Open Access, Copyright and Licensing

This page summarises the journal’s open-access model, copyright ownership, the licence granted to SDEWES Centre, Creative Commons licensing, author and user reuse, repository deposit and third-party permissions. Detailed requirements are provided in Copyright & Licensing and the Guide for Authors.

Open Access and Scope

The journal provides immediate open access to its published articles while allowing authors or other applicable copyright owners to retain copyright. This section explains the journal’s open-access model, the availability of published content and the scope of the applicable copyright and licensing framework.

Open-Access Model

Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems – JSDEWES is a fully open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal. All published articles are freely and immediately available upon publication, without charge to readers and without subscription, registration or embargo. Under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY 3.0), users may read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to, crawl and index the full text, process it using software and reuse it for any lawful purpose, provided that the licence conditions and attribution requirements are followed.

Open access does not remove the requirement to respect copyright, attribution, third-party rights, privacy, confidentiality or any restrictions expressly identified in the article or accompanying materials.

The journal has operated as a fully open-access journal and has published all articles under an open licence since its establishment in 2012.

Immediate Access, Availability, Archiving and Interoperability

Articles are made openly available immediately upon publication, without an embargo period.

Following completion of the required post-acceptance procedures, the Version of Record is initially published as an Online First article and is subsequently assigned to the relevant issue and annual volume.

SDEWES Centre maintains the Version of Record, article files, metadata and publication records on the journal website and within its own publishing infrastructure and backup systems.

Published articles and metadata are also deposited in Hrčak – Portal of Croatian Scientific and Professional Journals, the central Croatian open-access journal portal implemented and maintained by the University Computing Centre of the University of Zagreb – SRCE. Hrčak provides an additional independently hosted archive and access point for journal issues, articles, full texts and metadata. It exposes metadata through OAI-PMH and is registered as an OpenAIRE data source, supporting interoperability and wider discovery of the journal’s content.

The journal website and its published content are additionally included in the Croatian Web Archive of the National and University Library in Zagreb. Historical captures of the journal website are also available through the Internet Archive. These services provide supplementary archival records and access points. Current indexing and archiving arrangements are listed on Indexing, Archiving and Discoverability.

Together, these arrangements support redundancy, continuing access and preservation of the journal’s scholarly record, including the connection of the Version of Record with any subsequent correction, expression of concern, retraction or other post-publication notice.

Information about APC amounts, the automatic temporary waiver of the Standard APC, request-based APC categories, eligibility conditions and payment arrangements is provided on the Article Processing Charge page. The applicable APC, identity of the payer and eligibility for an APC reduction or waiver do not influence editorial assessment or decision-making, in accordance with Editorial Independence.

Scope of Application

This page applies to articles published by the journal and to the rights and responsibilities of authors, other copyright owners, users and SDEWES Centre in relation to publication, access, sharing and reuse.

It applies to Original Research Articles, Review Articles and Editorials, including content published within special issues, article collections and conference-linked arrangements, where applicable.

Third-party material, research data, code, software, models, supplementary material and other content included with or linked to an article may be subject to separate copyright ownership, licences, permissions, access conditions or legal restrictions. Such material is not automatically covered by the Creative Commons licence applied to the article unless this is expressly stated.

Relationship with SDEWES Journals Policies and Journal Guidance

Detailed requirements concerning copyright ownership, the licence to publish, Creative Commons licensing, third-party permissions and reuse are provided in Copyright & Licensing.

Practical instructions for manuscript preparation, permission documentation, prior versions, repository deposit and publication requirements are provided in the Guide for Authors.

Related matters are addressed in:

Copyright Ownership and Licence to Publish

Copyright ownership remains separate from the publishing rights required by SDEWES Centre. Authors or other applicable copyright owners retain copyright while granting SDEWES Centre a non-exclusive licence to publish, disseminate, preserve and maintain the article as part of the scholarly record. This arrangement does not transfer copyright to SDEWES Centre.

