Intellectual Property Policy

Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature recognizes intellectual property (IP) as fundamental to scholarly communication, academic integrity, and responsible research dissemination. The journal is committed to protecting the intellectual property rights of authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and third parties while promoting the ethical dissemination and reuse of scholarly knowledge through open-access publishing.

This policy establishes the principles governing intellectual property ownership, copyright, publication licensing, permissions, reuse, proprietary materials, trademarks, confidential editorial contributions, artificial intelligence, and protection against intellectual property infringement. It applies to all manuscripts submitted to or published in the journal and to all individuals involved in its editorial and publication processes.


1. Guiding Principles

The journal is committed to:

  • Respecting and protecting the intellectual property rights of authors and other rights holders.
  • Preserving authors' ownership of their original scholarly work.
  • Promoting lawful access to, dissemination of, and reuse of published research.
  • Preventing plagiarism, copyright infringement, and the unauthorized use of intellectual contributions.
  • Protecting confidential editorial communications and unpublished research materials.
  • Ensuring compliance with applicable copyright laws, licensing conditions, and publication ethics standards.
  • Supporting responsible open science and transparent scholarly communication.


2. Ownership of Intellectual Property

Authors retain copyright in their original works published in Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature, subject to applicable law and any separate written agreements concerning particular materials.

Submission of a manuscript does not transfer copyright ownership to the journal or its publisher. Authors retain ownership of their original text, figures, tables, photographs, illustrations, datasets, supplementary materials, graphical abstracts, software, code, and other original contributions, subject to third-party rights and applicable agreements.

The journal receives the publication rights necessary to publish, reproduce, distribute, archive, and make accepted articles publicly available under the applicable publication license.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the legal authority to submit and publish all materials included in their manuscripts.


3. Copyright and Authors' Rights

Upon acceptance, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive, worldwide license to publish and distribute their articles and identify Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature as the original publication venue. Authors retain the right to:

  • Reproduce and distribute their work in accordance with the applicable license.
  • Use their published articles for teaching, research, and academic presentations.
  • Include their work in books, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly publications.
  • Deposit and share their articles through institutional repositories, personal websites, and academic platforms.
  • Develop subsequent scholarly works based on their research, subject to appropriate attribution and applicable third-party rights.

Any subsequent use must acknowledge the original publication and comply with the applicable licensing terms.


4. Open-Access Licensing

The journal publishes articles under an open-access model using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license.

Under this license, users may copy, redistribute, and adapt published materials for non-commercial purposes, provided that they:

  • Give appropriate credit to the original author or authors.
  • Cite the original publication in the journal.
  • Provide a link to the applicable Creative Commons license.
  • Indicate whether modifications have been made.
  • Distribute adaptations under the same license where applicable.

Commercial reuse is not permitted under this license without separate authorization from the relevant rights holder. Users must comply with all applicable licensing conditions and must not impose additional restrictions that prevent others from exercising the rights granted by the license. The full license is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/


5. Originality of Submitted Work

Authors must ensure that submitted manuscripts constitute original scholarly work and that all third-party contributions are appropriately acknowledged. Submission confirms that, to the best of the authors' knowledge and subject to disclosed permissions or licenses:

The manuscript does not unlawfully reproduce or appropriate another person's work.

  • All sources, quotations, ideas, data, and other borrowed materials are appropriately cited.
  • Required permissions for copyrighted materials have been obtained.
  • The manuscript does not knowingly infringe intellectual property rights.
  • All relevant ownership, licensing, and publication restrictions have been disclosed to the journal.

The journal may conduct plagiarism screening and request clarification or supporting documentation where questions concerning originality or intellectual property arise.


6. Third-Party Copyrighted Materials

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from the relevant copyright holder before reproducing copyrighted materials whenever permission is required by law or the applicable license.

Such materials may include photographs, figures, diagrams, maps, illustrations, questionnaires, research instruments, substantial quotations, audio recordings, video materials, and other protected content.

Authors must provide appropriate acknowledgments, citations, and licensing information for third-party materials. Evidence of permission may be requested by the editorial office.

