Copyright Notice & License

1. Preamble

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) is committed to the principles of Open Access and the broad dissemination of scholarly research in the social sciences, humanities, community development, and related interdisciplinary fields.

This Copyright and License Policy explains the rights retained by authors, the publishing rights granted to the journal, and the conditions under which published articles may be accessed, shared, reproduced, adapted, and reused.

TSSS recognizes the importance of protecting authors' intellectual property rights while promoting the accessibility, visibility, and responsible dissemination of scholarly knowledge.

The journal seeks to ensure that published research can be freely accessed and appropriately reused by researchers, educators, students, policymakers, practitioners, institutions, and the general public in accordance with the applicable Creative Commons license.

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) is published by Universitas Sam Ratulangi, through the Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM), Universitas Sam Ratulangi, Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

 

2. Copyright Ownership

Authors who publish their articles in The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) retain copyright ownership of their scholarly work.

Authors are not required to transfer copyright ownership to TSSS or its publisher.

Instead, authors grant TSSS the non-exclusive right of first publication and authorize the journal to publish, distribute, preserve, and make the article publicly available under the applicable Creative Commons license.

By publishing in TSSS, authors agree that their articles will be made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.

This arrangement allows authors to retain ownership of their intellectual contributions while enabling TSSS to disseminate, archive, and preserve the published version of their work.

Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the published version of their articles, provided that the original publication in TSSS is appropriately acknowledged and the applicable licensing conditions are respected.

3. Publishing License and User Rights

Articles published in The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0), as identified in the journal's copyright notice.

Under this license, users are permitted to:

  • Share: Copy and redistribute the licensed material in any medium or format.
  • Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the licensed material for any purpose, including commercial purposes.

These permissions are subject to the following conditions:

3.1. Attribution (BY)

Users must provide appropriate credit to the original author(s) and acknowledge TSSS as the original source of publication.

Where applicable, citations should include:

  • Author names.
  • Article title.
  • Journal title.
  • Publication year.
  • Volume and issue.
  • Page range or article number.
  • Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

Users must provide a link to the applicable Creative Commons license and indicate whether any changes have been made to the original material.

Attribution must not imply that the original authors, journal, or publisher endorse the user's adaptation or reuse.

3.2. ShareAlike (SA)

If users remix, transform, or build upon the licensed material, they must distribute their adapted contributions under the same license or a license recognized as compatible with CC BY-SA 4.0.

The ShareAlike requirement applies to adaptations distributed or shared with others, subject to the terms of the license.

3.3. Commercial and Non-Commercial Reuse

The CC BY-SA 4.0 license permits both commercial and non-commercial reuse of licensed material, provided that the applicable attribution, ShareAlike, and other license requirements are satisfied.

Commercial reuse is not automatically prohibited under CC BY-SA 4.0.

3.4. No Additional Restrictions

Users may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict other users from exercising the permissions granted by the license.

3.5. License Information

The full terms of the license are available at:

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0)

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

The Creative Commons license applies only to materials covered by that license. Third-party materials identified as having separate copyright or licensing conditions remain subject to those conditions.

4. Authors' Rights to Reuse Their Own Work

Because authors retain copyright ownership, authors have broad rights to reuse their scholarly work published in TSSS, subject to applicable publication agreements, third-party rights, and appropriate acknowledgment of the original publication.

Authors may:

  1. Deposit their published articles in institutional or subject-based repositories.
  2. Upload articles to personal, academic, or institutional websites.
  3. Share published articles with students, researchers, colleagues, and community partners.
  4. Use published materials for teaching, training, and educational activities.
  5. Reproduce or adapt their work in theses, dissertations, books, book chapters, review articles, or subsequent scholarly publications, subject to appropriate citation and applicable publication requirements.
  6. Present research findings at academic conferences, seminars, workshops, and scientific meetings.
  7. Distribute copies of published articles for academic, professional, educational, or community-development purposes.
  8. Reuse figures, tables, datasets, research instruments, and other original materials from their published work, provided that the original TSSS publication is appropriately acknowledged.
  9. Incorporate findings into policy recommendations, educational resources, or community engagement materials, subject to applicable legal and ethical requirements.

When reusing published material, authors should provide a complete citation and the DOI or official article URL whenever available.

Authors remain responsible for observing any applicable rights associated with third-party materials included in their articles.

5. Rights Granted to The Studies of Social Sciences

By agreeing to publish an article in The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS), authors grant the journal a non-exclusive license to:

  • Publish the article as the official version of record.
  • Reproduce, distribute, and communicate the article electronically and, where applicable, in print.
  • Make the article openly accessible through the official TSSS website.
  • Include bibliographic metadata and article content in indexing, abstracting, academic discovery, and preservation services.
  • Preserve the article through appropriate digital archiving and repository systems.
  • Promote and disseminate the article through scholarly communication channels.
  • Support metadata harvesting and interoperability with compatible scholarly publishing platforms.
  • Maintain access to published articles in accordance with the journal's Archiving Policy.

These rights do not constitute a transfer of copyright ownership from the authors to TSSS or Universitas Sam Ratulangi.

The journal must respect the applicable Creative Commons license and the intellectual property rights retained by authors.

6. Third-Party Material

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all third-party material included in submitted manuscripts can lawfully be reproduced, published, and distributed under the applicable conditions.

Third-party materials may include:

  • Photographs and illustrations.
  • Figures, charts, and diagrams.
  • Maps and geographical information.
  • Tables and datasets.
  • Survey questionnaires and research instruments.
  • Interview transcripts and quotations.
  • Educational resources and teaching materials.
  • Images of individuals or communities.
  • Substantial excerpts from copyrighted publications.
  • Other materials protected by copyright or related rights.

