Welcome to NexQ Research Consortium — your premier platform for international academic article, journal, and book publishing. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "Author," "you") and NexQ Research Consortium ("Platform," "we," "us," "our"). Your access to or use of this Platform in any manner signifies your unconditional acceptance of these Terms in their entirety. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must immediately discontinue use of this Platform.
By accessing, browsing, registering, submitting manuscripts, or otherwise using NexQ Research Consortium (the "Platform"), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be legally bound by these Terms and Conditions, together with our Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, and Publication Ethics Statement, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
These Terms apply to all categories of users, including but not limited to:
- Authors & co-authors submitting manuscripts, articles, book chapters, or conference proceedings.
- Editors & reviewers participating in the editorial and peer-review process.
- Readers & researchers accessing published content for academic or professional purposes.
- Institutional subscribers and members accessing content under institutional agreements.
- General visitors browsing the Platform for informational purposes.
NexQ Research Consortium facilitates the publication and global dissemination of peer-reviewed academic journals, research articles, books, book chapters, monographs, conference proceedings, and related scholarly content across all disciplines of science, technology, medicine, engineering, humanities, and social sciences.
Our platform provides the following core services:
- Online manuscript submission and tracking system.
- Rigorous double-blind or single-blind peer-review coordination.
- Copy editing, typesetting, and digital publishing services.
- Open access hosting and archiving of published content.
- Digital Object Identifier (DOI) assignment and CrossRef registration.
- Indexing outreach to international academic databases and repositories.
- Author dashboards, citation metrics, and article-level analytics.
NexQ Research Consortium reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature, service, or journal at any time with or without notice, and shall not be liable for any such modification, suspension, or discontinuation.
Access to certain features and services of this Platform requires registration and the creation of a user account. By registering, you agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to maintain and promptly update your registration information to keep it accurate, current, and complete.
- You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.
- You must immediately notify NexQ Research Consortium of any unauthorised use of your account or any other breach of security.
- You may not share, transfer, or assign your account to any third party without prior written consent from NexQ Research Consortium.
- You must not impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity in connection with your account.
- NexQ Research Consortium reserves the right to suspend or terminate any account at its sole discretion, including for violation of these Terms, without prior notice or liability.
Upon submission of a manuscript to NexQ Research Consortium, a binding legal agreement is established between the author(s) and the Platform. The corresponding author, acting on behalf of all co-authors, represents and warrants that:
- The manuscript is an original work and has not been previously published in any form in any language, and is not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- If the manuscript was presented at a conference or is based on a thesis or dissertation, this has been fully disclosed at the time of submission.
- All named co-authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and have consented to its submission and publication.
- The manuscript does not contain any defamatory, unlawful, plagiarised, or otherwise infringing content.
- All data, results, and conclusions reported are accurate and have not been fabricated, falsified, or otherwise manipulated.
- All necessary ethical approvals, institutional clearances, and informed consents have been obtained prior to submission.
NexQ Research Consortium authorises itself, upon submission, to proceed with plagiarism screening, format checking, and peer-review coordination. The Platform reserves the editorial right to reject any submitted manuscript at any stage of the evaluation process without being required to provide specific reasons, in furtherance of its commitment to the highest standards of academic integrity.
All articles and content published on NexQ Research Consortium are made available on an Open Access basis, freely accessible to readers worldwide without subscription barriers. By publishing with NexQ Research Consortium, authors grant the Platform a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, publicly display, and archive their work in all formats and media.
Under the CC BY 4.0 licence, any user may freely share (copy and redistribute) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon) the published material for any purpose, including commercial use, provided that:
- Appropriate credit is given to the original authors, with a link to the licence and an indication of any changes made.
- The licence terms are not restricted or legally overridden by the user.
- No endorsement by the original authors or publisher is implied or suggested.
For content published under alternative Open Access licences (such as CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND, or CC BY-NC-ND), the specific licence terms are clearly indicated on the relevant publication page and must be strictly observed.
Authors retain copyright in their published work when publishing under the CC BY 4.0 or equivalent open access licence. The Platform's rights are limited to those granted under the applicable open access licence and the publishing agreement.
All Platform infrastructure, including but not limited to its website design, software, databases, editorial management system, brand identity, trademarks, logos, and non-authored editorial content, is the exclusive intellectual property of NexQ Research Consortium and is protected by applicable international intellectual property laws.
- Authors are solely responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions from original copyright holders for any third-party material (figures, tables, images, data, text excerpts) included in their manuscripts.
