THE STACKS’ TERMS OF SERVICE
These are the Terms of Use between you (“User”) and Stacks Journal (“Stacks”). Stacks is a peer-reviewed and open-access scientific journal that harnesses the insights of your colleagues to easily publish, collaborate, and advance your field. Stacks operates www.stacksjournal.org and its subdomains. By using Stacks and any products or services accessible from Stacks, you are agreeing to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Use”).
Aims and scope
Stacks is an interdisciplinary journal and currently considers original research articles from all disciplines.
Open access policy and license to use articles and related content
Stacks is a 100% open-access journal. All published content on Stacks is available without charge. Unless noted otherwise or special circumstances are requested, all articles, peer reviews, and other generated content published on Stacks are licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, anyone can freely read, download, reference, share, or adapt the articles published in Stacks for any lawful purpose, so long as attribution is given to the original authors; authors retain the copyright. Authors are responsible for acquiring any appropriate permissions for reusing any materials that have been published elsewhere including, but not limited to, text, figures, and tables.
Article formats, formatting, and submission
Stacks offers the publication of original research in 2 formats: short-form and long-form. For additional information on manuscript requirements and formatting, see our Instructions to Authors. Stacks retains the right to modify, update, or change these formatting requirements at any time, without notice. Articles should be submitted to Stacks on the Instructions to Authors webpage. Authors must have permission from all co-authors to submit their work to Stacks. Articles submitted to Stacks must represent original work that has not been published elsewhere.
Plagiarism, unethical behavior, and retraction policy
Content submitted to Stacks, including articles, content and reviews, must be free of incorrect information, plagiarism, and manipulation of any kind including, but not limited to, data or figures. Stacks upholds the highest standards of scientific integrity and reserves the right to retract any article at any point in the publication process that is deemed to be in violation of this policy. If you believe any article or submission is in violation of this policy, please notify contact@stacksjournal.org immediately.
Peer review in Stacks
This is the peer review process in the Stacks. Stacks retains the right to modify, change, or adapt this policy at any time without notice. Peer review in Stacks is performed by a community of colleagues who have proven their expertise by previously publishing a peer-reviewed publication. Peer review is double-blind and open; the identities of the authors and reviewers are anonymous during peer review. Reviewers will be named on published papers and can opt-in to be recognized as a “Collaborator” for their contributions and listed underneath the authors on the final publication. All peer reviews will be attached to published articles with the names of the reviewers revealed. Stacks retains the right to calculate metrics derived from the peer review that can be displayed on any published articles (i.e., “credibility score”).
Initial submission checks
Each article submission will undergo an initial check by Stacks to ensure compliance with these Terms of Use, formatting guidelines, the expertise identified as stacks for review, and to confirm no conflicts of interest. If any alterations to the submission are needed, Stacks may return the submission back to the authors with the required edits to be considered for peer review. Stacks also reserves the right to reject any submission at any time without notice.
Selecting peer-reviewers
Stacks selects reviewers based on their expertise, knowledge, and relevancy to submitted articles.
Collaborative peer review
Peer review in Stacks is double-blind (i.e., both the identities of the authors and the reviewers are hidden during the review), and is completed in three parts:
- Reviewers receive the submission to review independently for 3 weeks.
- Then, for 7 days, a live version of the document is made available as a Google Doc or similar where reviewers can post their constructive criticism of the article and can respond to other reviewers’ comments and suggestions anonymously. Reviewers will be assigned an anonymous account to log in using and provide feedback without disclosing their identity.
- When reviewers are ready to finalize their review, they provide additional feedback on the study design, interpretation, statistics, reproducibility, and ethics of the article through a form. They also vote to accept the submission for publication, request revisions, or reject the submission. During this process, reviewers can also opt-in to be listed as “Collaborators” on the published article.
During peer review, Stacks reserves the right to remove comments or suggestions at any time that are deemed to be offensive, harmful, insulting, or not in line with the constructive environment we strive to create.
Submission acceptance, revision, or rejection
At the end of the 28-day peer review period, Stacks will calculate reviewers’ votes to accept the submission, request revisions, or reject the manuscript.
- If >70% of reviewers think the article should be accepted, then the authors can revise the manuscript based on the comments they received during peer review, and then the article is published on Stacks.
