Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

IMPACT Journal ("we", "us", "our") is an open-access academic journal published in partnership with Sage Publications Ltd. References to "the Site" mean the IMPACT Journal website. For data protection purposes, the data controller is [data controller and postal address — to confirm]. If you have questions about how we handle your personal data, please contact us at privacy@impactjournal.org.

2. What data we collect

We collect personal data in the following ways:

Information you provide directly: when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit a manuscript via Sage Track, or complete the contact form, we collect your name, email address, institutional affiliation, and any other information you choose to share.

Usage data: we collect standard technical data when you visit the Site, including your IP address, browser type and version, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs. This data is collected through first-party analytics and does not personally identify you unless combined with other information.

Cookies: we use essential cookies to ensure the Site functions correctly, and analytics cookies to understand how visitors use the Site. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

3. How we use your data

We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:

• — To send you the IMPACT Journal newsletter and research updates, where you have subscribed.
• — To process and respond to enquiries submitted through the contact form.
• — To administer manuscript submissions in conjunction with the Sage Track system.
• — To analyse Site usage and improve the user experience.
• — To comply with legal obligations.

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Legal basis for processing

We process your personal data on the following legal bases under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR):

Consent: for newsletter subscriptions and non-essential cookies, where you have actively opted in.

Contractual necessity: for processing manuscript submissions and associated editorial communications.

Legitimate interests: for Site analytics and improving our services, where these interests are not overridden by your data protection rights.

Legal obligation: where we are required to retain or process data to comply with applicable law.

5. Sharing your data

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your data with the following categories of recipients:

Sage Publications: as our publishing partner, Sage processes submission data and hosts full-text articles on the Sage Journals platform. Sage's own privacy policy applies to data processed through their systems.

Newsletter service providers: we use a third-party email platform to send newsletters. This provider processes your email address on our behalf under a data processing agreement.

Analytics providers: anonymised usage data may be shared with analytics platforms to help us understand Site performance.

Legal and regulatory bodies: we may disclose personal data where required by law, court order, or regulatory authority.

6. International transfers

Some of our service providers operate outside the United Kingdom. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), to protect your data to an equivalent standard as required under UK GDPR.

7. Data retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Newsletter subscriber data is retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent. Contact form submissions are retained for up to 24 months unless an ongoing relationship requires longer retention. Manuscript submission data is retained in line with Sage's editorial records policy. Anonymised analytics data may be retained indefinitely.

8. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• — Right of access: you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• — Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• — Right to erasure: you can request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
• — Right to restriction: you can ask us to limit how we use your data.
• — Right to data portability: you can request your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• — Right to object: you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• — Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@impactjournal.org. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

9. Cookies

We use the following categories of cookies:

Essential cookies: required for the Site to function. These cannot be disabled.

Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors interact with the Site. These are only set with your consent.

You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling non-essential cookies will not affect your ability to access published content.

10. Third-party links

The Site contains links to third-party websites, including Sage Journals, partner organisations, and external resources. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

12. Contact us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at privacy@impactjournal.org or write to: [data controller and postal address — to confirm].