- Proof of permissions must be provided to the editorial office upon request and before publication.
- Unauthorised use, reproduction, modification, or commercial exploitation of Platform-owned content or branding is strictly prohibited.
- The name, logo, and brand identifiers of NexQ Research Consortium may not be used in any manner without prior written authorisation from the Platform.
All authors publishing with NexQ Research Consortium are required to adhere to the highest standards of academic and research integrity, as set out in our Publication Ethics Statement and in accordance with internationally recognised guidelines, including those published by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and equivalent bodies.
Authors are obligated to:
- Ensure that submitted work is free from plagiarism, self-plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, and image manipulation.
- Accurately acknowledge and cite all sources of data, ideas, and text.
- Disclose in full all conflicts of interest, including financial relationships, institutional affiliations, and personal interests that could influence the work.
- Declare all funding sources and grant numbers relevant to the research.
- Comply with all applicable research ethics requirements, including ethics committee approval, informed consent, animal welfare standards, and trial registration where applicable.
- Accurately list all individuals who meet authorship criteria and exclude those who do not; contributor roles should be declared using the CRediT taxonomy where applicable.
- Promptly notify NexQ Research Consortium of any significant errors discovered in published work and cooperate fully in issuing corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions as appropriate.
By submitting manuscripts, authors provide consent for their names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses to be published alongside the article as part of standard academic publishing practice.
All manuscripts submitted to NexQ Research Consortium journals undergo rigorous peer review in accordance with each journal's published editorial policies. Our peer-review process is conducted in compliance with the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers and may employ single-blind, double-blind, or open peer-review models depending on the journal.
- Reviewers are selected on the basis of their subject expertise and are required to declare any conflicts of interest prior to accepting a review assignment.
- Reviewer identities are treated as confidential unless the relevant journal operates an open peer-review policy.
- Peer-review decisions — including acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection — are final editorial decisions and are not subject to commercial influence.
- Authors are required to respond to reviewer comments professionally, thoroughly, and within the time frame specified by the editorial office.
- Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance for publication. The Platform's editorial decisions are final.
Publication of content on NexQ Research Consortium may be subject to Article Processing Charges (APCs), submission fees, or charges for additional editorial services. All applicable fees are published transparently on the relevant journal's webpage and are subject to change. The current fee schedule in effect at the time of manuscript acceptance shall apply.
- APC waiver & discount policy: NexQ Research Consortium may, at its sole discretion, offer full or partial APC waivers to authors from low-income countries, early-career researchers, or in other exceptional circumstances. Waiver requests must be submitted in writing prior to manuscript acceptance.
- Payment obligation: Accepted manuscripts become subject to the applicable APC upon editorial acceptance. Payment must be completed before the manuscript proceeds to production and final publication.
- No refund on published content: Once an article has been published online, APCs are non-refundable except in cases of demonstrable publisher error.
- Additional services: Optional services including enhanced copyediting, graphical abstract preparation, language editing, and expedited review are available at additional cost.
- Discounts: Discounts may be available to editorial board members, active reviewers, and institutional partners. NexQ Research Consortium reserves the right to grant or decline any discount or waiver request without providing reasons.
NexQ Research Consortium is committed to the integrity of the scholarly record. In cases where published content is found to contain significant errors, to have been plagiarised, to involve research misconduct, or to violate publication ethics standards, the Platform reserves the right to:
- Issue a Correction for minor errors that do not affect the conclusions of the work.
- Publish an Expression of Concern where there is evidence of possible misconduct pending investigation.
- Issue a Retraction where findings are unreliable, plagiarism is established, or publication ethics have been seriously breached.
- Remove content in exceptional circumstances, including where publication creates legal liability or violates applicable law.
Post-publication correction and retraction actions are handled in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines. Authors are given the opportunity to respond to any allegations of misconduct prior to a retraction decision being made, except where immediate action is legally required.
In using this Platform, you agree not to engage in any of the following prohibited activities:
- Submitting manuscripts containing plagiarised, fabricated, falsified, or otherwise fraudulent content.
- Engaging in duplicate submission, simultaneous submission to multiple journals, or salami slicing of data sets without appropriate disclosure.
- Attempting to manipulate the peer-review process, including submitting false reviewer recommendations or impersonating reviewers.
- Using the Platform to distribute unsolicited commercial communications, malicious software, or harmful content.