Materials available under open licenses may be reused in accordance with their specific terms. Where the required permissions cannot be obtained, authors must replace, remove, or appropriately modify the material before publication.

Failure to comply may result in revision requests, publication delays, rejection, or removal of infringing content where warranted.


7. Proprietary Materials and Confidential Information

Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the legal authority to publish proprietary or restricted materials, including patented technologies, commercial software, licensed databases, confidential business information, and materials subject to contractual restrictions.

Publication must not violate confidentiality agreements, employment contracts, institutional policies, licensing agreements, or applicable legal restrictions.

Authors must obtain any necessary authorization before submitting or publishing such materials. The journal may request evidence of permission or clarification of relevant restrictions.


8. Institutional Intellectual Property

Research conducted within universities, research institutions, government agencies, NGOs, commercial organizations, or other institutions may be subject to institutional intellectual property policies or contractual agreements.

Authors are responsible for determining whether their research materials are subject to institutional ownership, funding conditions, employment agreements, or other restrictions and for obtaining any required approvals before submission.

The journal does not determine ownership on behalf of authors' institutions. Disputes concerning institutional ownership must be resolved by the relevant parties in accordance with applicable agreements and laws.

9. Patents and Commercialization

Authors should consider the potential implications of publication for patent protection and other commercialization rights before submitting their manuscripts. Because public disclosure may affect the availability of patent protection in certain jurisdictions, authors intending to seek patents should consult the relevant institution, technology transfer office, or qualified legal adviser before publication. The journal does not provide legal advice concerning patentability and cannot guarantee that publication will preserve patent rights.


10. Research Data and Software

Ownership of research data, software, code, and other supporting materials remains with the relevant authors, institutions, or other rights holders, as determined by applicable law, licensing conditions, and agreements.

The journal encourages authors to share research data, deposit software and code, archive analytical materials, and provide relevant protocols in appropriate repositories, consistent with the journal's Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy.

Authors must ensure that the sharing or publication of research materials complies with copyright, privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, licensing, and cultural restrictions. Data sharing must not infringe third-party rights or disclose protected personal or culturally sensitive information without appropriate authorization.

11. Trademarks and Trade Names

Registered trademarks, trade names, and other protected commercial identifiers must be appropriately acknowledged where relevant. The use of a trademark or trade name in a published article does not imply endorsement by Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature, its publisher, editors, or editorial board. Authors must not use trademarks or other protected identifiers in ways that are misleading, infringe applicable rights, or falsely suggest institutional or commercial endorsement.

12. Use and Reuse of Journal Content

Readers, researchers, educators, and other users may access, cite, share, and adapt published articles in accordance with the applicable Creative Commons license. Permitted uses may include research, teaching, academic presentations, systematic reviews, policy documents, and educational materials, provided that the proposed use complies with the license.

Users must provide appropriate attribution, preserve relevant citation information, identify modifications where applicable, and comply with the non-commercial and ShareAlike requirements of CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Uses falling outside the scope of the applicable license require authorization from the relevant rights holder.


13. Journal Name, Logo, and Branding

The journal's name, logo, visual identity, and associated branding are protected to the extent provided by applicable intellectual property laws. Rights in these materials belong to their respective owners, including the publisher where applicable.

The journal's name and logo must not be used in ways that falsely imply endorsement, affiliation, sponsorship, or authorization. Reproduction for commercial purposes, promotional activities, or other uses outside applicable permissions may require prior written authorization from the relevant rights holder.

The open-access license governing published articles does not automatically grant permission to use the journal's logo, branding, or other separately protected materials.


14. Reviewers' Intellectual Contributions

Reviewers retain their intellectual rights in their original scholarly analyses, critiques, and recommendations, subject to applicable law and agreements.

Reviewer reports and communications submitted during peer review are confidential editorial materials. They must not be reproduced, distributed, publicly disclosed, or used for purposes outside the editorial process without appropriate authorization, except where disclosure is required by law or permitted under the journal's policies.

Authors may use legitimate scholarly feedback to improve their manuscripts, but must not misrepresent reviewers' contributions or disclose confidential peer-review communications without authorization.


