Terms and Conditions

Welcome to NexGen Journal. These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of nexgenjournal.org (the "Website"), operated by NexGen Foundation, Inc. ("NexGen," "NexGen Journal," "we," "us," or "our").

By accessing or using the Website, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Website.

1. About NexGen Journal

NexGen Journal is an independent academic journal dedicated to publishing original research by high school students across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

The Website provides information about the Journal, submission opportunities, editorial and peer-review processes, published research, and related educational resources.

2. Eligibility and Student Users

The Website is intended for students, educators, researchers, parents, mentors, and other members of the academic community.

Students who submit manuscripts must meet the eligibility requirements stated in our Submission Guidelines.

If a user is under the age required to consent to these Terms independently under applicable law, use of the Website and submission of materials must be made with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian where required.

3. Acceptable Use

You may use the Website for lawful, educational, scholarly, and informational purposes.

You may not:

• interfere with the security or operation of the Website;
• attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Website, its systems, or accounts;
• introduce malicious software, code, or other harmful material;
• use automated methods to scrape, copy, harvest, or extract substantial portions of the Website without permission;
• impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity or affiliation;
• submit fraudulent, plagiarized, infringing, or unlawful material; or
• use the Website in a manner that violates applicable law or the rights of others.

We may restrict or terminate access to the Website when we reasonably believe these Terms have been violated.

4. Manuscript Submissions

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee peer review, acceptance, or publication.

All submissions are subject to NexGen Journal's current Submission Guidelines, editorial policies, academic standards, and review procedures.

By submitting a manuscript, the submitting author represents that:

• the submission is original work;
• all listed authors have made appropriate contributions and have agreed to the submission;
• sources and contributions of others have been appropriately acknowledged;
• the submission does not knowingly contain plagiarized, fabricated, falsified, or unlawfully obtained material;
• the authors have the necessary rights or permissions for any third-party material included in the submission;
• any required research approvals, permissions, or participant consents have been obtained; and
• the information provided to NexGen Journal in connection with the submission is accurate to the best of the submitting author's knowledge.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality, citations, data, conclusions, and ethical conduct of their work.

5. Editorial Review and Publication Decisions

NexGen Journal retains editorial independence and discretion over all manuscripts submitted to the Journal.

We may decline a submission before peer review, request revisions, send a manuscript for peer review, accept or reject a manuscript, or decline publication when a manuscript does not satisfy our standards or policies.

Editorial and publication decisions are based on factors that may include originality, academic quality, relevance, methodology, ethical compliance, clarity, and suitability for the Journal.

Neither submission nor payment of any applicable publication fee guarantees acceptance or publication. Any publication fee applies only as described in the Journal's current published fee policy.

6. Academic Integrity and Research Ethics

NexGen Journal expects authors to follow accepted standards of academic integrity and research ethics.

We may investigate suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated or manipulated data, misrepresented authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest, ethical violations, or other forms of academic misconduct.

When appropriate, NexGen Journal may reject a submission, suspend review, request supporting documentation, correct or retract published material, or take other reasonable steps to protect the integrity of the academic record.

7. Artificial Intelligence and Submitted Work

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all submitted work complies with NexGen Journal's current policies regarding artificial intelligence and other technology-assisted tools.

The use of an AI or automated tool does not transfer responsibility away from the authors. Authors remain responsible for the originality, accuracy, citations, analysis, representations, and integrity of all submitted material.

NexGen Journal may request information regarding the use of AI or other automated tools when necessary to evaluate the integrity or authorship of a submission.

8. Author Rights and Permission to Publish

Unless otherwise stated in a separate publication or licensing agreement, authors retain ownership of the copyright in their original work.

By submitting a manuscript, authors grant NexGen Journal permission to receive, store, reproduce, and share the manuscript as reasonably necessary for editorial evaluation, peer review, plagiarism or integrity screening, production, and publication-related administration.

If a manuscript is accepted, the authors may be required to enter into a separate publication or licensing agreement specifying the rights granted to NexGen Journal and the terms under which the published article may be accessed, distributed, or reused.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted images, figures, tables, questionnaires, datasets, or other third-party material when permission is required.

9. Published Articles and Website Content

Copyright and licensing terms applicable to individual published articles will be identified with the article or in the applicable publication agreement.

Except where otherwise indicated, the Website's design, graphics, logos, trademarks, text, compilation, and other materials created by or for NexGen Journal are owned by or licensed to NexGen Foundation, Inc. and are protected by applicable intellectual-property laws.

You may view and use Website materials for personal, educational, and scholarly purposes consistent with applicable copyright and licensing terms.

Nothing on the Website grants permission to use the NexGen Journal name, logo, branding, or trademarks in a manner suggesting sponsorship, endorsement, affiliation, or approval without our written permission.

10. Peer Review and Confidentiality

Manuscripts under consideration are treated as confidential editorial materials and may be shared with editors, reviewers, staff, service providers, and others involved in the review and publication process as reasonably necessary.

NexGen Journal takes reasonable measures to protect submitted materials but cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality or security of information transmitted electronically.

Peer reviewers and editors are expected to treat unpublished manuscripts and related information as confidential in accordance with Journal policies.

11. Corrections, Retractions, and Removal

NexGen Journal seeks to maintain an accurate and trustworthy academic record.

We reserve the right to issue corrections, editorial notices, expressions of concern, retractions, or other appropriate updates to published material when necessary to address significant errors, ethical concerns, misconduct, legal requirements, or threats to the integrity of the publication record.

Removal of published material will generally be reserved for exceptional circumstances.

12. Third-Party Links and Services

The Website may contain links to third-party websites, services, databases, or resources.

These links are provided for convenience or informational purposes. NexGen Journal does not control and is not responsible for the content, availability, privacy practices, security, or policies of third-party websites or services.

13. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information are governed by our Privacy Policy, which should be read together with these Terms.

Information submitted as part of the manuscript review and publication process may be used as reasonably necessary to administer submissions, communicate with authors and reviewers, conduct editorial review, maintain publication records, and operate the Journal.

14. No Guarantee or Professional Advice

The Website and its content are provided for academic, educational, and informational purposes.

Publication in NexGen Journal does not constitute an endorsement by NexGen Foundation, Inc. of an author's conclusions, opinions, products, institutions, mentors, or affiliations.

Content published on the Website should not be treated as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice.

15. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the extent permitted by law, the Website and its content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.

NexGen Foundation, Inc. does not guarantee that the Website will always be available, uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free from harmful components, or that all information appearing on the Website will be complete or error-free.

Nothing in this section limits rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

16. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, NexGen Foundation, Inc. and its directors, officers, employees, editors, reviewers, advisors, volunteers, and service providers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or similar damages arising from or relating to use of the Website, reliance on Website content, manuscript submission, editorial review, publication decisions, or inability to access the Website.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

17. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to be responsible for claims, losses, or expenses arising from material you submit to NexGen Journal or from your material violation of these Terms, including infringement of another person's intellectual-property or other legal rights.

This provision does not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.

18. Changes to the Website or These Terms

We may modify the Website, our services, policies, or these Terms from time to time.

When these Terms are materially updated, we will post the revised version on this page and update the "Last Updated" date.

Your continued use of the Website after revised Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms to the extent permitted by law.

19. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New Jersey, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.

Any dispute arising from these Terms or use of the Website will be subject to the jurisdiction of the appropriate state or federal courts located in New Jersey, except where applicable law provides otherwise.

20. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.

21. Contact Us

Questions regarding these Terms or NexGen Journal's policies may be directed to NexGen Foundation, Inc., New Jersey, United States, at contact@nexgenjournal.org.