies to students.
· Use the work for teaching.
· Translate the article.
No additional permission from TGM is required for these purposes provided proper acknowledgment is given
8. RIGHTS OF READERS
Readers may:
· Download articles free of charge.
· Print articles.
· Share articles.
· Cite articles.
· Use articles for educational purposes.
· Include articles in course materials.
· Link to published articles.
· Store copies for personal use.
· Use published materials for non-commercial and commercial purposes as permitted by the applicable Creative Commons license.
9. THIRD-PARTY MATERIAL
Authors are solely responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce copyrighted materials owned by third parties.
This includes:
· Figures
· Tables
· Images
· Photographs
· Maps
· Graphs
· Clinical instruments
· Survey questionnaires
· Illustrations
· Multimedia
· Video
· Audio
Documentation of permission must accompany manuscript submission where applicable.
Failure to obtain permission may result in rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript.
10. COPYRIGHT TRANSFER
TGM does not require authors to transfer copyright ownership. Instead, authors execute a Copyright License Agreement, granting the Journal the necessary rights to publish and disseminate the work while retaining ownership of their intellectual property.
11. ORIGINALITY REQUIREMENTS
Authors submitting manuscripts must certify that:
· The work is original.
· The work has not been previously published except as permitted (e.g., preprints, conference abstracts, or theses, where disclosed).
· The work is not under consideration elsewhere.
· The manuscript does not infringe the copyright of any third party.
· Appropriate permissions have been obtained where necessary.
12. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
TGM takes allegations of copyright infringement seriously.
Examples include:
· Unauthorized copying.
· Duplicate publication.
· Unauthorized reproduction of figures.
· Plagiarism.
· Improper use of copyrighted photographs.
· Use of copyrighted instruments without permission.
· Unauthorized translations.
Where infringement is suspected, the Editorial Office shall investigate in accordance with the Journal's Ethics and Malpractice Policy and COPE guidance. Possible actions include:
· Request for clarification.
· Correction.
· Retraction.
· Notification of authors' institutions.
· Notification of funding agencies.
· Notification of relevant regulatory authorities.
· Permanent submission ban.
13. SELF-ARCHIVING POLICY
Authors are encouraged to archive their work in:
· Institutional repositories.
· University repositories.
· Government repositories.
· Subject repositories.
· Personal websites.
· Research Gate.
· ORCID records.
· Google Scholar profiles.
· Professional networking platforms.
Authors should always cite the published version of record and include the DOI where available.
14. PREPRINT POLICY
TGM accepts submissions previously posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that:
· The preprint is disclosed at submission.
· The manuscript has not undergone formal peer review elsewhere.
· The published version cites the preprint where appropriate.
· Authors update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published article after publication.
The peer-reviewed version published in TGM shall be regarded as the authoritative version of record.
15. REPOSITORY DEPOSIT
The Journal may deposit published articles in:
· Institutional repositories.
· National libraries.
· Digital preservation systems.
· Indexing databases.
· Archiving services.
· Open-access repositories.
· Crossref.
· LOCKSS.
· CLOCKSS.
· Portico (where applicable).
These deposits ensure long-term preservation and accessibility.
16. USE OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND IMAGES
Figures, tables, and images published in TGM may be reused under the terms of the applicable Creative Commons license, unless otherwise indicated. Users must:
· Credit the original author(s).
· Cite the Journal.
· Preserve attribution.
· Indicate if modifications have been made.
Third-party material published under separate copyright terms remains subject to those restrictions.
17. PERMISSION REQUESTS
Where intended reuse exceeds the scope of the applicable Creative Commons license or involves third-party copyrighted content, permission should be sought from the copyright holder. Requests should include:
· Name of requester.
· Institution.
· Material requested.
· Intended use.
· Format of reproduction.
· Whether the use is commercial or non-commercial.
The Editorial Office will respond within a reasonable timeframe.
18. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND COPYRIGHT
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation must comply with TGM's AI Policy. Authors remain fully responsible for:
· Originality.
· Accuracy.
· Copyright compliance.
· Proper attribution of sources.
AI systems cannot be listed as authors and cannot hold copyright. Any AI-generated content must not infringe existing copyrights and must be disclosed where required.
19. COPYRIGHT OF SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Supplementary files, including datasets, appendices, software code, multimedia, and additional documents submitted with a manuscript are subject to the same copyright and licensing provisions as the main article unless explicitly stated otherwise.
20. COPYRIGHT OF SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS
Editorials, invited reviews, clinical guidelines, consensus statements, conference proceedings, and commissioned articles are subject to this policy unless a separate written agreement has been executed.
21. DISCLAIMER
The views expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of:
· The Gazette of Medicine.
· Association of Resident Doctors (ARD-UPTH).
· University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital.
· Editorial Board.
· Editors.
· Reviewers.
· Publisher.
The Journal does not assume responsibility for any copyright infringement committed by authors.
22. POLICY VIOLATIONS
Violation of this Copyright Policy may result in one or more of the following actions:
· Rejection of the manuscript.
· Publication of a correction.
· Publication of an expression of concern.
· Retraction of the article.
· Notification of authors' institutions.
· Reporting to funding agencies.
· Temporary or permanent prohibition from future submissions.
· Legal action where appropriate
23. POLICY REVIEW
This Copyright Policy shall be reviewed every three (3) years, or sooner if required by changes in legislation, publishing standards, or international best practices. Amendments shall be approved by the Editorial Board of The Gazette of Medicine.
24. CONTACT INFORMATION
Editor
The Gazette of Medicine (TGM)
Journal of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD)
University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH)
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Email: [Insert Official Journal Email]
Website: [Insert Official Journal Website]
25. REFERENCES AND GUIDING STANDARDS
This policy has been developed with reference to internationally recognized publishing and copyright standards, including:
1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Core Practices.
2. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.
3. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.
4. Creative Commons. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.
5. Nigerian Copyright Act, 2022 (as amended).
6. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.
This policy aligns with international best practices for biomedical journals and is suitable for indexing in major databases such as DOAJ, Scopus, PubMed Central (where eligible), African Journals Online (AJOL), and other reputable scholarly indexing services.
