Open Access Policy

The Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation (JDSSI) is an open access journal, which means that all content is freely available without charge to users and institutions worldwide. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author.

Open Access Commitment

JDSSI is committed to the principles of open access publishing:

Immediate access: All articles are freely accessible online immediately upon publication
No embargoes: There are no waiting periods before content becomes freely available
No registration required: Readers do not need to create accounts or log in to access content
Global reach: Free access ensures research reaches the widest possible audience
Perpetual access: Articles remain freely accessible in perpetuity

Open Access Model

Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation (JDSSI) operates under a fully open-access publishing model:

Article Processing Charge (APC): An APC of USD 500 is applied upon acceptance to support editorial and publishing services.
Waivers and Discounts: Authors may apply for partial or full APC waivers based on financial need, institutional support limitations, or other justified circumstances. All waiver requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
No Reader Fees: All articles are freely accessible to readers worldwide without subscription or pay-per-view charges.
Publisher Support: The journal is supported by Michelangelo Scholar Publishing Limited (MSPL) to ensure sustainable and accessible dissemination of research.
Quality Assurance: All submissions undergo a rigorous peer-review process to maintain high academic and ethical standards.

License Agreement

Creative Commons License

All articles published in JDSSI are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

License Terms

This license allows users to:

Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
Read freely: Access the work without restrictions
Download: Save copies for personal use, teaching, or research

Under the following conditions:

Attribution (BY): You must give appropriate credit to the author(s), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial (NC): You may not use the material for commercial purposes. Commercial use includes any use primarily intended for commercial advantage or monetary compensation.
NoDerivatives (ND): If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. The work must be used in its original form.
No additional restrictions: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

What Users Can Do

Under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, users are free to:

Read articles online without registration
Download articles in PDF or HTML format
Print articles for personal use
Share links to articles
Use articles for educational purposes (teaching, coursework)
Use articles for research purposes
Cite articles in academic work
Include articles in course packs or reading lists (non-commercial)
Archive articles in institutional or subject repositories
Text and data mine articles for non-commercial research

What Users Cannot Do

The license prohibits:

Commercial use or sale of articles
Republishing articles in commercial publications without permission
Creating derivative works or translations without permission
Modifying, adapting, or altering the content
Using articles for commercial training or consulting
Removing or obscuring author attribution
Implying endorsement by authors or JDSSI

Copyright Ownership

Author Retains Copyright

Copyright for each article published in JDSSI belongs to its author(s). Authors retain full copyright ownership while granting JDSSI:

Right of first publication
Non-exclusive right to publish the work
Right to distribute the work under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
Right to include the work in indexing and archiving services

Author Rights

Authors can:

Reuse their own work: Use their published article in future publications, books, or presentations
Self-archive: Post their work in institutional or personal repositories
Share freely: Distribute copies of their published work
Teach with their work: Use their articles in teaching materials
Create derivative works: Develop new works based on their published research (with proper citation)
Grant additional permissions: Allow others to create translations or adaptations

Authors retain these rights without needing to request permission from JDSSI.

Self-Archiving and Repository Policies

Green Open Access

JDSSI supports and encourages self-archiving:

Preprints: Authors may deposit preprints (pre-peer review versions) in preprint servers at any time
Postprints: Authors may deposit accepted manuscripts (post-peer review, pre-copyedit) in repositories immediately upon acceptance
Published version: Authors may deposit the final published version (PDF) in repositories immediately upon publication
No embargo periods: There are no waiting periods for any version

Acceptable Repositories

Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work in:

Institutional repositories: University or research institution repositories
Subject repositories: Disciplinary repositories (e.g., arXiv, SSRN)
Personal websites: Author or research group websites
Academic social networks: ResearchGate, Academia.edu, etc.
Preprint servers: Any recognized preprint platform

Recommended Repository Practices

When depositing in repositories, authors should:

Include full citation information for the published article
Provide a link to the published version in JDSSI
Include the DOI of the published article
Note the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
Acknowledge initial publication in JDSSI

Example acknowledgment: "This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in the Journal of Design Service and Social Innovation. The final published version is available at [DOI link]."

