Copyright and Licensing Policy

Copyright Ownership

Authors publishing in Digital Social Sciences retain full copyright ownership of their work. Submission, review, and publication in the journal do not require authors to transfer or assign copyright to the journal, publisher, or any third party.

By publishing with the journal, authors grant Digital Social Sciences the non-exclusive right of first publication while retaining all other rights to their intellectual property. Authors remain free to share, distribute, and reuse their published work in accordance with the terms of the applicable license.

Open Access Policy

Digital Social Sciences is committed to the principles of open-access scholarship and the unrestricted dissemination of academic knowledge. All published articles are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication.

Readers may access, read, download, copy, print, distribute, search, cite, link to, and otherwise use the full text of published articles without seeking prior permission from either the authors or the journal, provided that the terms of the applicable license are respected.

Creative Commons License

All content published in Digital Social Sciences is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.

Under this license, users are permitted to:

  • Share — copy, reproduce, and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
  • Adapt — remix, transform, translate, and build upon the material.
  • Use the content for both non-commercial and commercial purposes.

These permissions are granted without restriction, provided that the license requirements are fulfilled.

License Requirements

Users of published content must:

  • Give appropriate credit to the author(s) and acknowledge Digital Social Sciences as the original source of publication.
  • Provide a reference or link to the CC BY 4.0 license.
  • Clearly indicate whether any modifications, adaptations, or changes have been made to the original work.
  • Preserve the integrity of scholarly attribution and citation practices.

Users may not apply legal terms, digital rights management technologies, or other restrictions that would limit the rights granted under the license.

Benefits of the CC BY 4.0 License

The CC BY 4.0 licensing model promotes the broadest possible dissemination, visibility, and reuse of scholarly research. It enables researchers, educators, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide to build upon published work while ensuring that authors receive proper attribution for their contributions and that the journal is recognized as the original venue of publication.

Through this licensing framework, Digital Social Sciences supports open knowledge, academic collaboration, and the global exchange of research findings.