- If >70% of reviewers think the article should be rejected, then the article is rejected from Stacks and the comments are sent to the authors.
- In all other cases, the article is returned to the authors and they have 42 days to perform revisions and resubmit it to Stacks.
Article revisions
Authors receive 42 days to resubmit a submission that has been returned to them for revisions. Authors have 1 chance to resubmit a submission to Stacks that has been returned for revisions. If after this revision >70% of reviewers vote to accept the article, then it is accepted.
If <70% of reviewers vote to accept an article during its resubmission, it is rejected and the author cannot submit the article again to Stacks. Authors can request a time extension to resubmit an article by contacting Stacks at submissions@stacksjournal.org.
Manuscript decision time
Stacks makes every effort to render a first decision for any submission 28 days after being sent out for peer review. This consists of a 21-day period where reviewers are able to look at the article independently and a 7-day period of collaborative peer review and voting. Stacks retains the right to alter, modify, change, or adapt this timeline if needed to provide adequate peer review for any submission.
Transparent peer review
Stacks uses transparent peer review. The comments, suggestions, and voting of all submissions are free to be made public and attached to the articles upon publication.
Conflicts of Interest
Any User submitting content, such as articles, reviews, or other content to Stacks agrees to identify and disclose any connections or interests that could be interpreted as bias in their work, affect the impartiality of the findings, or influence their ability to provide an impartial peer review. This disclosure may result in the inability to publish the articles, reviews, or other content, or serve as a peer reviewer.
Ownership of content
The copyright of any materials posted to Stacks is retained by the authors. Trademarks and elements appearing on Stacks are protected by US and international copyright, trade dress, patent, and trademark laws, international conventions, and other applicable laws.
Use of Stacks’ tools and services
Stacks offers various software tools and functionality on its website to facilitate the submission and/or posting of research outputs and results, such as articles, manuscripts, and reviews (collectively referred to as “Services”). By using Stacks, you agree to refrain from interfering with or disrupting any of the Services, their proper functioning, or any individual’s access to or use of the Services. This includes, but is not limited to, activities such as introducing viruses, trojan horses, and other forms of malware, tampering with or breaching the Services, or attempting to probe, scan, or exploit vulnerabilities in Stacks’ websites, computer systems, networks, usage rules, security components, or any other measures meant to protect Stacks or Services, as well as their content.
Ownership of site
Stacks is property of Stacks Journal Inc. By using Stacks, you acknowledge that it, as well as any essential software utilized in conjunction with it, may contain confidential and proprietary information that is protected by laws governing intellectual property, proprietary rights, and similar regulations. All code and specifications for Stacks are subject to their stated or implied licenses.
General practices regarding use
At any time and without prior notice, Stacks reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or terminate your access and use of Stacks.
Article and content submission
By submitting articles, peer reviews, or other content to Stacks, you are required to abide by these Terms of Use and any additional Stacks guidelines and policies accessible through Stacks. Furthermore, you agree to have any material you submit subject to the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) and provide any information requested by Stacks during the submission and publication process. It is your responsibility to ensure all content you submit for publication or posting on Stacks complies with these requirements.
Your content
By submitting content to Stacks, such as comments, peer reviews, manuscripts, or other research outputs, you grant Stacks a non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free right to use your content (either in part or in whole), to reproduce, distribute, display, store, translate, create derivative works from, and incorporate it into other works in any form, medium, format, whether currently known or developed in the future, in any language, throughout the world, for the entire duration of the right, and to permit others to perform any of the foregoing acts. Stacks reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to decide whether to publish your content, and to reject any submission that fails to meet our standards, guidelines, or policies. By submitting to Stacks, the User represents and warrants that they have all necessary rights to grant the above license, and that the content does not infringe on the intellectual property rights or other rights of any third party.
By submitting content to Stacks, the User agrees that we may share your content on social media accounts or other public relations channels of Stacks, including but not limited to, X (Twitter), BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok, for promotional or informational purposes. The User acknowledges that any content shared by us may be visible by the public and may be subject to sharing or re-posting by others. Stacks reserves the right to remove any content shared by Stacks at any time, for any reason, and without notice. The User may request that we remove any content shared Stacks on our social media or other public relations channels at contact@stacksjournal.org.
