Legal

Terms & Conditions

Draft — not yet in effect

Please read these terms carefully before using the IMPACT Journal website. They set out the conditions under which you may access and use our services.

1. Acceptance of terms

By accessing or using the IMPACT Journal website ("the Site"), you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, you may not use the Site. These terms apply to all visitors, users, and contributors, including authors, reviewers, and institutional partners.

2. About IMPACT Journal

IMPACT Journal is an open-access academic publication hosted and operated in partnership with Sage Publications. The journal publishes research on how evidence and research use lead to broader impacts in the world. The Site provides access to published articles, author submission information, and editorial content. IMPACT Journal is published in partnership with Sage Publications Ltd and supported by Pew Charitable Trusts and American University.

3. Use of the website

You agree to use this Site only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of others or restrict their use of the Site. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Site, its servers, or any systems or networks connected to it. You must not use the Site to transmit unsolicited communications, distribute malware, or engage in any conduct that disrupts the normal operation of the Site. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access for any user who violates these terms.

4. Intellectual property

Unless otherwise stated, all content on this Site — including text, images, logos, graphics, and editorial materials — is the property of IMPACT Journal or its content suppliers and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. The IMPACT Journal name, logo, and associated marks are trademarks of the journal and may not be used without prior written permission. Article content published under open-access licences is subject to the terms of those specific licences, as described in Section 5.

5. Open-access licence

All research articles published in IMPACT Journal are made freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0), unless otherwise indicated on the article page. Under this licence, you are free to share and adapt the material for any purpose, provided you give appropriate credit to the original authors, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made. The full article versions hosted on Sage Journals are subject to Sage's own terms of use. Plain-language summaries and editorial content published exclusively on the IMPACT site may be subject to different licensing terms, which will be indicated where applicable.

6. Submissions and author responsibilities

Authors submitting manuscripts to IMPACT Journal confirm that their work is original, has not been published elsewhere in substantially similar form, and is not under consideration by another publication. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions comply with ethical research standards, relevant data protection obligations, and any applicable institutional review requirements. By submitting a manuscript, authors grant IMPACT Journal and Sage Publications a licence to publish, reproduce, and distribute the work in any medium. Authors retain copyright under the CC BY 4.0 licence. IMPACT Journal reserves the right to decline any submission at any stage of the editorial process.

7. Third-party links and partners

The Site may contain links to third-party websites, including Sage Journals, partner organisations, and external resources. These links are provided for convenience only. IMPACT Journal is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or accuracy of third-party sites and does not endorse them. Your use of any linked site is governed by that site's own terms and conditions. Partner organisations listed on this Site — including Sage Publications, Pew Charitable Trusts, and American University — operate independently and their involvement does not imply endorsement of all content published by IMPACT Journal.

8. Disclaimers

The Site and its content are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. IMPACT Journal does not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses. The views expressed in published articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of IMPACT Journal, Sage Publications, or partner organisations. Nothing published on this Site constitutes legal, medical, financial, or professional advice.

9. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, IMPACT Journal and its partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Site or reliance on any content published on it. Our total liability for any claim arising from your use of the Site shall not exceed the amount you paid, if any, to access the relevant content.

10. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Governing law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising in connection with these terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

12. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact us at legal@impactjournal.org or through the contact form on this website.

13. Credits

Icons on this website are from Streamline Sharp (free set) by Streamline (streamlinehq.com), licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Website design and development by Miew (miew.io).