The copyright and licensing terms described in this section apply to published articles and associated material expressly covered by the article licence. They are separate from any copyright notice applying to the journal website, website design, journal or publisher logos, branding, administrative content and other material not forming part of a published article.

Copyright Retention

Authors retain copyright and full publishing rights in articles for which they own the copyright. Copyright is not transferred or exclusively assigned to SDEWES Centre. Where copyright is owned or controlled by an employer, institution, government body, company, funder or another rights holder under applicable law, contract or institutional rules, that rights holder retains the copyright and publishing rights.

As a condition of publication, the authors or other applicable copyright owners grant SDEWES Centre a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, archive, preserve, index and disseminate the article. This licence does not prevent the authors or other copyright owners from exercising or authorising the exercise of the rights they retain.

Authors and other applicable copyright owners may reuse, share, deposit, reproduce, distribute, adapt and authorise reuse of the article, subject to:

  • the non-exclusive licence granted to SDEWES Centre; 
  • any third-party rights or separately licensed material; and 
  • applicable contractual, privacy, confidentiality or legal restrictions. 

The Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record governs reuse by readers and other users. It does not restrict the authors or other applicable copyright owners in exercising the rights they retain.

Publication of an article does not by itself transfer or license patent rights, trademark rights or other proprietary rights relating to inventions, processes, data, software, models, methods or materials described in the article.

Licence Granted to SDEWES Centre

As a condition of publication, the authors and, where applicable, other copyright owners grant SDEWES Centre a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, archive, preserve, index, promote and disseminate the article as part of the journal.

This licence permits SDEWES Centre to:

  • publish the article in electronic, printed, archival, indexing, repository and other appropriate formats; 
  • identify and maintain the article as the Version of Record; 
  • assign and maintain a DOI and other persistent identifiers; 
  • provide article files and metadata to indexing, discovery, repository and preservation services; 
  • publish corrections, expressions of concern, retractions and other post-publication notices; 
  • preserve the publication history and scholarly record; and 
  • authorise service providers to perform activities reasonably necessary for publication, dissemination, indexing and preservation. 

The licence does not transfer copyright from the authors or other copyright owners to SDEWES Centre and does not prevent them from exercising the rights they retain under this page, the applicable Creative Commons licence and Copyright & Licensing.

Employer, Institutional, Government and Other Ownership

Authors are responsible for determining whether copyright in the manuscript or any part of it is owned or controlled by an employer, institution, government body, company, funder or another person or organisation.

Where copyright is not owned directly by the authors, the appropriate copyright owner or authorised representative must approve publication, the licence granted to SDEWES Centre and the Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record.

Where different contributions or parts of the manuscript are subject to different ownership arrangements, all applicable rights holders and restrictions must be identified and documented before publication.

The corresponding author coordinates the required documentation but does not assume sole responsibility for rights or information controlled by other authors or organisations. Each author and copyright owner remains responsible for providing accurate information and obtaining any authorisation applicable to their contribution.

SDEWES Centre may accommodate employer, institutional, government, Crown, public-sector or intergovernmental requirements where they are compatible with open-access publication and the journal’s copyright and licensing framework. Where compatibility is uncertain, publication may be delayed until the necessary rights and authorisations have been clarified.

Copyright and Licence to Publish Agreement

Following acceptance and before publication, the corresponding author must coordinate completion of the Copyright and Licence to Publish Agreement.

The agreement records:

  • the identity of the authors and any other copyright owner; 
  • the authority to submit, publish and license the work; 
  • the non-exclusive licence granted to SDEWES Centre; 
  • the Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record; 
  • any employer, institutional, government or other ownership arrangements; and 
  • the authors’ responsibilities concerning third-party rights and permissions. 

The corresponding author must confirm that all authors have reviewed and approved the agreement. Each author and copyright owner remains responsible for the accuracy of information concerning their rights and authority.

Where the corresponding author is not authorised to grant rights on behalf of another copyright owner, separate confirmation or signature must be obtained from the authorised rights holder.