Preprint and Postprint Policies

Preprint Submission

JDSSI welcomes submissions that have been:

Posted as preprints on recognized servers
Presented at conferences
Shared on personal or institutional websites
Discussed on academic social networks

Authors must disclose preprint posting at the time of submission and update the preprint record with a link to the published version.

Postprint Archiving

After acceptance, authors may:

Deposit the accepted manuscript immediately
Share the accepted version with colleagues
Use the accepted version for teaching
Update preprint servers with the accepted version

Published Version Sharing

After publication, authors may:

Share the final published PDF freely
Post the published version on any website or repository
Distribute copies without restriction (non-commercial use)
Use the published version in any non-commercial context

Data Availability and Transparency

JDSSI encourages authors to:

Make research data openly available when possible
Deposit data in recognized repositories (e.g., Zenodo, Figshare, institutional repositories)
Cite data repositories in the article
Follow FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
Include data availability statements in manuscripts

Data sharing promotes research transparency, reproducibility, and accelerates scientific progress.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials are:

Published online alongside articles
Freely accessible under the same CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license
Permanently archived with the article
Assigned DOIs linking them to the main article

Text and Data Mining

JDSSI permits text and data mining (TDM) for non-commercial research purposes:

Researchers may download and analyze article content
Automated tools and bots are permitted for research
No special permission required for non-commercial TDM
Results of TDM analyses may be published
Commercial TDM requires explicit permission

Translations and Adaptations

The CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license prohibits creating derivative works without permission. However:

Authors may create translations or adaptations of their own work freely
Third parties wishing to create translations must contact the original authors for permission
Educational adaptations for accessibility (e.g., audio versions for the visually impaired) may be permitted - contact JDSSI for guidance

Compliance with Funders and Institutions

JDSSI's open access policy complies with mandates from major funding agencies and institutions:

Immediate open access: Meets requirements of most funding agencies
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license: Accepted by most funders and institutions
Repository deposit: Supported without embargo
Author copyright retention: Satisfies institutional policies

Authors should verify specific funder requirements, as some agencies may require more permissive licenses (e.g., CC BY).

Accessibility

JDSSI is committed to making content accessible:

Articles available in HTML and PDF formats
Screen-reader compatible HTML versions
Alt text for images and figures where feasible
Structured content for assistive technologies
Continuous improvement of accessibility features

Preservation and Archiving

JDSSI ensures long-term preservation through:

Digital preservation: Regular backups and multiple storage locations
Persistent identifiers: DOIs for all articles
Standard formats: PDF and XML for long-term readability
Repository partnerships: Content deposited in preservation networks
Perpetual access: Commitment to maintaining access indefinitely

Exceptions and Permissions

For uses not permitted under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license:

Commercial use: Contact the article's authors for permission
Derivative works: Contact the authors to request permission for translations or adaptations
Special circumstances: Contact JDSSI editorial office for guidance

Authors may grant additional permissions beyond the standard license at their discretion.

Version Control

JDSSI maintains clear version control:

Version of Record (VOR): The final published version, copyedited and formatted
Accepted Manuscript (AM): Post-peer review, pre-copyedit version
Submitted Manuscript (SM): Original submission, pre-peer review

All versions may be archived and shared according to this policy, with appropriate version identification.

Contact for Open Access Questions

For questions about JDSSI's open access policy, licensing, or permissions:

Editorial Office:
Email: jdssi@michelangelo-scholar.com
Tel: +86 186 1235 9672

Publisher:
Michelangelo Scholar Publishing Limited
Email: mspl@michelangelo-scholar.com
Tel: +852-66761250

JDSSI is committed to open access and upholds the principle that scholarly research should be freely accessible to all. Its open access policy ensures that knowledge in design service and social innovation reaches the widest possible global audience, thereby fostering the advancement of both academic research and professional practice.

Related Policies:

Pricing Policy: Article Processing Charge (APC), waiver, and discount information
Copyright Policy: Author rights and permissions
Licensing Policy: Detailed information on publication licenses
Archiving Policy: Long-term digital preservation and accessibility