Terms of Service

Last Updated: [08.12.2025]

Welcome to the North African Journal of Food and Nutrition Research (NAJFNR). These Terms of Service govern your access to and use of the NAJFNR website (www.najfnr.com), manuscript submission system, and all related services. By accessing or using our Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By registering an account, submitting a manuscript, reviewing a submission, or otherwise using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be legally bound by these Terms. If you are using the Services on behalf of an institution or organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not use our Services.

2. User Accounts and Responsibilities

2.1. Account Registration

To submit a manuscript, act as a reviewer, or serve as an editor, you must create an account by providing accurate, current, and complete information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

2.2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into contracts. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements.

2.3. Account Integrity

You agree to:

  • Not share your account credentials.
  • Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.
  • Provide only truthful and accurate information.
  • Maintain and update your profile, including institutional affiliation and areas of expertise.

3. Manuscript Submission and Publication Terms

3.1. Author Warranties and Representations

By submitting a manuscript, you (the corresponding author, on behalf of all co-authors) represent and warrant that:

  • The work is original and has not been previously published in whole or in part (except as an abstract, thesis, or preprint with proper disclosure).
  • You are the sole owner of the work or have obtained all necessary permissions from copyright holders.
  • The manuscript is not currently under consideration by another journal.
  • All authors have contributed significantly to the work and have approved the final version.
  • All relevant ethical standards have been followed, including disclosure of conflicts of interest and adherence to research integrity guidelines (e.g., pertaining to human/animal subjects, data availability).
  • All third-party material is clearly identified and permission for reproduction has been secured.

3.2. Submission and Peer Review Process

  • Submission: Manuscripts must comply with the Journal's Author Guidelines.
  • Editorial Decisions: The editorial board reserves the right to reject a manuscript without external peer review if it falls outside the journal's scope or fails to meet basic quality standards. All editorial decisions are final.
  • Peer Review: The Journal employs a double-blind peer-review process as described on our website. Reviewers are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely evaluations. Confidentiality of the manuscript and review process must be maintained by all parties.

3.3. Copyright and Licensing

  • Upon Acceptance: Authors grant NAJFNR an exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and communicate the article to the public in all forms and media.
  • Published Articles: Unless otherwise stated, articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Authors retain copyright of their work. The specific license terms will be clearly displayed on each published article.
  • Preprint Servers: Submission of a manuscript that has been posted on a recognized preprint server (e.g., arXiv, bioRxiv) is permitted. Authors must inform the editorial office upon submission.

3.4. Article Processing Charges (APCs) / Fees

Payment of an APC is due upon formal acceptance of the manuscript for publication and is independent of the peer-review outcome. Fee waivers or discounts may be available under certain conditions as per our published policy.

4. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

You agree not to use the Services to:

  • Engage in plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or any form of research misconduct.
  • Submit fraudulent, libelous, defamatory, obscene, or unlawful content.
  • Harass, intimidate, or discriminate against authors, reviewers, editors, or staff.
  • Misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or institutional affiliation.
  • Attempt to interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Services.
  • Use any automated system (e.g., bots, scrapers) to access the Services without our prior written permission, except for standard search engine indexing.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

  • Journal Content: The selection, arrangement, and presentation of all content on the Services (including logos, design, text, graphics, and software) are the property of NAJFNR or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws.
  • User Content: You retain ownership of the manuscripts and comments you submit. By submitting content, you grant NAJFNR the license specified in Section 3.3 and a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, host, and display that content as necessary to operate and provide the Services.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties and Limitation of Liability

  • Services "As Is": The Services and all content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.
  • No Guarantee: NAJFNR does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or utility of any published article, review comment, or other content. The views expressed in published articles are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Journal, editors, or publisher.
  • Limitation of Liability: To the fullest extent permitted by law, NAJFNR, its editors, affiliates, and service providers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data or profits, arising from your use of the Services.

7. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account and access to the Services at our sole discretion, without notice, for conduct we believe violates these Terms, is harmful to other users, or is otherwise detrimental to the Journal. Upon termination, your right to use the Services ceases immediately.

8. Modifications to the Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by posting the updated Terms on our website and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Services after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

9. General Provisions

  • Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
  • Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and NAJFNR regarding the Services.
  • Contact: For questions about these Terms, please contact us at: contact@najfnr.com