Publication cannot proceed until the journal has received the required agreement and any additional ownership, authorisation or permission documentation. Detailed instructions are provided in the Guide for Authors and Copyright & Licensing.

Creative Commons Licence and Reuse

The Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record determines how readers and other users may share, reproduce and adapt the published article. These permissions apply only to material covered by the licence and remain subject to attribution requirements, third-party rights and other applicable legal restrictions.

Applicable Creative Commons Licence

The Version of Record is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY 3.0).

The copyright holder and applicable licence are clearly identified on the article webpage and in each published full-text format, including HTML and PDF where available. The licence statement includes a link to the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.

Articles published under a different or earlier licence remain governed by the licence stated on the article webpage and in the published article.

Permitted Reuse and Adaptation

Under CC BY 3.0, users may:

  • copy and redistribute the article in any medium or format; 
  • reproduce and publicly display the article; 
  • translate, remix, transform or adapt the article; 
  • build upon the article; 
  • conduct text and data mining; and 
  • reuse the article for scholarly, educational, professional or commercial purposes. 

These uses are permitted provided that the licence conditions are followed. Users must not apply legal terms or technological measures that prevent others from exercising the rights granted by the licence. 

Attribution Requirements

Reuse of the article must include appropriate attribution. Reusers should provide:

  • the name of the author or authors; 
  • the article title; 
  • the journal name as the source of first publication; 
  • the year of publication; 
  • the DOI or a stable link to the Version of Record; 
  • identification of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence and a link to the licence; and 
  • a clear indication of any modifications, adaptations or translations. 

Attribution may be provided in a manner appropriate to the medium and form of reuse, but it must not misrepresent the original article or suggest that the authors, the journal or SDEWES Centre endorse the reuse.

Material Excluded from the Article Licence

The Creative Commons licence applies only to material for which the authors, other copyright owners or SDEWES Centre have authority to grant the licence.

Third-party figures, tables, photographs, maps, illustrations, datasets, software, text excerpts, logos and other material may be excluded from the article licence or subject to separate licence terms. Any exclusion or separate licensing arrangement must be clearly identified in the article or accompanying credit line.

Research data, code, software, models, supplementary material and linked repository content are not automatically covered by the licence applied to the article. Their applicable licences, access conditions and reuse restrictions should be stated separately in accordance with Research Data and Transparency.

Users wishing to reuse excluded or separately licensed material are responsible for determining whether permission is required from the relevant rights holder. Detailed requirements are provided in Copyright & Licensing.

No Endorsement and Other Rights

Reuse must not imply endorsement by the authors, editors, the journal or SDEWES Centre unless such endorsement has been expressly authorised.

CC BY 3.0 grants permissions relating to copyright and applicable related rights, but it may not provide every permission required for a particular use. Moral rights, privacy and publicity rights, trademarks, patents, confidentiality obligations and third-party rights may continue to apply and may require additional consent, permission or legal authority.

Material containing personal or identifiable information must also be used in accordance with Privacy and Research Ethics. The availability of material under a Creative Commons licence does not remove applicable privacy, ethical, contractual or legal restrictions. Creative Commons expressly notes that its licence may not provide all permissions needed for an intended use. 

Author Sharing, Repository Deposit and Version of Record

Authors may share and deposit different versions of their work, provided that the version is identified accurately and applicable journal, repository, funder, institutional and third-party requirements are respected. Sharing must preserve appropriate attribution and must not obscure the applicable licence or any correction, retraction or other publication notice.

The journal permits authors to deposit the Submitted Manuscript, the Accepted Manuscript and the published Version of Record immediately and without embargo in an institutional, subject-based or other repository of their choice. Each deposited version must be identified accurately, and the DOI or stable link to the Version of Record must be added when available. Repository deposit remains subject to third-party rights, privacy, confidentiality and any separately identified legal or contractual restrictions.

