Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Scope

This Privacy Policy describes how Solarlits Limited ("we," "our," or "us") collects, uses, stores, and safeguards your personal data when you visit our main publishing website (www.solarlits.com), use our manuscript submission and tracking system (track.solarlits.com), and utilize our editorial and open-access publishing services.

We are committed to managing your data transparently and securely, in accordance with global data protection standards, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

2. Automated Data Collection

When you browse our websites, our servers automatically record standard technical information transmitted by your browser. This data is strictly used to ensure website functionality, optimize performance, and maintain IT security across our domains.

The information collected includes:

• The IP address of the requesting device
• Date, time, and duration of your visit
• The specific pages accessed and files downloaded
• The website from which you were referred (Referrer URL)
• Browser type, version, and operating system

Storage Duration: Logfile data, including IP addresses, is stored temporarily for security purposes (such as preventing DDoS attacks or fraud) and is permanently deleted or anonymized after 30 days, unless a specific security incident requires further investigation.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We utilizes cookies (small text files stored on your device) to facilitate site navigation and analyze website usage across our main site and tracking portal.

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: These are essential for core website functionality, such as maintaining secure logins to your editorial account and managing the manuscript submission process on track.solarlits.com.
• Analytics Cookies: We use aggregated, anonymized tracking tools to understand user interaction with our published papers and journals, allowing us to improve our platform.
• Managing Cookies: You can adjust your browser settings at any time to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. Please note that disabling necessary cookies will limit your ability to log in and use the submission and peer-review systems.

4. Collection and Processing of Voluntarily Provided Data

As a scholarly open-access publisher, we process personal data necessary to facilitate peer review and publication.

4.1 Account Registration

To submit, review, or edit manuscripts via track.solarlits.com, users must create a registered account. The data we collect includes:

• Full name, academic degree, and professional title
• Valid email address
• Institutional or organizational affiliation
• ORCID iD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID)
• Research fields and areas of expertise

4.2 Manuscript Submissions and Co-Authors

When a corresponding author submits a manuscript through our tracking system, we collect contact information and affiliations for all listed co-authors. By submitting a manuscript, the corresponding author confirms they have the authority to share their co-authors' personal data with us. We process this data solely to facilitate the review and publication process.

4.3 Payments and Invoicing

For accepted manuscripts subject to Article Processing Charges (APCs), billing information is required. Payment processing is handled entirely by secure, PCI-compliant third-party payment gateways. We do not store complete credit card numbers or highly sensitive financial data on its servers.

5. Disclosure and Sharing of Data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We only share data under the following circumstances, which are essential to the scholarly publishing ecosystem:

• Public Attribution (Open Access): Upon the publication of a manuscript on www.solarlits.com, the names, academic affiliations, ORCID iDs, and corresponding email addresses of the authors become a permanent part of the public scientific record, published under a Creative Commons license.
• Scholarly Indexing: Metadata from published articles (including author details) is distributed to third-party databases, repositories, and indexing services (e.g., Crossref, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar) to ensure global discoverability and academic attribution.
• Service Providers: We may share necessary data with trusted third-party processors who operate under strict confidentiality agreements, such as cloud hosting providers, email distribution services, and plagiarism detection software (e.g., iThenticate).

6. Data Retention

• Published Scientific Records: To maintain the integrity and transparency of the global scientific record, metadata and personal data associated with published open-access articles are archived indefinitely.
• Unpublished Records: Account data and records pertaining to rejected or withdrawn manuscripts on track.solarlits.com are retained as long as your account remains active, or for a period of up to 5 years following your last interaction with our system, to address any subsequent ethical, copyright, or plagiarism inquiries.

7. Data Security

We implement robust technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorized access, accidental loss, alteration, or destruction. This includes utilizing SSL/TLS encryption for data transmission across all our domains and restricting database access to authorized personnel only.

8. Third-Party Links and Services

Our websites, including published articles and the manuscript tracking system, frequently contain links to third-party websites. These may include abstracting and indexing databases, Digital Object Identifier (DOI) directories (like Crossref), institutional repositories, ORCID profile pages, and supplementary data hosts.

We do not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices, data collection, or content of these external sites. If you click a link that directs you outside of the solarlits.com domain, your personal data will be governed by the privacy policy of that specific third-party website. We encourage you to review their policies before providing any personal information.

9. Your Rights Regarding Your Data

Subject to your local jurisdiction, you possess specific rights concerning your personal data:

• Right of Access: You may request details regarding the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to Rectification: You may request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to Erasure: You may request the deletion of your account and personal data. Please note: This right does not apply to personal data (such as names and affiliations) embedded within the metadata of already published scientific articles, as this information is a permanent matter of public, historical, and scientific record.
• Right to Restrict or Object: You may object to certain types of data processing, such as receiving promotional communications.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data rights, or have concerns about how your data is handled, please contact us at: privacy@solarlits.com