Terms and Conditions of Use

Himalayan Beacon Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences – Website

Last updated: 25th January 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the website of the Himalayan Beacon Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (“HBJHSS”, “we”, “us”, “our”), you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions of Use (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, you MUST NOT use this website.

2. Definitions

• “Website” refers to the official HBJHSS site and all pages under its domain.
• “User”, “you”, and “your” refer to any person who accesses, browses, or uses the website.
• “Content” includes all text, articles, images, graphics, data, files, and other materials available on the website.
• “Submitted Content” refers to any material you submit to the journal, including manuscripts, reviews, comments, or other contributions.

3. Use of the Website

• You agree to use the website only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.
• You must not use the website in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the site or interfere with any other party’s use.
• You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any portion of the website, server, or related systems.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

• Unless otherwise stated, all Content on the website, including but not limited to the journal name, logo, layout, design, and published articles, is owned by HBJHSS or its licensors and is protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
• Individual articles and other scholarly works may be governed by specific copyright or licensing terms (including open access licenses such as Creative Commons). You must refer to the licensing statement associated with each article before reuse.
• Except as permitted under applicable law or the specific license attached to a work, you may not reproduce, distribute, modify, display, perform, transmit, or otherwise use any Content without prior written permission from HBJHSS or the relevant rights holder.

5. Permitted Use of Content

Subject to the specific license terms indicated for each article or item of Content:

• You may view, download, and print reasonable portions of the Content for your personal, non-commercial, academic, or research use.
• When using or citing Content, you must provide proper academic attribution, including author name, article title, journal title, volume/issue (where applicable), and any DOI or URL.
• Any reuse of Content beyond what is explicitly allowed (e.g., commercial use, large-scale distribution, or adaptation) requires prior written permission or must comply with the applicable license.

6. User Accounts and Registration

If the website offers registration or user accounts:

• You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep this information up to date.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities occurring under your account.
• You must notify HBJHSS promptly of any unauthorised use of your account or any other breach of security.
• HBJHSS reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or are otherwise used inappropriately.

7. Submissions to the Journal

• When you submit manuscripts, reviews, or other scholarly contributions, you represent and warrant that:
  • The work is original and does not infringe any third-party rights.
  • The work has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, unless explicitly stated and permitted under the journal’s policy.
  • All co-authors, where applicable, have approved the submission and its Content.
• You agree to comply with the journal’s separate author guidelines, ethics policy, and editorial policies, which are incorporated by reference into these Terms.
• Intellectual property and licensing for accepted articles will be governed by the author agreement or publishing contract you enter into with HBJHSS.

8. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the website to transmit or post any unlawful, defamatory, libellous, harassing, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise objectionable material.
• Upload or distribute viruses, malware, or any other harmful code.
• Engage in data mining, scraping, automated access, or similar activities without explicit written permission.
• Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity.
• Violate the privacy, rights, or intellectual property of others.

HBJHSS reserves the right to remove any material or restrict access where it reasonably believes a breach of these Terms has occurred.

9. Third-Party Links and Resources

• The website may contain links to third-party websites or resources for citation, indexing, or informational purposes.
• HBJHSS does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for the Content, accuracy, policies, or practices of any third-party sites.
• Accessing third-party websites is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of those sites.

10. Privacy and Data Protection

• HBJHSS may collect and process limited personal data (e.g., contact details, login credentials, submission information) as necessary for journal operations.
• The collection and use of personal data will be governed by a separate Privacy Policy, which should be read in conjunction with these Terms.
• By using the website, you consent to such processing in accordance with the Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

11. Disclaimers

• The website and its Content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.
• HBJHSS does not guarantee that the website will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free from viruses or other harmful components.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, HBJHSS disclaims all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of accuracy, completeness, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
• Scholarly articles and other academic Content represent the views of their respective authors and not necessarily those of HBJHSS, its editors, or its sponsoring institutions.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• HBJHSS shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages arising out of or in connection with your use or inability to use the website or its Content.
• This includes, without limitation, damages for loss of profits, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses, even if HBJHSS has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• If, notwithstanding the above, HBJHSS is found liable for any damage or loss, such liability shall in no event exceed the amount, if any, paid by you (if applicable) for accessing or using the website during the six months immediately preceding the claim.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless HBJHSS, its editors, staff, publishers, partner institutions, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in any way connected with:

• Your use of or access to the website or Content.
• Your violation of these Terms.
• Your infringement of any third-party right, including intellectual property or privacy rights.
• Any Submitted Content you provide.

14. Changes to the Website and Terms

• HBJHSS reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the website, including Content or features, at any time without notice.
• We may revise these Terms from time to time. The updated version will be posted on the website with a revised “Last updated” date.
• Your continued use of the website after changes to the Terms constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Termination

• HBJHSS may, in its sole discretion, suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the website for any reason, including breach of these Terms or disruption of the website’s operations.
• Upon termination, your right to use the website will immediately cease. Still, any provisions that by their nature should survive termination (e.g., intellectual property rights, disclaimers, limitations of liability, and indemnity) shall remain in effect.

16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

• These Terms, and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or your use of the website, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Insert Jurisdiction].
• You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in [Insert City/Region] for the resolution of any disputes, subject to any mandatory legal provisions of applicable law.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

18. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional policies or guidelines posted on the website, constitute the entire agreement between you and HBJHSS regarding your use of the website and supersede any prior understandings or agreements.

19. Contact Information

For questions or concerns about these Terms, please contact:

Himalayan Beacon Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Email: editor@himalayanbeacon.com

Address: Himalayan Beacon, 118/A, Dr Zakir Hussain Road, Elysee Lane, Darjeeling – 734101, India

Website: https://www.himalayanbeacon.com