Submitted Manuscript

The Submitted Manuscript is the version initially submitted to the journal before peer review and editorial revision.

Authors may deposit or share the Submitted Manuscript immediately and without embargo in an institutional, subject-based or other repository of their choice. The deposit must comply with any applicable institutional, funder, repository, conference, prior-publication, third-party, privacy, confidentiality or legal requirements. The shared copy must:

  • be clearly identified as a submitted, non-peer-reviewed manuscript; 
  • not be presented as accepted or published by the journal; 
  • disclose any related preprint, conference paper or prior version where relevant; and 
  • be updated with a citation and link to the Version of Record after publication. 

The Creative Commons licence applied to the Version of Record does not automatically apply to an earlier manuscript version unless the copyright owner has separately applied that licence.

Accepted Manuscript

The Accepted Manuscript is the author’s final manuscript after peer review and acceptance but before the journal’s production, copyediting, formatting and publication processes.

Authors may deposit or share the Accepted Manuscript immediately and without embargo in an institutional, subject-based or other repository of their choice. The deposited version must comply with Copyright & Licensing and any applicable funder, institutional, repository, third-party, privacy, confidentiality or legal requirements. The deposited version must:

  • be identified clearly as the Accepted Manuscript; 
  • not use the journal’s final published layout unless authorised; 
  • include the article title, author names and journal name; 
  • state that the Version of Record will be or has been published by the journal; and 
  • include the DOI or stable article link once available. 

Where the Accepted Manuscript carries a separate licence applied by the copyright owner, that licence must be displayed accurately.

Version of Record

The Version of Record is the final article published by the journal following editorial acceptance and completion of the production and publication requirements. It is initially published as an Online First article and is subsequently assigned to the relevant issue and annual volume. It includes the final article text, DOI, copyright and licence information and the applicable publication metadata. 

Supplementary material associated with the article forms part of the publication record but may be subject to a separate licence, access conditions or reuse restrictions.

Authors may deposit and share the Version of Record, and any supplementary material expressly covered by the same licence, immediately under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence (CC BY 3.0), provided that:

  • the article is properly attributed and cited; 
  • the DOI or stable link to the journal webpage is included; 
  • the applicable Creative Commons licence is displayed; and 
  • no correction, expression of concern, retraction or other publication notice is removed or obscured. 

SDEWES Centre maintains the Version of Record and its connection to the article’s publication history.

Responsible Sharing and Citation

When sharing any manuscript version, authors should identify the version accurately and avoid creating confusion about its peer-review, acceptance or publication status.

Repository, website and platform records for the Version of Record should include:

  • the article title and author names; 
  • the journal name and publication details; 
  • the DOI or stable link; 
  • identification of the Version of Record; 
  • the copyright holder; 
  • the applicable Creative Commons licence; and 
  • any linked correction, expression of concern, retraction or other publication notice. 

Where an earlier version is shared, authors should add the citation and DOI of the Version of Record after publication. Sharing or reuse must not misrepresent the article, remove attribution or licence information, breach third-party rights or create misleading duplicate-publication records.

Detailed requirements concerning preprints, conference papers and overlapping versions are provided in Publishing Ethics, Copyright & Licensing and the Guide for Authors.

Corrections, Retractions and Publication Notices

Corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, withdrawal notices, removal or replacement notices and other publication notices form part of the scholarly record and must remain connected to the affected article.

Once the Creative Commons licence has been validly applied, existing recipients may continue to rely on it in accordance with its terms. A later correction, retraction, removal or replacement does not silently revoke rights previously granted, although the article’s current status and the applicable notice must remain visible and must not be misrepresented.

Authors and users must not remove, conceal or alter a publication notice when sharing or reusing an article. Where an author controls a repository record, personal webpage or other shared copy, the record should be updated promptly to include a link to the applicable notice.

A retracted article must not be presented as valid current research without clear identification of its retracted status. Detailed requirements are provided in Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals.

