Privacy Statement

  1. Data Controller

Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper)
Garibaldijeva 1, SI - 6000 Koper, Slovenia
E-mail: info@zrs-kp.si
Phone: +386 (0)5 663 77 00

Representative: Prof Dr Rado Pišot, director of ZRS Koper

Data Protection Officer (DPO): Dr Helena Motoh dpo@zrs-kp.si

  1. Purpose and Legal Basis for Processing

Personal data are collected and processed for:

  • user registration in the Open Monograph Press (OMP) application (editors, reviewers, authors, readers),
  • communication during submission, review, and publication processes,
  • publication of author information for accepted submissions,
  • record keeping and fulfillment of publisher’s legal obligations.

The legal bases are:

  • Article 6(1)(b) GDPR — processing necessary for performance of a contract (manuscript submission and review);
  • Article 6(1)(c) GDPR — legal obligation (record keeping, archiving, compliance);
  • Article 6(1)(f) GDPR — legitimate interests (platform security, communication, scholarly transparency);
  • Article 6(1)(a) GDPR — consent, where processing is optional (e.g., newsletters, sharing anonymized technical data for OMP).

Misuse of registration:

Administrators of the OMP platform reserve the right to suspend or delete user accounts created for purposes unrelated to the legitimate operation of the ANNALES ZRS, Scientific Publishing House (e.g., marketing, spam, or commercial solicitation). Any such data, which may not represent real personal data, are removed without further notice once identified.

2a. Types of Personal Data Collected

We collect and process the following categories of personal data:

  • Identification data: name, surname, institutional affiliation, country;
  • Contact details: email address, phone number (if provided voluntarily);
  • User account information: username, role within OMP (e.g. author, reviewer, editor);
  • Manuscript-related data: authorship details, ORCID iD (if provided), submission metadata, correspondence history;
  • Technical and usage data (collected automatically): IP address, browser type, access times, and interaction logs.
    These data are collected automatically by the OMP platform and are used solely for the technical management of the site, to maintain security, prevent abuse, and improve user experience. Technical and usage data (e.g. IP address, browser type, access logs) may also be used in anonymized or aggregated form to assist in the further development and improvement of the Open Monograph Press (OMP) publishing platform. These data may be shared with the platform developer, the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), solely for this purpose and in compliance with GDPR safeguards.

2b. Cookies / Tracking

The ANNALES ZRS, Scientific Publishing House website and OMP platform use cookies and similar tracking technologies to ensure proper technical functioning, improve user experience, and collect anonymized usage statistics.

These technologies do not identify individual users personally unless they voluntarily provide data through registration or submission.

Users can manage or disable cookies via their browser settings, though some functionalities of the platform may not operate correctly if cookies are disabled.

Anonymized technical and usage data may also be shared with the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) solely for platform development and improvement.

  1. Legitimate Interests

The legitimate interest of the controller is to ensure a transparent scholarly process, proper communication between contributors, and data security within the OMP platform.

  1. Data Recipients

Personal data are accessed by the:

  • editorial board,
  • technical OMP support at ZRS Koper,
  • external reviewers (in limited scope).

No personal data are shared with third parties for commercial purposes.

In addition to the editorial team and OMP technical support at ZRS Koper, anonymized technical and usage data may be shared with the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) for platform improvement and maintenance purposes only. PKP does not use these data for any commercial or unrelated purposes.

  1. Transfer to Third Countries

Personal data are generally not transferred to third countries. Any transfer (e.g., involving foreign reviewers) complies with Article 46 GDPR and uses appropriate safeguards.

  1. Data Retention Period

Personal data are retained as long as necessary for monograph operations or as part of the permanent scholarly record, following the timeframes:

  • user accounts retained until deletion request,
  • data for published monographs retained permanently,
  • unpublished submissions retained up to 5 years after procedure closure.
  1. Data Subject Rights

Users have the right to:

  • access their data,
  • rectify, erase, restrict processing,
  • object to processing,
  • request data portability.

Requests can be submitted via email to dpo@zrs-kp.si

  1. Right to Withdraw Consent

If processing is based on consent, users may withdraw it at any time without affecting prior lawful processing.

  1. Right to Lodge a Complaint

Individuals may lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner of the Republic of Slovenia, Dunajska cesta 22, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, (gp.ip@ip-rs.si).

  1. Obligation to Provide Data

Providing personal data is required to participate in the editorial and publication processes; failure to provide them prevents submission and publication.

  1. Automated Decision-Making

No automated decision-making or profiling takes place within online editorial and publication processes.

  1. Responsibility for Personal Data in Submissions

Authors are solely responsible for ensuring that any personal data appearing in their manuscripts or related research materials have been collected, processed, and reported in accordance with applicable data protection laws (including the GDPR) and ethical research standards.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

  • all necessary consents or other legal bases for processing personal data have been obtained;
  • the rights and privacy of individuals described or involved in the research have been protected; and
  • no personal data are included that would violate confidentiality agreements or ethical norms.

The ANNALES ZRS, Scientific Publishing House and Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper) assume that submissions comply with these requirements and may request clarification or reject manuscripts that do not.