1. Scope

These Terms of Use govern access to and use of the Index Academic platform, including:

  • the Index Academic website and public pages;
  • the Index Academic academic journal and related editorial services;
  • Index Academic Repository and its academic deposit services;
  • forms, accounts, files, metadata, and other digital services associated with the platform.

The platform is managed by MultiMedia Publishing, Bucharest, Romania.

By accessing or using the platform, the user confirms that they have read these Terms and agree to them to the extent applicable to the services they use.

Certain services are also subject to specific policies that supplement these Terms.

2. Platform Components

Index Academic includes two distinct academic components:

Index Academic Journal

The journal is a multidisciplinary open access academic publication managed through its own editorial process and double-anonymous peer review.

Publication in the journal is additionally governed by:

Index Academic Repository

The Repository is a digital academic repository for the archiving, organization, preservation, and dissemination of academic materials.

Inclusion of a material in the Repository:

  • does not constitute publication in the Index Academic journal;
  • does not automatically imply peer review;
  • does not in itself certify the scientific quality of the material;
  • is subject to administrative and editorial verification before publication.

The Repository is additionally governed by its own policies on deposit, copyright, DOI, metadata, versions, and preservation.

3. Use of the Platform

Users may access the public content of the platform without creating an account, except for services for which authentication or submission of information is required.

The platform may be used for:

  • consulting articles and academic materials;
  • searching and discovering bibliographic information;
  • submitting manuscripts to the journal;
  • participating in editorial and review processes;
  • requesting deposit of materials in the Repository;
  • accessing and reusing metadata under the applicable conditions;
  • other academic activities permitted by the platform.

Users must use the services lawfully, responsibly, and in a manner consistent with the academic purpose of the platform.

4. User Accounts

Certain services may require creation of an account.

The user is responsible for:

  • providing accurate information;
  • updating information where necessary;
  • maintaining the confidentiality of login credentials;
  • activities carried out through their account;
  • notifying the administrator in the event of unauthorized use.

Accounts must not be used to impersonate other persons, provide false information, or engage in abusive activities.

Index Academic may restrict or suspend access to an account where there are reasonable grounds related to security, policy violations, or abusive use of the platform.

5. Submission of Manuscripts to the Index Academic Journal

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Manuscripts may be subject to:

  • initial editorial screening;
  • verification of compliance with journal policies;
  • double-anonymous peer review;
  • requests for revision;
  • academic integrity checks.

The final publication decision rests with the editorial team in accordance with the journal’s policies.

6. Journal Fees

No fees are charged for manuscript submission or peer review.

A publication fee of EUR 10 is charged for each article accepted for publication.

The fee is payable only after acceptance and does not influence the review process or editorial decision.

Fee conditions may be updated for future submissions, subject to prior publication of the relevant information.

7. Copyright and License of Journal Articles

Authors of articles published in the Index Academic journal retain copyright.

Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) in accordance with the journal’s policy.

Authors grant the journal and publisher the non-exclusive rights necessary to publish, distribute, archive, and identify the article as originally published in Index Academic.

8. Deposit of Materials in the Repository

Materials proposed for inclusion in the Repository are not published automatically.

Each request may be checked with regard to:

  • the academic nature of the material;
  • accuracy of metadata;
  • identity of the authors;
  • deposit rights;
  • document version;
  • license;
  • DOIs and other identifiers;
  • technical requirements;
  • possible legal or integrity concerns.

Index Academic may request additional information or documentation before accepting a deposit.

9. Deposit Rights

The depositor is responsible for ensuring that they have the legal right to request deposit of the material.

For previously published works, the depositor must verify:

  • the original publisher’s self-archiving policy;
  • the version that may be deposited;
  • any embargo;
  • licensing conditions;
  • any other applicable restrictions.

Deposit in the Repository does not automatically transfer copyright to Index Academic or MultiMedia Publishing.

10. Licenses of Repository Materials

Repository materials are not governed by a single general license.

Each material may be available, as applicable:

  • under a Creative Commons license;
  • under another license;
  • under All rights reserved;
  • in accordance with the original publisher’s conditions;
  • under another applicable legal status.

Users are responsible for checking the specific license before reusing any material.

11. DOI and Identifiers

Index Academic may use DOI and other persistent identifiers for certain materials.

A material that already has a valid DOI retains its original DOI and does not receive a second DOI solely because it is included in the Repository.

Assignment of a DOI:

  • does not constitute peer review;
  • does not certify scientific quality;
  • does not transfer copyright;
  • does not change the license;
  • does not automatically make a material Open Access.

12. Metadata

By providing bibliographic information for publication, the user accepts that public metadata associated with materials may be:

  • displayed on the platform;
  • indexed by search engines;
  • transmitted to academic services;
  • harvested by aggregators;
  • used in catalogues and databases;
  • reused for citation, indexing, research, and academic discovery.

Reuse of metadata does not alter the rights applicable to the underlying document.

13. Responsibility for Content

Authors and depositors are responsible for the content of materials they provide.

