Editorial Policies

Authorship

Authors must carefully consider the list and order of authors, including co-authors and corresponding authors, prior to submission. Changes to authorship after submission are strictly limited to exceptional circumstances as determined by the editors. To request any authorship changes, authors should contact the Editor, who has the final authority to approve or deny such changes based on our authorship criteria. Please note that certain authorship changes may not be possible. If a corresponding author changes before the article is published (for example, if a co-author becomes the corresponding author), you must write to both the editor of the journal and the production editor. In your request, confirm that both authors have agreed to the change. Requested changes to the co-authors or corresponding authors following publication of the article may be considered, in line with the authorship guidelines issued by COPE, the Committee on Publication Ethics.

Publication Fees

IJWDI does not impose any fees for manuscript submission or article processing. As an open-access journal, there are no Article Processing Charges (APC) for authors.

Permissions and Consent

All authors must obtain the necessary permissions from the copyright holders of any works they reference in their manuscripts. Additionally, they are required to secure informed consent from all research participants before disclosing any interview data or identifying information. Authors may be asked to provide relevant documentation to IJWDI during or after the publication process. The Editors maintain the authority to reject manuscripts at any stage if the authors do not provide the required documentation.

Data access and retention

Authors may be required to submit the raw data from their study along with the manuscript for editorial evaluation. They should also be ready to make this data publicly accessible if feasible. Additionally, authors are encouraged to retain this data for a reasonable period following the publication of their work, ensuring that it remains accessible to qualified professionals for a minimum of 10 years. Ideally, this access should be provided through an institutional or subject-specific data repository or another data center, as long as participant confidentiality is maintained and legal rights concerning proprietary data do not prevent its release.

Privacy

Collection and Processing of Personal Information

Our contributors may share personal information with us when they engage with the IJWDI, including when registering on the IJWDI website, reporting issues, requesting content or information, or communicating with any member of our editorial team via mail, telephone, or email. We highly value our relationship with contributors (including all individuals such as authors interacting with the journal) and place great importance on safeguarding their personal data. Protecting the privacy of our contributors is one of our primary concerns. However, certain information is collected and intended for publication purposes. This includes the short biographies provided at the time of manuscript submission, as well as the names, institutional affiliations, email addresses (particularly of the corresponding author), and subject specializations of the authors. Additionally, we may collect relevant information about contributing authors from publicly accessible sources. In instances where such information is gathered without direct provision by the author, the editorial team will promptly notify the respective author. Authors maintain the right to object to the collection and processing of this data and may choose to withdraw from further correspondence at any time.

Cookie Policy

The IJWDI digital portal collects technical information from the devices used to access our website to enhance user experience. We utilize cookies—small text files stored on your device—to ensure the optimal functionality of our site and to provide you with a tailored browsing experience. These cookies allow us to remember your preferences, understand how you interact with our content, and improve our services to better meet your needs.

Authors’ rights to access their personal information

IJWDI respects the rights of authors regarding the personal data we hold. These rights include the ability to:

• Request access to and obtain copies of their personal information stored by [Journal Name].
• Request corrections or updates to their personal information to ensure accuracy.
• Ask for the deletion of their personal data from the IJWDI database when it is no longer needed or if they wish to withdraw consent.
• Request that their personal information be transferred to another data controller in a structured, commonly used format.
• Object to specific data processing activities carried out by IJWDI if they believe it disproportionately impacts their rights based on their circumstances.

Manuscript Processing

Review Process

IJWDI uses a thorough review process to ensure the quality of its publications. Each research article undergoes a double-blind peer-review process, where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous. Authors will be provided with reviewer feedback and are expected to revise their manuscripts accordingly. The Editorial Team will then evaluate how well these revisions address the feedback.

The time required for the review process at IJWDI can range from 2 to 8 months from the initial submission to acceptance. Typically, accepted papers go through an average of two rounds of revisions.

Publication

On average, the complete process from submission to publication takes about 3 months. Authors will be notified when their accepted papers are published online. IJWDI issues are first published online and are freely accessible. Print versions of each issue are available within 4-6 weeks of the online release. Authors will receive printed copies sent to the address provided during submission.

Submission and Article Processing Charges (APC)

IJWDI does not charge any fees for manuscript submission or article processing.

Complaints and appeals

Policy on Appeals

IJWDI recognizes the right of authors to appeal decisions made by the editorial team, whether related to the acceptance of a manuscript or actions taken in response to reported misconduct. Authors wishing to appeal a decision may do so, with each manuscript being eligible for only one appeal, which must be made following peer review. The editorial team will carefully review all appeals, and a final decision will be communicated to the author within two months. In cases where an appeal is successful, authors will receive guidance on the next steps for their manuscript.

Policy on Complaints

IJWDI is committed to addressing complaints concerning any aspect of the editorial process, including delays or issues related to publication ethics, such as misconduct by authors, reviewers, or editors. Complaints should be directed to the editorial team using the contact details provided on the IJWDI website. The identity of the complainant will be kept strictly confidential, and those involved will be given the opportunity to respond to any allegations. Complaints will be treated with the utmost seriousness and addressed promptly, prioritizing the resolution of issues in the publication process.

Resubmission

Authors may resubmit revised manuscripts to IJWDI that were previously rejected or withdrawn, provided they include either minor or major changes. When resubmitting, it is important to identify the manuscript as a ‘resubmission’ and address any comments or feedback received from reviewers or the editorial team regarding the earlier version. This helps ensure that the revised submission is considered with the context of past evaluations in mind.

Archiving/Data Repository Policy

To ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of scholarly content, IJWDI deposits all published articles with a range of trusted digital repositories. Our content is archived with Crossref.org for reliable, long-term digital preservation. Additionally, copies of all published material are stored in our dedicated digital repository, ensuring secure backup and continued availability.

Withdrawal

Author Withdrawal Rights

Authors may withdraw their manuscripts from IJWDI without incurring a withdrawal fee if the request is made within seven working days of submission. Once a manuscript enters the peer-review stage, withdrawal requests are generally not permitted unless there are exceptional circumstances, and any such requests will be subject to the editorial board’s approval, which may involve a withdrawal fee. Withdrawal requests must come from the corresponding author, who should have consulted all co-authors beforehand. The manuscript will only be officially considered withdrawn once the author receives confirmation from IJWDI, and all related communication will be handled through the primary email address.

Editorial Withdrawal Rights

In certain exceptional cases, IJWDI reserves the right to remove an article from its online platforms. This may occur if the content is found to be defamatory, infringes on intellectual property or privacy rights, violates legal requirements, or poses a serious risk to health. Such removal can be either temporary or permanent, depending on the situation. The article’s title and authors will remain listed, along with a note explaining the reason for removal. Additionally, articles that have been accepted but not yet fully published may be withdrawn if they are found to contain significant errors or violate publishing ethics, such as plagiarism or fraudulent data. In such cases, the article will be replaced with a notice stating its withdrawal in line with IJWDI’s editorial policies.