15. Editorial Intellectual Property and Confidentiality

Editorial correspondence, internal evaluations, reviewer assignments, editorial deliberations, unpublished editorial documents, and confidential workflow materials must be protected against unauthorized access, disclosure, reproduction, or use.

Editors, reviewers, and editorial staff must not use unpublished manuscripts or confidential information obtained through their editorial responsibilities for personal, professional, or commercial advantage.

Confidentiality obligations do not transfer copyright ownership of authors' manuscripts to the journal. The ownership and permitted use of each material remain subject to applicable law, licensing conditions, and relevant agreements.


16. Withdrawn Manuscripts and Editorial Contributions

Authors retain copyright in their original manuscripts when a submission is withdrawn, subject to applicable law and agreements. Withdrawal does not transfer ownership of the manuscript to the journal.

Reviewer reports, editorial correspondence, and original contributions made by reviewers or editors remain subject to their applicable intellectual property rights and the journal's confidentiality requirements. Authors must not reproduce or publicly disclose confidential reviewer reports or editorial communications without appropriate authorization.

Authors may use general scholarly feedback and independently developed revisions to improve their work, provided that they respect confidentiality, attribution, and other applicable rights.

If a manuscript later published elsewhere appears to reproduce protected editorial materials, confidential reviewer comments, or other content without authorization, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate action under its publication ethics procedures. Such action may include contacting the authors, the relevant journal, or the authors' institutions where justified.

The journal does not claim automatic ownership of revisions, ideas, or manuscript text merely because these arose during peer review. Any specific ownership claim must be supported by applicable law, a valid agreement, or demonstrable rights in the material concerned.


17. Artificial Intelligence and Intellectual Property

Authors remain responsible for the originality, accuracy, and lawful use of all intellectual property included in their manuscripts, regardless of whether artificial intelligence (AI) tools have been used.

AI systems cannot be listed as authors or assumed to hold copyright or other intellectual property rights on behalf of the journal. The legal status of AI-generated material may vary according to applicable law.

Authors must assess whether AI-generated or AI-assisted content, images, code, translations, or other materials may infringe third-party rights or violate licensing restrictions. Relevant AI use must be disclosed in accordance with the journal's applicable policies.

The use of AI does not exempt authors from their obligations concerning attribution, originality, confidentiality, permissions, and research integrity.


18. Copyright Infringement and Intellectual Property Violations

The journal takes allegations of copyright infringement, plagiarism, unauthorized reproduction, and other intellectual property violations seriously. When a concern arises, the journal may:

  • Investigate the allegation and request supporting documentation.
  • Seek explanations from the relevant authors or rights holders.
  • Suspend editorial processing while the matter is assessed.
  • Request revisions or removal of infringing materials.
  • Reject a manuscript where serious or unresolved violations warrant rejection.
  • Issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions where appropriate.
  • Restrict access to published material where justified and legally permissible.
  • Contact relevant institutions, publishers, or rights holders when necessary.

Investigations will be conducted fairly and confidentially, taking into account the evidence, applicable law, relevant licensing conditions, and established publication ethics guidance, including guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).


19. Intellectual Property Disputes

Complaints concerning copyright ownership, licensing, permissions, or other intellectual property matters should be submitted to the journal's editorial office with relevant supporting information.

The journal will assess complaints impartially and may request documentation or explanations from the parties concerned. Where a dispute materially affects the legality or integrity of publication, the journal may suspend editorial consideration or publication until the matter has been sufficiently clarified.

The journal is not a court or legal adjudicator and does not determine ownership beyond the evidence and authority available to it. Parties may be advised to seek resolution through their institutions, the relevant rights holders, or appropriate legal channels.


20. Policy Implementation and Review

This policy applies to authors, reviewers, editors, editorial staff, and other contributors involved in the submission, review, publication, and dissemination of content in Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature.

The journal will implement this policy consistently with its copyright arrangements, open-access licensing terms, Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy, Ethical Oversight Policy, Conflicts of Interest Policy, and Research Misconduct and Corrections and Retractions procedures.

The policy may be reviewed and updated periodically to reflect developments in copyright law, Creative Commons licensing, open-access publishing, artificial intelligence, scholarly communication, and publication ethics.