Copyright Policy
Copyright Information
Copyright © 2025 by Tropical Journal of Chemistry (TJC).
All manuscripts published in the Tropical Journal of Chemistry (TJC) are licensed under Creative Commons Licenses, ensuring open access to research content for global dissemination.
Author Representation and Warranties
By submitting a manuscript to TJC, authors represent and warrant that:
a) The manuscript has not been published previously in any form or medium.
b) The manuscript is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
To facilitate the publication process, all authors listed in the manuscript must sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement or Authors Declaration Form, ensuring that:
a) Authors retain the copyright to their work.
b) Authors grant TJC and its licensees an exclusive, perpetual, non-exclusive license to:
1. Publish, reproduce, distribute, display, and store the work.
2. Translate the work into other languages.
3. Create adaptations, reprints, summaries, extracts, and/or abstracts.
4. Incorporate the work into collections or create derivative works.
5. Exploit all subsidiary rights in any format or media, whether currently known or developed in the future.
6. Provide electronic links to third-party material referenced in the work.
7. License third parties to carry out any of the above.
This agreement ensures that the work is disseminated as widely as possible, allowing TJC to manage the distribution and visibility of the content while safeguarding authors' intellectual property rights.
Creative Commons License Specification
To ensure the maximum accessibility of content, all TJC-published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). This license allows users to freely use, distribute, and reproduce the work, provided that the original authors are properly credited. By adopting this license, TJC affirms its commitment to open access publishing while protecting the rights of authors.
Scope of Exclusive License
Authors grant TJC an exclusive license in perpetuity. However, authors should note that this exclusive license is meant to ensure the broadest possible dissemination of their work. This license allows TJC to manage the distribution, translation, and creation of derivative works, which maximizes the reach and impact of the research.
While TJC retains rights for dissemination, the exclusive license is non-restrictive, meaning authors may still reuse their work in other forms, such as future publications or book chapters, subject to the terms outlined in the license. Should an author wish to utilize the content in a new form, prior consultation with the journal’s editorial office is recommended.
Transparency and Rights Management
The policy clearly articulates the rights granted to TJC but should further elaborate on the process of managing third-party licensing. Authors should be notified when their work is licensed to third parties, and the journal should provide clarity on how such third-party licenses will be managed to ensure fair use and attribution. Any adaptations or derivative works made by third parties should be communicated to authors, and authors should be given an opportunity to review these adaptations when feasible.
Ethical Use of Work
TJC upholds high ethical standards in publishing, and this is reflected in its Copyright Policy. Authors are required to ensure that their work complies with originality standards and has not been plagiarized. The journal will take appropriate actions, such as using plagiarism detection tools, to maintain the integrity of the research.
The Copyright Transfer Agreement also serves to safeguard the interests of authors by ensuring that their work is not exploited for commercial purposes without proper consent. The policy emphasizes that manuscripts under review are confidential and cannot be used or shared without permission, which supports ethical academic conduct.
Author Benefits
Authors benefit from the open-access publishing model of TJC, which amplifies the visibility of their research and ensures that it reaches a global, multidisciplinary audience. The Creative Commons Attribution License enables others to freely share and build upon the authors’ work, increasing the likelihood of citation and engagement. Additionally, authors retain the right to reuse their research in other contexts, further promoting the dissemination of their findings.
The policy could also mention other specific benefits, such as access to metrics (e.g., views, downloads, citations) and potential recognition within the research community. A more explicit explanation of these benefits would further incentivize authors to publish with TJC.
Dispute Resolution
Although the policy addresses the legalities of copyright transfer, it does not outline a specific procedure for resolving potential disputes related to copyright, licensing, or content reuse. TJC should introduce a clear dispute resolution mechanism to handle conflicts between authors and the journal. This would ensure fairness and transparency in case of disagreements regarding licensing or the use of content.
Guidance for Authors and Reviewers
TJC requires that all authors sign the Copyright Transfer Agreement or Authors Declaration Form to formalize the licensing arrangement. However, further clarification could be provided regarding the procedure for authors who wish to reuse their work after publication, particularly in instances where the content has been substantially altered or included in future publications.
Authors are also encouraged to review relevant documents such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge, which help contextualize the significance of open-access publishing and provide insight into the global standards for open-access dissemination.
For Enquiries
Should authors or interested parties have any questions about the Copyright Policy or require clarification regarding their rights, they may contact the Editor-in-Chief at the following addresses:
• Email: aaigbodion@biu.edu.ng; editorinchief.tjoc@gmail.com
