Medicine, Science and Education safeguards the confidentiality of unpublished materials, editorial correspondence, and personal data received during manuscript preparation, assessment, and publication.
1. Personal Data Processing
Personal data are collected only to the extent necessary, on a lawful basis, and with notice of the purposes of processing, retention periods, data recipients, and data subjects’ rights.
Consent to personal data processing specifies the purposes, categories of data, processing period, and recipients. Database hosting and cross-border data transfers comply with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
When the grounds for retention cease to apply, data are securely deleted or anonymized.
2. Author Information
For editorial communication and publication preparation, authors provide the information required by the journal, including their names, affiliations, contact details, researcher identifiers, and contributions.
Public author information is published with confirmation of the authors’ consent. Personal telephone numbers are used solely for editorial communication and are not published without separate consent.
Signatures, patient documents, and other confidential information are not published.
3. Manuscript and Peer-Review Confidentiality
Unpublished manuscripts, supplementary materials, and review reports are confidential. Access to the editorial system is restricted according to participants’ roles.
Reviewers receive anonymized materials. Reviewer identities are known to the editorial team but are not disclosed to authors.
A manuscript may be shared with another specialist only with the editor’s prior permission, following a conflict-of-interest check and documentation of that specialist’s involvement. Unpublished ideas, data, and materials must not be used for personal benefit.
4. Research Participant Data
Consent to participate in research and consent to publish identifiable information are obtained separately.
Personal information and images are anonymized with attention to the possibility of indirect identification. Consent documents are stored securely and provided to the editorial team upon a justified request.
Data availability requirements do not create an obligation to publish personal data openly. Open publication of personal data without a lawful basis is prohibited. Source materials requested by the editorial team for verification are handled confidentially.
5. Security and Retention
Safeguards for the editorial system and published content include secure connections, role-based access, change logging, and incident-response procedures.
Backups are made daily, with an independent copy stored outside the primary server. Restoration is tested at least quarterly.
The editorial file includes manuscript versions, screening reports, reviewer selection records and declarations, review reports, correspondence, decisions, permissions, and proofs.
Files are retained:
- for accepted articles, for at least five years after publication;
- for rejected or withdrawn manuscripts, for at least three years after the case is closed.
Where a dispute exists, retention continues until its resolution, subject to applicable statutory periods. Cessation of the journal does not end its obligations to protect confidential materials.
6. Use of Artificial Intelligence Services
Editors and reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, personal information, or confidential review reports to publicly accessible AI services.
An approved secure tool may be used only after verifying confidentiality safeguards, processing rights, that submitted materials will not be used for system training, and completion of any necessary agreement with the authors. Such use is documented.
For privacy enquiries, contact the editorial team at mse.journal@ksph.kz.