1. Policy Statement

The Prithvi Journal of Academic Research & Development (PJARD), published by Prithvi Foundation, is a fully Open Access and Creative Commons-licensed academic journal. All works published in PJARD are protected under copyright law and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under this model, authors retain full copyright ownership of their scholarly works, while granting PJARD the right of first publication and distribution. The license permits anyone to share, reuse, adapt, or build upon the published material for any lawful purpose, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the source.

2. Author Rights and Responsibilities

Authors publishing in PJARD:

1. • Retain copyright of their published work.
2. • Grant Prithvi Foundation (publisher of PJARD) a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to publish, reproduce, and distribute the work in any format or medium.
3. • May reuse, archive, and distribute their published article freely (in repositories, institutional archives, or personal websites), provided that the final published version includes citation to PJARD and the CC BY 4.0 license link.
4. • Are responsible for ensuring that:
   1. o The submitted work is original, not previously published, and not under review elsewhere.
   2. o All citations and permissions for third-party material (images, charts, data, etc.) are obtained before submission.
   3. o The work complies with PJARD’s Plagiarism Policy and has passed similarity testing using Plagiarism Checker X within the acceptable range (<20%).
   4. o The content does not infringe any copyright, trademark, patent, or proprietary rights of others.

3. Publisher’s Rights and Responsibilities

Prithvi Foundation, as the publisher:

1. • Holds the first publication rights for all articles published in PJARD.
2. • Ensures open and unrestricted access to all published materials under CC BY 4.0 terms.
3. • May archive, index, or disseminate the article through global databases, repositories, or abstracting services for greater visibility.
4. • Reserves the right to remove, retract, or correct articles found to violate ethical standards or copyright laws.
5. • Will not be held legally responsible for statements, data, or claims made by authors in published content.

4. Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)

All PJARD articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under this license, readers and users may:

1. • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
2. • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.

Provided that:

1. • Proper attribution is given to the original author(s) and to PJARD.
2. • A link to the license is provided: 🔗 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
3. • Any modifications are clearly indicated.

PJARD encourages citation and academic use of its publications under these open-access terms.

5. Plagiarism and Originality Clause

PJARD enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism and duplicate publication.

All manuscripts are screened through Plagiarism Checker X before acceptance.

Similarity Level	Editorial Decision
0–10%	Acceptable – considered original
10–20%	Minor overlap – revision required
>20%	Unacceptable – manuscript rejected

Authors must submit a Plagiarism Declaration Form confirming originality and responsible authorship. Any detected plagiarism, before or after publication, will lead to retraction, blacklisting, and notification to the affiliated institution.

6. Copyright Transfer and Declaration

Upon acceptance of the manuscript, authors are required to submit a Copyright and Declaration Form, confirming that:

1. 1. The work is original, not under review or published elsewhere.
2. 2. The authors retain copyright but grant PJARD the right of first publication under CC BY 4.0.
3. 3. The manuscript has been checked with Plagiarism Checker X and falls within acceptable similarity limits.
4. 4. The authors agree to the open access distribution of their work under CC BY 4.0.

Model Declaration (for inclusion in submission form):

“I/We hereby declare that this manuscript is our original work and does not contain plagiarized content.

The similarity index checked by Plagiarism Checker X is within the acceptable limit prescribed by the Prithvi Journal of Academic Research & Development (PJARD).

I/We retain copyright of this article and grant PJARD the non-exclusive right of first publication under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).”

7. Reuse, Distribution, and Archiving

Authors and readers are encouraged to:

1. • Deposit and share their PJARD-published works in institutional repositories, libraries, or academic platforms.
2. • Cite the published version with proper acknowledgment to PJARD and Prithvi Foundation.
3. • Use or reproduce figures, data, or text for educational, academic, and non-commercial purposes, with citation.

PJARD ensures digital preservation and long-term accessibility of all published content in online archives and repositories.

8. Copyright Violation and Retraction Policy

If any published article is found to violate copyright, authorship, or ethical standards:

1. • The paper will be retracted from PJARD’s online platform.
2. • A Retraction Notice will be issued, stating the reason.
3. • The author(s) may face a publication embargo (up to three years) and institutional notification.
4. • Legal actions may be taken if infringement is proven deliberate or malicious.

9. Legal Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in PJARD articles are solely those of the authors.

Prithvi Foundation and its editors assume no responsibility for the accuracy, reliability, or legal standing of the content. The publisher upholds academic freedom while maintaining accountability for ethical and legal publishing standards.