They must ensure that materials:

  • do not infringe copyright;
  • do not contain plagiarism;
  • do not include fraudulent or fabricated material;
  • do not contain personal data published without a lawful basis;
  • do not breach confidentiality obligations;
  • do not contain illegal material;
  • do not infringe third-party rights.

Index Academic does not automatically endorse the opinions, conclusions, or interpretations expressed by authors.

14. Third-Party Materials

Users are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions for images, tables, text excerpts, data, or other third-party materials.

The fact that an article or document is published under a particular license does not automatically mean that all third-party materials included in it are covered by the same license.

Exceptions must be indicated appropriately.

15. Use of Artificial Intelligence

Use of artificial intelligence tools must comply with the policies applicable to the journal and Repository.

AI tools may not be presented as authors.

Authors and users remain responsible for:

  • accuracy of content;
  • originality;
  • citations;
  • respect for rights;
  • protection of confidential data;
  • disclosure of AI use where required by the applicable policy.

16. Prohibited Uses

Use of the platform is prohibited for:

  • distribution of malware;
  • unauthorized access to systems;
  • disruption of platform operation;
  • spam or unsolicited communications;
  • impersonation of other persons;
  • deliberate submission of false information;
  • copyright infringement;
  • distribution of illegal materials;
  • attempts to manipulate the editorial or peer review process;
  • falsification of academic identity, affiliations, or qualifications;
  • other activities incompatible with the law or the academic purpose of the platform.

17. Academic Integrity

Index Academic may review reports concerning:

  • plagiarism;
  • authorship manipulation;
  • fabrication or falsification of data;
  • copyright infringement;
  • inappropriate duplicate publication;
  • citation manipulation;
  • other forms of academic misconduct.

Where appropriate, access to a material may be temporarily restricted while the matter is being clarified.

18. Corrections, Versions, and Withdrawals

Published materials may be corrected, updated, or withdrawn in accordance with applicable policies.

Index Academic aims to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Accordingly:

  • corrections do not automatically imply deletion of previous versions;
  • new versions must be identified;
  • DOIs are not reused;
  • bibliographic records may be retained after withdrawal of a file;
  • complete deletion is reserved for situations where it is legally, ethically, or technically justified.

19. External Links and Services

The platform may contain links to:

  • DOI services;
  • ORCID;
  • publishers;
  • journals;
  • databases;
  • search engines;
  • academic services;
  • institutional websites;
  • other external resources.

Index Academic does not control and cannot permanently guarantee the availability, security, or content of external services.

Their use is subject to their own terms and policies.

20. Service Availability

Index Academic aims to keep the platform available and operational but does not guarantee uninterrupted access.

Interruptions may occur due to:

  • maintenance;
  • updates;
  • technical problems;
  • security incidents;
  • infrastructure migration;
  • external service providers;
  • circumstances beyond the administrator’s reasonable control.

21. Preservation and Continuity

Index Academic aims to preserve materials and metadata over the long term within the limits of the available technical, legal, and institutional infrastructure.

This may include:

  • backups;
  • technical migrations;
  • URL updates;
  • metadata updates;
  • digital preservation measures.

Absolute and unlimited preservation under all circumstances cannot be guaranteed.

22. Limitation of Liability

Index Academic makes reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information and functioning services but cannot guarantee that all information provided by users, authors, or external services is complete or error-free.

To the extent permitted by law, the administrator is not liable for damage resulting solely from:

  • improper use of the platform;
  • interpretation of academic content;
  • reuse of materials contrary to their license;
  • temporary unavailability of services;
  • incorrect information supplied by third parties;
  • external websites or services.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded.

23. Data Protection

Processing of personal data is governed by the Index Academic Privacy Policy.

That policy describes, among other things, data processed in connection with:

  • user accounts;
  • the journal’s editorial process;
  • peer review;
  • contact forms;
  • Repository deposits;
  • administrative communications;
  • platform operation and security.

24. Cookies

The use of cookies and similar technologies is described in the Cookie Policy.

Because the platform may use WordPress, OJS, and other technical services, cookies may differ depending on the component accessed.

25. Changes to Services

Index Academic may modify, expand, reorganize, or remove certain platform features.

Such changes may include:

  • website structure;
  • forms;
  • categories;
  • editorial workflows;
  • Repository services;
  • integration with external services;
  • technical infrastructure.

Changes should not unjustifiably affect the integrity of existing scholarly records.

26. Changes to These Terms

These Terms may be updated to reflect:

  • changes to services;
  • technical changes;
  • development of academic policies;
  • legal changes;
  • institutional changes.

The version published on the website represents the version currently in force.

For significant changes, the date of the most recent update may be indicated.

27. Applicable Law

These Terms are interpreted in accordance with the law applicable to the platform administrator and any mandatory rules applicable to the user.

Nothing in these Terms limits rights that users have under mandatory law.

28. Contact

For questions concerning:

  • use of the platform;
  • copyright;
  • the Repository;
  • deposits;
  • technical issues;
  • data protection;
  • other matters governed by these Terms,

users may use the official contact details published on the Index Academic website.

Last updated: 16 September 2026