Payment, Privacy & Service Policies

AcademiaTech provides commercial software licenses and specialized cloud infrastructure for universities, research journals, academic editors, and individual scholars across the globe. All billing is processed through secured, encrypted channels.

1. Accepted Payment Methods

• International Clients (USD)

  Major Debit & Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay, American Express), international bank wire, and verified electronic merchant checkout.

• Pakistani Research Journals (PKR)

  Direct online bank transfers (IBFT / Raast) to our registered corporate account in Meezan Bank Islamabad, accompanied by proof-of-transfer verification in our client portal.

2. Invoicing & Quotation Expiration

When a tool bundle or individual product is ordered, a formal invoice is generated containing unique invoice reference IDs, listed product breakdowns, journal allocation quantities, applied discounts, and conversion rates (USD → PKR where applicable).

3. Subsidies & Discount Rules

Discounts are calculated at checkout based on journal volume (20% for 2–10 journals, 35% for 11+ journals) or the designated 40% flat Pakistani Academic Journal Concession. Bundle deals (e.g. All-12-Tools package) carry fixed package pricing that replaces per-item volume percentages. Discounts cannot be combined or backdated to previously settled invoices.

AcademiaTech (AcademiaTech.net) operates strictly with respect for academic data privacy, research independence, and editorial confidentiality. We collect only the minimal data required to issue, cryptographic-lease, and verify software licenses on Open Journal Systems.

1. Information We Collect

• Editorial Contact Information: Name, professional email address, phone/WhatsApp number, and institution or publisher name supplied during account registration or checkout.
• Journal Verification Details: Journal title, official journal domain URL, ISSN (Print/Online), and server IP bound during license lease verification.
• Authentication & Security Tokens: Cryptographic public tokens and license verification hashes exchanged between the AcademiaTech Gateway/Onboarding plugin and our distribution servers.
• Payment Verification Records: Bank transaction reference numbers, deposit receipts uploaded by users, and gateway payment IDs. We never store complete credit card PANs or CVVs on our servers.

2. Zero Sale or Third-Party Distribution of Data

We firmly adhere to academic privacy principles. AcademiaTech does not sell, trade, rent, or lease any client, journal, or editorial contact information to third-party advertisers, data aggregators, or marketing brokers under any circumstances.

3. Absolute Editorial Confidentiality

Our OJS tools, plugins, and server scripts operate on your own journal instance. AcademiaTech does not harvest, scrape, inspect, or retain unpublished manuscripts, author submissions, reviewer peer evaluations, or editorial deliberation notes. Your journal data and scholarly repository remain entirely your sovereign property.

4. Cryptographic Security & Data Retention

All communication between our central licensing hub and user installations is encrypted via TLS 1.3 / SSL 256-bit encryption. Cryptographic tokens are validated against SHA-256 digital signatures to prevent tampering. Client records are retained securely during active license duration and purged upon customer request subject to statutory financial accounting requirements.

Because AcademiaTech provides non-tangible, irrevocable digital software licenses and specialized engineering services, returns and refunds are governed by clear, objective criteria designed to be equitable for both academic publishers and software creators.

1. Digital Goods & Cryptographic License Policy

Once an administrator has reviewed and approved an order, and the cryptographic license key has been generated and dispatched to the journal URL, the license is deemed consumed. Due to the immutable nature of downloadable software files and cryptographic tokens, purchases are generally final and non-refundable except under the specific circumstances listed below.

2. Conditions Eligible for Full or Partial Refund

• Duplicate Charges: In the event that a technical error or dual submission results in double billing for the same invoice, the duplicate amount will be refunded immediately (within 2–5 business days).
• Unresolvable Software Defect: If an approved tool fails to install or execute on an officially supported OJS version (OJS 3.3.x, 3.4.x, or 3.5.x) due to an inherent defect in AcademiaTech software, and our engineering team is unable to deliver a functional patch or remote bug resolution within seven (7) business days of receiving an official support ticket, the user is entitled to a full refund for that specific tool.
• Pre-commencement Service Cancellation: If you contracted bespoke services (such as OJS version upgrade, server migration, or custom UI theme development) and submit a written cancellation request before our engineers begin work on your servers, a 100% refund is issued minus any third-party gateway transaction fees.

3. Ineligible Refund Scenarios

Refunds will not be granted if: (a) the client journal changes its mind after cryptographic license keys have been issued and activated; (b) the client runs an unsupported or severely corrupted legacy OJS version (e.g. OJS 2.x) that was never advertised as compatible; or (c) access is revoked due to breach of licensing terms (such as unauthorized distribution of license keys or pirating software).

4. Refund Request Procedure

To request an eligible refund, email [email protected] with your Invoice Number, Journal URL, and an explanation of the issue. Our compliance and engineering board reviews requests within 48 business hours. Approved refunds are credited to the original payment channel.

1. Delivery Mode & Instant Access

• OJS Tools & Plugins: Delivered electronically through the AcademiaTech Gateway / Onboarding Plugin. Upon license verification, your OJS administrator dashboard unlocks the approved tools immediately for one-click installation and automatic background updates.
• License Keys & Invoices: Delivered instantly via the client web portal (academiatech.net/portal) and archived in your registered account dashboard.
• Software Updates & Security Patches: Distributed continuously over-the-air through the AcademiaTech Distribution Hub. Lifetime license holders receive all future updates for compatible OJS versions with zero recurring renewal charges.

2. Service Delivery Timelines (Turnaround Times)

By accessing this website, creating an account, ordering products, or activating AcademiaTech software on an Open Journal Systems installation, you expressly agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

1. Scope of Journal License

A license is issued for one (1) unique, distinct academic journal identified by its verified website domain and optional ISSN. Distinct journals hosted on the same multi-journal OJS server or sharing an institution require separate individual license quotas. You may not reuse, sublet, or reassign a single license key across multiple independent journals without prior administrative review.

2. Intellectual Property & Restrictions

All software plugins, source code modules, documentation, graphic marks, branding, algorithms, and interface designs are the proprietary intellectual property of AcademiaTech. While our plugins integrate smoothly with the open-source PKP Open Journal Systems ecosystem, AcademiaTech proprietary modules are licensed, not sold. You may not reverse-engineer, decompile, redistribute, resell, or publicly publish private cryptographic licensing keys.

3. User Responsibilities & Server Maintenance

License holders are responsible for maintaining secure server credentials, standard PHP execution environments compatible with PKP OJS (e.g. PHP 8.0, 8.1, or 8.2 with appropriate extensions), and standard routine database backups. AcademiaTech is not liable for data corruption caused by unapproved third-party server scripts or unauthorized server modifications performed outside our guided workflows.

4. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, AcademiaTech, its engineers, and representatives shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages resulting from website downtime, server host failures, indexing delays by external search engines, or editorial decisions. In all circumstances, total aggregate liability is strictly capped at the purchase amount paid by the customer for the specific product or service under dispute.

5. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These policies and terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the commercial and civil laws of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Any legal dispute or arbitration arising hereunder shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Islamabad, Pakistan.