Third-Party and Non-Article Materials

The Creative Commons licence applied to an article does not automatically apply to all material included with, reproduced in or linked from that article. Authors must identify ownership, obtain any required permissions and state clearly where separate licences, access conditions or restrictions apply.

Third-Party Permissions and Attribution

Authors are responsible for identifying third-party material and determining whether permission is required for its inclusion and open-access publication.

Permission must be obtained where protected material is not covered by:

  • an applicable licence; 
  • public-domain status; 
  • a statutory or other lawful exception; or 
  • another valid basis permitting the intended publication and reuse. 

Permissions must cover publication by the journal, online open-access availability and reuse under the intended article licence where required. Restrictions imposed by a rights holder must be communicated to the journal before publication.

Authors must not assume that content available online is free to reproduce or adapt. Third-party material must include appropriate acknowledgement, citation, rights-holder information and licence or permission statements. 

Figures, Tables, Images, Maps and Text Excerpts

Figures, tables, illustrations, photographs, maps, diagrams, charts, screenshots and text excerpts must be:

  • created by the authors; 
  • available under an appropriate licence; 
  • in the public domain; 
  • used under another applicable lawful basis; or 
  • reproduced or adapted with permission where required. 

Where material has been reproduced or adapted, the credit line must identify the original source, rights holder and applicable licence or permission and must indicate that changes were made where relevant.

If third-party material is excluded from the article’s CC BY 3.0 licence, this must be stated clearly in the relevant caption, credit line or accompanying notice.

Photographs or other material that may identify individuals may also require consent or another appropriate basis for publication under Research Ethics and Privacy.

Data, Code, Software, Models and Supplementary Material

Research data, code, software, models, algorithms, protocols, databases and supplementary materials may have ownership, licensing and access conditions that differ from those applying to the article text. Code and software should normally be released under an appropriate software or open-source licence rather than an article-oriented Creative Commons licence.

Authors should identify the applicable licence or access conditions for these materials where possible. Repository deposits must comply with relevant:

  • copyright and third-party rights; 
  • open-source or proprietary licence terms; 
  • privacy and confidentiality requirements; 
  • ethical approvals and participant consent; 
  • institutional and funder requirements; and 
  • commercial, legal, security or other justified restrictions. 

A Data Availability Statement must explain where supporting materials are available and any conditions or restrictions that apply. Restricted access must not be described as open access.

Detailed requirements are provided in Research Data and Transparency, Privacy and the Guide for Authors. 

Preprints, Conference Papers and Prior Versions

The journal may consider manuscripts that have previously appeared as preprints, conference papers or other prior versions where permitted by the Guide for Authors.

Authors must:

  • disclose and cite the prior version; 
  • identify any copyright owner, publisher agreement or licence applying to it; 
  • ensure that submission and publication do not breach conference, repository or publisher conditions; 
  • explain the relationship between the prior version and the submitted manuscript; and 
  • satisfy the journal’s requirements for originality and substantial extension where applicable. 

Publication of the Version of Record does not cancel a licence or agreement already applying to a prior version. Authors should update the prior-version record with the citation and DOI of the Version of Record after publication.

Undisclosed overlap, duplicate publication, inappropriate text recycling and misleading presentation of prior versions are assessed under Publishing Ethics.

Personal, Confidential and AI-Assisted Material

Material containing personal data, identifiable information, confidential records, direct quotations, photographs of individuals, location-sensitive information or other restricted content may be published or shared only where the necessary ethical approval, consent, authorisation and legal basis have been established.

Open-access publication and Creative Commons licensing do not override privacy, confidentiality, consent or data-protection requirements. Authors must ensure that personal or confidential information is not included inadvertently in article files, supplementary material, metadata or repository deposits.

Where generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have contributed to text, images, figures, code, data processing, models or supplementary material, authors remain responsible for:

  • originality, accuracy and integrity; 
  • copyright and third-party rights; 
  • appropriate attribution and disclosure; 
  • verification of licences and source material; 
  • protection of personal and confidential information; and 
  • ensuring that the output does not reproduce or misuse protected material. 