Where permission is required, authors must obtain appropriate authorization from the relevant copyright holder before publication.

Evidence of permission must be provided to the editorial office upon request.

Authors must clearly acknowledge the original sources of third-party materials.

Material subject to a separate copyright or licensing arrangement must be explicitly identified so that readers understand that the TSSS Creative Commons license does not necessarily apply to such material.

For research involving human participants, authors must also comply with applicable ethical standards concerning informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, and the publication of identifiable information.

Obtaining copyright permission does not replace the need for informed consent or other applicable ethical authorization.

7. Copyright of Peer Review Reports

Peer reviewers retain copyright in the original review reports they prepare for manuscripts submitted to TSSS, unless otherwise agreed.

TSSS is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and independence of its peer-review process.

Reviewer reports may be communicated to authors for editorial evaluation and manuscript improvement in accordance with the journal's peer-review policy.

The journal will not publicly publish, redistribute, or disclose identifiable reviewer reports without appropriate authorization and compliance with the applicable review policy.

Where anonymous or double-blind peer review is implemented, reviewer identities will remain confidential in accordance with the journal's established editorial procedures.

Reviewers must not reproduce, distribute, or use confidential manuscript content for purposes unrelated to the authorized review process without appropriate permission.

8. Repository and Self-Archiving

TSSS supports the dissemination, accessibility, and long-term preservation of scholarly research through appropriate repository and self-archiving practices.

Authors may deposit copies of their articles in:

  • Institutional repositories.
  • Disciplinary or subject repositories.
  • Personal academic websites.
  • University digital libraries.
  • Recognized scholarly communication platforms.
  • Other appropriate digital repositories or academic platforms.

Authors may share submitted manuscripts, accepted manuscripts, and published versions of record, subject to applicable copyright, publishing agreements, and third-party rights.

When depositing the published version, authors should:

  1. Provide a complete citation to the original TSSS publication.
  2. Include the DOI or official article URL, where available.
  3. Clearly identify the applicable Creative Commons license.
  4. Indicate the version of the manuscript being deposited.
  5. Preserve appropriate acknowledgment of the original publication.
  6. Comply with any separate restrictions applicable to third-party content.

TSSS encourages repository deposits that enhance research visibility, academic collaboration, knowledge dissemination, and long-term digital preservation.

9. Disclaimer

The opinions, interpretations, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in articles published in The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS) are solely those of the respective authors.

They do not necessarily represent the official views, positions, or policies of TSSS, its editors, Editorial Board, Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM), or Universitas Sam Ratulangi.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, ethical compliance, and legal appropriateness of the materials presented in their articles.

The publication of an article does not imply that the journal or publisher endorses all statements, conclusions, recommendations, or applications arising from the published research.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, TSSS and its publisher do not assume responsibility for losses or consequences arising from the use, application, or interpretation of information presented in published articles.

Nothing in this disclaimer excludes responsibilities or liabilities that cannot lawfully be excluded.

10. Copyright Infringement

Although authors retain copyright ownership, TSSS is committed to protecting intellectual property rights and maintaining the integrity of its published scholarly record.

Suspected copyright infringement, plagiarism, unauthorized reproduction, improper attribution, or other inappropriate uses of published material may be reported to the editorial office.

Upon receiving a credible complaint, the journal may:

  1. Request clarification from the individuals or organizations concerned.
  2. Examine the relevant publication, supporting documentation, and applicable copyright or licensing terms.
  3. Request correction, acknowledgment, or removal of infringing material where appropriate.
  4. Publish a correction, editorial notice, or retraction when the integrity of the scholarly record is affected.
  5. Contact relevant institutions, publishers, repositories, or copyright holders.
  6. Take other proportionate actions consistent with applicable law and the journal's publication ethics policies.

Cases involving research or publication misconduct will be handled with reference to applicable journal policies and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All parties involved will be provided with a reasonable opportunity to respond to relevant allegations.

11. Relationship with the Open Access Policy

This Copyright and License Policy should be read together with the Open Access Policy and Archiving Policy of The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS).

Open Access means that published articles are made freely available to readers without subscription barriers.

Readers may access, read, download, copy, distribute, and reuse licensed articles in accordance with the applicable Creative Commons license.

TSSS supports immediate open access to its published content and encourages the responsible dissemination of scholarly knowledge.

The journal's published copyright notice identifies CC BY-SA 4.0 as the applicable Creative Commons license.

Under this license, users may share and adapt licensed material, including for commercial purposes, provided that attribution and ShareAlike requirements are satisfied.

The journal's open-access and copyright provisions are intended to promote transparency, accessibility, scholarly collaboration, and the wider societal application of research findings.

12. Contact for Copyright and Licensing Inquiries

Questions concerning copyright ownership, Creative Commons licensing, permissions, reproduction, adaptation, repository deposits, or reuse of published materials may be directed to:

Editorial Office

The Studies of Social Sciences (TSSS)

Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat (LPPM)

Universitas Sam Ratulangi

Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Agustina Monalisa Tangapo

Official Website:

https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/v3/index.php/ssj/index

Contact Information:

https://ejournal.unsrat.ac.id/v3/index.php/ssj/about/contact

 

References and Resources

  1. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
  2. Creative Commons — About the Licenses
  3. COPE — Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing
  4. COPE — Retraction Guidelines