Privacy Statement

1. Introduction
The journal “Cardiology of Uzbekistan”, published by I-EDU GROUP LLC, is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of its authors, reviewers, readers, and all users of its website. The journal was founded by the Association of Cardiologists of Uzbekistan and is affiliated with the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Cardiology. This Privacy Statement explains how we collect, use, transmit, protect, and store personal data when users interact with the journal and its online platform.
We comply with the data protection laws of Uzbekistan and strive to follow best international practices in data privacy, including principles in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), to ensure responsible and transparent handling of your information. By using our website and services, you agree to the collection and use of information as outlined in this policy.

2. Information We Collect
The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" collects personal data in various ways to simplify the scientific publishing process and improve our services:

  • Information you provide directly:

    • For authors: When you submit a manuscript, we collect information such as your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, affiliation, ORCID identifier, biographical details (optional), and the content of your manuscript (which may contain personal data of research participants if you have not fully anonymized them).

    • For reviewers: When you agree to review a manuscript, we collect your name, email address, affiliation, areas of expertise, ORCID identifier, and the content of your review report.

    • For readers and general users: If you register an account on our Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform (e.g., to receive notifications or manage publications/reviews), we collect your name, username, email address, and organizational information. If you contact us directly (e.g., by email), we collect your contact information and the content of your inquiry.

  • Information collected automatically:

    • Log data: Log data may include information such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring webpage, visited pages, date and time of access, and cookie data.

    • Cookies: We use cookies to ensure the proper functioning of our website, improve user experience, and possibly collect anonymous usage statistics.

3. How We Use Your Information
The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" uses the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

  • Managing the scientific publishing process: facilitating manuscript submission, conducting peer review, making editorial decisions, editing, publishing, and issuing articles.

  • Communication: communicating with authors, reviewers, editors, and readers regarding manuscript status, review requests, editorial decisions, journal updates, and responses to inquiries.

  • Operating and improving the website: for the operation, maintenance, and improvement of our journal's website, the online submission system (OJS), and related services; for ensuring security; and for personalizing the user experience (e.g., remembering login details).

  • Notifications and alerts: to send notifications, newsletters, or other information about the journal “Cardiology of Uzbekistan” to users who have agreed to receive such communications.

  • Record keeping and archiving: for internal record-keeping related to the journal's activities and to maintain the integrity and permanence of scientific records, including archiving published content in accordance with the journal’s Archiving Policy.

  • Compliance with legal requirements and obligations: to comply with applicable legal requirements, court orders, or governmental regulations, as well as to protect the rights, property, or safety of the journal “Cardiology of Uzbekistan”, its publisher I-EDU GROUP LLC, its affiliated institution, its founder, its users, or the public.

  • Statistical analysis: to generate anonymous or aggregated statistics about journal usage, submission trends, and readership, to help us understand our community and improve our services.

4. Legal Grounds for Processing Personal Information
The legal grounds for collecting and using the personal information described above depend on the type of personal information and the specific context in which we collect it. However, in general, we collect personal information only from you:

  • When we have your consent (e.g., to send marketing communications).

  • If processing is necessary to perform a contract with you (e.g., to process your submitted manuscript and publish your article if accepted, which implies a publishing agreement).

  • If processing is carried out in our legitimate interests (or the legitimate interests of a third party, such as your institution or funding organization) and does not override your interests in data protection or your fundamental rights and freedoms (e.g., for journal management, peer review, ensuring the integrity of scientific records, and communicating with you).

  • If we have a legal obligation to collect personal data from you.

5. Data Sharing and Disclosure
The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of personal information, except in the following cases:

  • Published articles: Authors' names, affiliations, and email addresses (of corresponding authors) are published as part of the article to ensure proper attribution and facilitate academic communication. ORCID identifiers are also published if provided by the authors.

  • Peer review process: journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" uses a double-blind review method, where the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed. Reviewer identification data is not disclosed to authors without their explicit consent. We may publicly express gratitude to reviewers for their work annually with their permission.

  • Service providers: We may share personal data with third-party service providers performing functions on our behalf, such as website hosting, plagiarism detection, DOI registration, archiving services where applicable, and technical support for our OJS platform. These service providers are contractually obligated to protect the confidentiality and security of personal data and are prohibited from using it for other purposes.

  • Indexing and abstracting services: Metadata of published articles, including authors' names, organizational affiliations, and abstracts, are transferred to major indexing and abstracting services to enhance searchability.

  • Legal requirements: We may disclose your personal information if required by law, or if we believe such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect our rights or property, prevent fraud, act in emergency situations to protect the personal safety of journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" users or the public, or defend against legal liability.

  • Publisher (I-EDU GROUP LLC): As the journal “Cardiology of Uzbekistan” is published by I-EDU GROUP LLC, relevant information may be processed by authorized publisher staff for journal administration, technical support, publishing workflow management, metadata preparation, and communication with authors, reviewers, editors, and readers.

6. Data Security
The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" implements appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or destruction. Our OJS platform includes security features, and access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel. However, please note that no method of data transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Data Retention
The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" will store your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Statement, to maintain the integrity of scientific records, and to comply with our legal obligations (e.g., for archival purposes in accordance with our Archiving Policy or to resolve disputes). Information related to published articles is stored indefinitely as part of the scientific record. Personal data related to rejected manuscripts or inactive user accounts will be processed or deleted according to our internal data retention schedule and applicable law.

8. Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable data protection laws, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

  • Right of access: You may request copies of the personal data we store.

  • Right to rectification: You may request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate or complete information you believe is incomplete.

  • Right to erasure (right to be forgotten): You may request that we delete your personal data under certain conditions (this may be limited for data that forms part of the permanent scientific record).

  • Right to restriction of processing: You may request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under certain conditions.

  • Right to object to processing: You may object to our processing of your personal data under certain conditions.

  • Right to data portability: You may request that we transfer the personal data we have collected to another organization or directly to you under certain conditions.

  • Right to withdraw consent: If we process your personal data based on your consent, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time.
    To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details provided in section 12 ("Contact Us"). We will respond to your request in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

9. Use of Cookies
Cookies are small text files placed on your device (computer, smartphone, etc.) by websites you visit. The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" website (powered by OJS) uses cookies for several purposes:

  • Necessary cookies: Some cookies are essential for the functioning of our website, such as those that allow you to access secure areas (e.g., for authors, reviewers, and editors).

  • Functional cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember your choices (e.g., your username or language settings) and provide enhanced, personalized features.

  • Performance/analytical cookies (if used): We may use cookies to collect information about how visitors use our website (e.g., which pages are most frequently visited, whether error messages appear). This information is usually aggregated and anonymized, helping us improve our website's functionality.
    You can configure your browser to reject all cookies or alert you when they are sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some features of our service. The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" may provide a more detailed Cookie Policy separately if optional cookies are widely used.

10. Links to Other Sites
Our website may contain links to other websites not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party's site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" does not control and is not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of third-party websites or services.

11. Changes to This Privacy Statement
The journal "Cardiology of Uzbekistan" may update this Privacy Statement periodically to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. We will notify you of any significant changes by posting the updated Privacy Statement on this page and updating the "Effective Date" at the top of the page. We recommend that you review this Privacy Statement periodically for any changes.

12. Contact Us
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Statement or how the journal “Cardiology of Uzbekistan” processes your personal data, please contact the editorial office:

E-mail: info@cardiojournal.uz  
Website: https://www.cardiojournal.uz

ISSN 3060-4850 (Print)