Authors must not enter personal, confidential, sensitive, copyrighted or third-party material into an external AI service without appropriate rights, permissions and safeguards. Detailed requirements are provided in Generative AI Policy, Privacy, Research Data and Transparency and Publishing Ethics.

Author Agreement, Related Guidance and Contact

Publication requires confirmation that the authors and any other copyright owners have the authority to publish and license the article. The required agreement and supporting permission documents must be completed before the Version of Record can be published.

Author and Copyright-Owner Confirmations

By completing the publication agreement, the authors and any other applicable copyright owners confirm that:

  • they own the relevant rights or are authorised to act for the copyright owner; 
  • all authors have approved publication of the accepted article; 
  • they are authorised to grant SDEWES Centre the non-exclusive licence described on this page; 
  • the Version of Record may be published under the stated Creative Commons licence; 
  • required permissions for third-party material have been obtained; 
  • copyright ownership, institutional or government rights and any restrictions have been disclosed accurately; 
  • the article does not infringe copyright, database rights, software licences, confidentiality obligations or other third-party rights; and 
  • information supplied in the agreement and supporting documents is complete and accurate. 

The corresponding author coordinates completion of the documentation on behalf of all authors but does not replace the individual responsibility of each author or copyright owner for the rights associated with their contribution.

Required Agreement and Permission Documentation

Following acceptance and before publication, the corresponding author must coordinate submission of:

  • the completed Copyright and Licence to Publish Agreement; 
  • confirmation from an employer, institution, government body or other copyright owner where required; 
  • the completed Third-Party Material Permission and Attribution Form, where applicable; 
  • the applicable copyright, licence, credit-line or exclusion statement prepared using the Copyright and Licensing Statement Template, where required;
  • licence and credit-line information for reproduced or adapted material; and 
  • any additional ownership, rights or permission documentation requested by the journal. 

Where permission is subject to a restriction or does not allow inclusion under the article’s CC BY 3.0 licence, the limitation must be identified clearly so that an appropriate credit line or exclusion notice can be added.

Publication may be delayed or may not proceed where the necessary rights, agreements or permissions have not been established.

Related SDEWES Journals Policies and Journal-Level Pages

This page should be read together with:

The Guide for Authors provides practical instructions concerning manuscript versions, prior publications, permission statements, required files and post-acceptance documentation.

Copyright, Licensing, Permissions, Reuse and Concerns

Questions concerning copyright ownership, the licence to publish, Creative Commons licensing, third-party permissions, article sharing, repository deposit or proposed reuse should be submitted through the journal’s editorial contact identified on the Contact page.

Concerns about publication authority, licence compatibility, missing permissions, inaccurate attribution, unauthorised reuse or repository posting should normally be submitted through the same route. Where the matter may involve plagiarism, deliberate omission of required permissions, materially inaccurate attribution or other possible publication misconduct affecting the scholarly record, it should be submitted to ethics@sdewes.org.

Concerns involving personal data, identifiable information, confidentiality or privacy should be submitted to privacy@sdewes.org.

Such matters will be assessed under Copyright & Licensing and, where applicable, Publishing Ethics, Privacy and Corrections, Retractions and Withdrawals.

Formal complaints concerning the journal’s assessment or handling of a copyright, permissions or licensing matter are considered under Editorial Decision Appeals and Complaints.

Enquiries should identify the relevant manuscript or article and, where available, provide:

  • the manuscript ID or DOI; 
  • the material concerned; 
  • the proposed form and purpose of use; 
  • the source and rights holder; 
  • the existing licence or permission terms; and 
  • any supporting correspondence or documentation. 

Authors should raise rights or permission questions before acceptance wherever possible. Users seeking to reuse material excluded from the article’s Creative Commons licence must normally contact the relevant third-party rights holder directly.


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