The BMCJ is fully committed to open-access publishing, ensuring that all published works are freely accessible to the public while maintaining authors' rights over their intellectual property. The journal adheres to a licensing framework that fosters the broad dissemination of medical research while protecting authors' rights through the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license. This licensing model supports a balance between open access, ethical reuse, and preventing unauthorized commercial exploitation.

 

Copyright Ownership

Authors who publish in BMCJ retain full copyright ownership of their work. This means that authors have the exclusive rights to:

• Reproduce: Authors can create copies of their work in any medium, whether digitally or physically.
• Distribute: Authors can freely share their work through various channels such as websites, institutional repositories, and academic networks.
• Create Derivative Works: Authors can adapt or modify their work for use in future research, presentations, or educational materials.
• Public Display and Performance: Authors have the right to present their work in academic or public forums.

 

By retaining copyright, authors maintain control over how their work is used and shared, while the journal facilitates the global distribution of their research through open access.

 

Granting of License to the Journal

In addition to retaining copyright, authors grant BMCJ a license to publish and disseminate their work. This license enables the journal to:

• Distribute the research on its official website and through academic repositories and databases.
• Promote the work through indexing and metadata services that make it discoverable in search engines and academic platforms.
• Archive the work for long-term preservation and accessibility.

 

This agreement allows the journal to freely distribute the work globally while ensuring it remains accessible to researchers, clinicians, and educators without subscription fees or access barriers.

 

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) License

All articles published in BMCJ are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license, which enables wide dissemination and ethical reuse of research. The key terms of this license include:

1. Attribution: Users must give appropriate Credit to the original authors and the journal. This includes citing the authors, providing a link to the article, and indicating if any changes were made to the original work. Proper attribution ensures that authors receive recognition for their contributions.
2. Non-Commercial Use: The license restricts the use of the content to non-commercial purposes only. This means that the research cannot be used in for-profit activities, including commercial products, services, or redistribution efforts that generate revenue. Users must seek explicit permission from the authors or BMCJ for any commercial use.
3. Freedom to Share and Adapt: The CC BY-NC license allows users to freely copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for non-commercial purposes. This encourages collaboration, educational use, and the development of new research, provided that the work is not monetized without consent.

 

This license is integral to BMCJ's mission of promoting the free exchange of knowledge while safeguarding authors' intellectual property from unauthorized commercial exploitation.

 

Author Rights and Benefits

By publishing with BMCJ, authors retain substantial rights over their work, allowing them to maximize its reach and impact. These rights include:

• Self-Archiving: Authors are encouraged to deposit their published articles in institutional repositories, personal websites, or academic sharing platforms such as ResearchGate and Academia.edu. This practice enhances the visibility of their work while complying with the open-access framework.
• Reuse in Scholarly Works: Authors are free to incorporate their published work into future research, book chapters, conference presentations, and educational materials. This ensures their research can continue contributing to the academic discourse and inform further studies.
• Enhanced Visibility: Authors benefit from increased readership and citations by publishing in an open-access journal under the CC BY-NC license. Open-access articles are accessible to a global audience, including researchers and practitioners who may not have access to subscription-based journals.

 

Commercial Use Requests

For any use of the work beyond the scope of the CC BY-NC license, including commercial purposes, permission must be obtained from the authors or the journal. Commercial uses might include:

• Republishing the article in commercial books, magazines, or databases.
• Incorporating the content into products or services for sale.
• Using the research in for-profit activities, including paid educational materials or corporate training programs.

 

BMCJ manages these requests to ensure that authors' rights are respected and that any commercial use is appropriately licensed.

 

Ethical Use and Reuse of Research

The CC BY-NC license encourages ethical use and reuse of research while allowing others to build upon the original work for non-commercial purposes. Users are free to:

• Share the research with colleagues, students, and academic communities.
• Adapt the content to create derivative works for teaching, research, or scholarly purposes.
• Integrate the work into educational resources, provided it is not used commercially.

 

This approach fosters the global dissemination of medical knowledge and encourages collaborative efforts to advance research while protecting the authors' intellectual property.

 

Increased Impact through Open Access

Research published in BMCJ under an open-access model typically receives more attention and citations than work published in traditional subscription-based journals. The increased visibility that comes with open access allows:

• Wider Readership: Readers worldwide, including those in developing countries, can freely access and use the research, thereby expanding its reach.
• Collaborative Opportunities: By making research available to a broad audience, the open-access model fosters interdisciplinary and international collaboration, leading to new insights and innovations in medical science.

 

Post-Publication Rights

After publication, authors continue to hold rights over their work. They can:

• Share the Published Article: Authors are free to distribute their published work via email, social media, or academic networks.
• Use for Teaching and Research: Authors can use their work for teaching purposes, in lectures, or in future research projects.
• Reprint the Article: Authors can reproduce their work in anthologies, compilations, or collections, provided the usage remains non-commercial unless prior permission is granted.

 

BMCJ's copyright and licensing policy strikes a balance between promoting open access to valuable medical research and protecting authors' rights. By using the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) license, the journal enables the broad dissemination of research while ensuring that authors retain full control over their intellectual property. This model supports the free flow of knowledge within the academic and medical communities while preventing unauthorized commercial exploitation. Through this framework, BMCJ contributes to the global advancement of medical science, making high-quality research accessible to all.