Privacy Statement

Effective Date: October 31, 2025
Last Updated: October 31, 2025

Dissertia (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy and Data Protection Policy explains how we collect, process, and safeguard your personal information in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data-protection laws. We are headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and operate in full compliance with European privacy standards.

As part of our mission, Dissertia Research Reviews (DRR–HASS) publishes open-access academic content, including articles, thesis and dissertation summaries, editorials, and scholarly podcasts, to advance visibility and global access to graduate and postdoctoral research in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

1. Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

1.1. Account Information: Name, email address, password, country of residence, institutional affiliation, and field of study.
1.2. Profile Data (optional): ORCID iD, professional links (e.g., Academia.edu, ResearchGate), short biography, social media handles, and research interests.
1.3. Submissions and Uploads: Manuscripts, dissertation summaries, abstracts, images, CVs, and other materials submitted for editorial review or publication.
1.4. Usage Data: Technical data such as IP address, browser type, device information, referral sources, and user interaction metrics on our website.

2. Purposes of Processing

Your personal data is processed for the following purposes:

2.1. To register and manage user accounts.
2.2. To facilitate submission, editorial review, and publication.
2.3. To publish, index, and disseminate open-access academic work.
2.4. To communicate with authors, editors, and reviewers.
2.5. To maintain research visibility and interoperability through indexing services (e.g., Crossref, DOAJ, Google Scholar).
2.6. To improve our platform’s usability, accessibility, and performance.
2.7. To comply with legal, ethical, and contractual obligations under academic publishing standards.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

Our processing of personal data relies on the following legal bases under Article 6 of the GDPR:

3.1. Consent (Art. 6(1)(a)) – for optional profile data, cookies, newsletter subscriptions, and public profile visibility.
3.2. Contractual Necessity (Art. 6(1)(b)) – to provide publishing services, process submissions, and maintain user accounts.
3.3. Legal Obligation (Art. 6(1)(c)) – for record-keeping, copyright management, and reporting to indexing bodies.
3.4. Legitimate Interests (Art. 6(1)(f)) – to ensure platform security, maintain service quality, and promote scholarly communication.

4. Data Sharing and International Transfers

4.1. We do not sell or rent personal data to third parties.
4.2. Limited data may be shared with GDPR-compliant third-party service providers (e.g., hosting, analytics, or IT maintenance) under data-processing agreements.
4.3. Where personal data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, we apply European Commission Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or equivalent safeguards to ensure lawful international transfers.
4.4. Publicly available metadata (e.g., author names, titles, DOIs, and affiliations) may be distributed to indexing and preservation services such as Crossref, DOAJ, PKP|PN, and Google Scholar, solely for scholarly citation and archiving purposes.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for legitimate academic and operational purposes:

5.1. User Account Data: Retained until you delete your account or request erasure.
5.2. Published Works: Retained permanently as part of the scholarly record and open-access archive.
5.3. Editorial Correspondence and Peer Review Data: Retained for a minimum of five years to ensure academic integrity.
5.4. Legal and Financial Records: Retained in accordance with statutory retention periods under German law.

6. Your Rights Under GDPR

As a data subject, you have the following rights under Articles 15–22 GDPR:

6.1. Right of Access – to request a copy of your personal data.
6.2. Right to Rectification – to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
6.3. Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) – to request deletion of your data when no longer necessary.
6.4. Right to Restrict Processing – to limit how we use your information.
6.5. Right to Data Portability – to receive your data in a machine-readable format.
6.6. Right to Object – to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
6.7. Right to Withdraw Consent – to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting prior lawful processing.

Requests can be sent to privacy@dissertia.ai. We will respond within 30 days in accordance with GDPR requirements.

7. Cookies and Analytics

7.1. We use cookies to optimize website functionality, remember user preferences, and improve overall experience.
7.2. Non-essential cookies (analytics, social media integration) are used only with explicit consent.
7.3. You can manage or withdraw cookie consent at any time via browser settings or our cookie preferences banner.
7.4. We may use Google Analytics or Matomo (self-hosted) to evaluate usage patterns in anonymized form for service improvement.

8. Security

We implement robust technical and organizational measures (TOMs) to safeguard personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, loss, or destruction. These include encrypted connections (HTTPS/SSL), regular security audits, restricted access controls, and staff training on data protection principles.

9. Applicability and Scope

This policy applies to all activities under Dissertia.ai, including:

  • the Dissertia Research Reviews (DRR–HASS) journal,

  • related academic services, databases, and AI-powered indexing tools, and

  • all communication or collaboration platforms operated under the Dissertia name.

Users outside the EU/EEA are assured equivalent protection standards under applicable data-protection frameworks.

10. Contact and Data Controller

Data Controller (under GDPR):
Dissertia
c/o AK Software GmbH
Seydelstr. 7
10117 Berlin, Germany
Email: privacy@dissertia.ai

If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit (Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information).

11. Archiving and Preservation

All published content is archived in the PKP Preservation Network (PKP|PN) to ensure permanent accessibility and integrity. Metadata may also be distributed through Crossref, DOAJ, and OAI-PMH-compatible repositories to maintain scholarly preservation and citation continuity.

All content on this website, including the journal and its associated platform, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.