- Attempting to gain unauthorised access to any portion of the Platform, its servers, databases, or associated systems.
- Harvesting, scraping, or systematically extracting content from the Platform for commercial purposes without prior written consent.
- Engaging in any conduct that disrupts, overburdens, or impairs the functionality of the Platform or its infrastructure.
- Using the Platform in any manner that violates applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.
NexQ Research Consortium reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate legal or administrative action against anyone who, in the Platform's sole discretion, violates these provisions, including account termination and referral to relevant law enforcement or academic integrity bodies.
The collection, processing, and use of personal data in connection with this Platform are governed by the NexQ Research Consortium Privacy Policy, which forms an integral part of these Terms and is incorporated herein by reference. NexQ Research Consortium is committed to compliance with all applicable data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and equivalent national laws.
- Author email addresses: As is standard in academic publishing, authors' email addresses are published alongside their articles to facilitate scholarly communication. By submitting a manuscript, all listed authors consent to publication of their contact information.
- Reviewer confidentiality: Reviewer identities and reviewer reports are treated as confidential unless the journal operates an open peer-review model.
- Data retention: Submission, review, and publication records are retained in accordance with academic and legal requirements for research integrity and archival purposes.
- Cookies: This Platform uses cookies to improve functionality and user experience. By using the Platform, you consent to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy.
The Platform and all content, services, and features are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, NexQ Research Consortium expressly disclaims all warranties, including but not limited to:
- Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
- Any warranty that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free of viruses or other harmful components.
- Any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or reliability of any content published on the Platform.
- Any warranty regarding the indexation, citation impact, or discoverability of any published article or journal.
All published content reflects the views and findings of the individual authors only and does not represent the position or endorsement of NexQ Research Consortium. For full details, please refer to our standalone Disclaimer.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, NexQ Research Consortium and its directors, officers, editors, employees, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunity, arising out of or in connection with:
- Your use of or inability to access the Platform or any content thereon.
- Any reliance placed on published research, data, or editorial content.
- Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in published content.
- Unauthorised access to or alteration of your submissions or account data.
- Any failure of indexing, archiving, or discoverability of published content.
- Any conduct or content of third parties on or linked through the Platform.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless NexQ Research Consortium and its directors, officers, editors, employees, agents, licensors, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:
- Your use of or access to the Platform.
- Any content you submit, contribute, or publish through the Platform, including any claim of copyright infringement, plagiarism, defamation, or data protection violation.
- Your breach of any provision of these Terms or any applicable law or regulation.
- Your violation of any rights of any third party, including intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or moral rights.
- Any misrepresentation made by you in connection with your use of the Platform.
NexQ Research Consortium shall not be held liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under these Terms where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to:
- Acts of God, natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, fires, or severe weather events.
- War, armed conflict, terrorism, civil unrest, or government actions.
- Pandemics, epidemics, or public health emergencies declared by competent authorities.
- Cyberattacks, denial-of-service attacks, or critical infrastructure failures beyond the Platform's control.
- Strikes, labour disputes, or industrial action affecting the Platform's operations or supply chain.
- Failure of third-party technology providers, hosting services, or telecommunications networks.
In such circumstances, the performance of obligations shall be suspended for the duration of the force majeure event. The Platform will use commercially reasonable efforts to resume normal operations as promptly as practicable.
These Terms and Conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, their subject matter, or their formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which NexQ Research Consortium is registered, without regard to conflict of law principles.
- Informal resolution: Before initiating formal proceedings, parties agree to attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute through direct negotiation for a period of not less than thirty (30) days.
- Mediation: If informal resolution fails, the parties agree to attempt mediation through a mutually agreed mediator before commencing litigation.
- Jurisdiction: Any dispute that cannot be resolved through mediation shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of the Platform's jurisdiction of registration, subject to applicable mandatory law provisions.
This Platform is accessible internationally. NexQ Research Consortium makes no representation that its services are appropriate or available in all jurisdictions. Users accessing this Platform from outside the Platform's primary jurisdiction do so at their own initiative and are solely responsible for compliance with local laws.
NexQ Research Consortium reserves the right to amend, update, modify, or replace these Terms and Conditions at any time, at its sole discretion, without prior notice. Revised Terms will be published on the Platform bearing an updated effective date. Material changes will be notified to registered users via email or through a prominent notice on the Platform.
If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must cease using the Platform immediately and, where applicable, contact us to close your account. The most current version of these Terms shall supersede all prior versions.