Open Access Policy

The Journal of Community Medicine and Health Sciences (JCMHS) is a fully open-access journal that promotes the free exchange of scientific knowledge without financial, legal, or technical barriers. Our open access policy ensures that all articles are freely accessible to readers worldwide immediately upon publication, allowing unrestricted sharing and reuse under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

1. Philosophy of Open Access

JCMHS believes that knowledge is a public good. Open access accelerates scientific discovery, fosters collaboration, and supports evidence-based public health decision-making. Our policy aligns with the principles of the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), the Berlin Declaration on Open Access, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

2. Definition of Open Access

Open Access (OA) means that research outputs are freely available online to anyone, anywhere, without cost or restriction. Under OA, users are entitled to:

• Read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of articles.
• Use the content for lawful purposes, including teaching, research, and policy development.
• Reuse figures, data, or tables with appropriate credit.

3. Licensing Terms

All articles in JCMHS are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits any kind of reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.

Full license details are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

4. Author Rights and Ownership

Authors retain full copyright and publishing rights. JCMHS does not require copyright transfer. By publishing with us, authors grant the journal the right to distribute their work globally and to deposit metadata in indexing repositories for increased visibility.

5. Access Fees

There are no fees for accessing or downloading articles. However, Article Processing Charges (APCs) apply to cover the cost of editorial processing, peer review, website maintenance, archiving, and digital preservation. Fee details are provided in the APC Policy.

6. Reader Rights and Usage

Readers, educators, policymakers, and institutions may freely:

• Share JCMHS articles without registration.
• Translate articles into other languages with attribution.
• Include JCMHS content in course materials, repositories, and policy reports.
• Use figures or tables in derivative works by citing the original publication.

7. Repository and Archiving Policy

JCMHS deposits all published content in multiple digital archives and institutional repositories, ensuring long-term preservation. Our archives include:

• Portico and LOCKSS for long-term preservation.
• Indexing in Google Scholar, CrossRef, Index Copernicus Value, and SHERPA/RoMEO.
• Metadata exposure via the OAI-PMH protocol for global discoverability.

8. Preprints and Postprints

Authors may share preprints (submitted versions) and postprints (accepted manuscripts) on institutional or subject repositories at any time. JCMHS encourages self-archiving and linking to the published version of record.

9. Compliance with Funders’ Open Access Mandates

JCMHS meets the requirements of major funding agencies that mandate open-access dissemination, including:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA)
• European Research Council (ERC)
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• Horizon Europe Programme
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• World Health Organization (WHO)

10. Interoperability and Metadata Harvesting

JCMHS participates in the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) to ensure that metadata are easily discoverable and interoperable across repositories and indexing databases.

11. Ethical and Legal Standards

All open-access operations adhere to global ethical frameworks and privacy regulations, including:

• COPE Core Practices
• ICMJE Recommendations
• WAME Principles of Transparency
• GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
• CAN-SPAM Act for ethical communications

12. Article Reuse Policy

Readers and organizations are free to reuse JCMHS content under the following conditions:

• Proper citation of author(s), article title, and journal name.
• Clear indication of any modifications made to the original work.
• Inclusion of the CC BY 4.0 license statement in reused material.

13. Journal Policy Summary

14. Benefits of the Open Access Model

• Increased Impact: Articles reach a broader audience, enhancing citation potential.
• Transparency: Open review and data sharing build trust in published research.
• Equity: Enables access to scientific literature for institutions in low- and middle-income countries.
• Innovation: Encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and public engagement.

15. Open Access and Community Medicine

As a community medicine journal, JCMHS emphasizes that public health research must be freely accessible to professionals, educators, and policymakers. Open access empowers practitioners to translate evidence into action, advancing health equity and social development.

16. Transparency in Publishing

The editorial process, peer review, and decision outcomes are fully transparent and documented through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform. Authors and reviewers can track the progress of manuscripts at each stage of the workflow.

17. Licensing for Data and Supplementary Material

All supplementary materials (datasets, videos, images) are covered under the same CC BY 4.0 license unless otherwise stated. Authors may choose to deposit large datasets in public repositories and provide DOI links in the article.

18. Limitations of Liability

While JCMHS promotes unrestricted dissemination, the journal and publisher assume no liability for misuse, misinterpretation, or misrepresentation of published material by third parties. Users are responsible for ensuring proper citation and ethical application of content.

19. Policy Revisions and Updates

This Open Access Policy is reviewed annually to reflect evolving global practices and regulatory requirements. Updated policies are posted on the journal’s website, ensuring continuous transparency and compliance.

20. Contact for Open Access Queries

For questions related to open access or licensing terms, please contact the editorial office:

• Email: [email protected]
• Subject: Open Access Policy Inquiry
• Response Time: Within 3–5 business days

“Open access is not just about free availability — it’s about empowering communities, bridging inequities, and accelerating solutions for global health.”