Impermissible acts
As a condition to use Stacks, you agree to abide by the following rules:
- Never upload, post, email, transmit or make available any material that is illegal, offensive, abusive, threatening, harassing, defamatory, pornographic or that infringes on someone else’s rights, including their intellectual property rights.
- Never impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, nor can you obtain, collect, store or modify other users’ personal information.
- Never upload, post, email, transmit or make available any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, “spam”, “junk mail”, “chain letters”, “pyramid schemes,” or any other forms of solicitation.
- Never modify, adapt or hack Stacks or falsely suggest that another site is associated with Stacks.
- Never use Stacks for any illegal or unauthorized purpose. You must comply with the laws of your jurisdiction, including copyright laws.
Violation of these terms of use
User acknowledges that Stacks is not obligated to screen or monitor their use of Stacks, or any content provided through them, but has the right to do so. The User agrees that Stacks may remove or delete any content that violates these Terms of Use or is considered objectionable, at Stacks’ sole discretion.
Modifications to Stacks and Terms of Use
Stacks retains the right to modify or terminate Stacks (or any part thereof), either temporarily or permanently, with or without notice, at any time. The User understands and agrees that Stacks will not be held responsible for any changes, suspensions, or terminations of Stacks, and that neither you nor any third party will be entitled to any compensation or damages as a result of these actions. Stacks also reserves the right to revise these Terms of Use by posting modifications on the relevant page of Stacks. You consent to be bound by any such revisions and are advised to check these Terms of Use regularly to ensure that you are aware of the current Terms of Use to which you are bound.
Links
Stacks may contain links to other websites or resources. You acknowledge and agree that Stacks is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and that Stacks does not endorse or assume any responsibility for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. Your use of any third-party websites, products, or services linked to or from Stacks is solely at your own risk. You acknowledge and agree that Stacks shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damages or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such site or resource. Your interactions with any third-party website or resource, including payment and delivery of goods or services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and the third-party website or resource.
Notification of claims of infringement
If you or any entity you represent own a creative work that has been used by Stacks that you believe is in violation of copyright laws, you can request that the material be taken down by contacting contact@stacksjournal.org.
Disclaimer of warranties
Your use of Stacks, or any linked website is solely at your own risk. Stacks and their contents are provided “as is” and “as available.” Stacks makes no representations or warranties regarding Stacks, or their contents, and hereby disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose or non-infrigement with respect to Stacks, their content, or any linked website. Any advice or information obtained by you from Stacks, whether oral or written, shall not create any warranty not expressly stated in the Terms of Use.
Indemnification, limitation of liability
You assume full responsibility for your use of Stacks and any associated websites, and agree to indemnify Stacks, including its subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, agents, co-branders, partners, and employees, against any claims, damages, and expenses (including attorney fees) brought by third parties due to arising from your use of Stacks, your violation of these Terms of Use, any infringement of another’s rights, or any breach of the representations, warranties, and covenants stated herein. You are solely accountable for the costs incurred for internet access and any other actions you take while using Stacks. Stacks reserves the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate with our defense of these claims.
In no event shall Stacks and its employees, agents, suppliers, or contractors be liable for any damages of any kind, including but not limited to consequential loss, damages for loss of income or profit, loss of or damage to property, loss of goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses, claims of third parties, or any other loss, cost, claim, or expense of any kind or character arising from or related to the use of Stacks, their content, or any linked websites.
Considerations for international use
You agree to abide by all local regulations related to online behavior. This includes compliance with all relevant laws governing the transfer of technical data outside of the United States or your country of residence.
General terms
These Terms of Use govern your use of Stacks and supersede any prior agreements between you and Stacks, including previous versions of the Terms of Use, and any previous representations by Stacks. You acknowledge that the Internet has a global reach and agree to comply with all local rules and applicable laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from the United States or your country of residence. These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oregon, without regard to conflicts of law principles. If any provision of these Terms of Use is found to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the parties agree that the court should attempt to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Stacks’s failure to enforce any right or provision in these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. You agree that any claim or cause of action arising from or related to the use of Stacks or these Terms of Use must be filed within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arose, or it is forever barred. The section titles in these Terms of Use are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.
Contact information
Please email us at contact@stacksjournal.org if you have any questions.
Last updated April 3rd, 2024
