1. General Statement

The Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge Inc. (ICCK) is committed to promoting the broad dissemination of high-quality scholarly work through Open Access (OA) principles. ICCK supports open science by providing two publishing models across its journals:

• Fully Open Access Journals: A number of ICCK journals are fully OA, meaning all published articles are freely accessible worldwide immediately upon publication.
• Hybrid Open Access Journals: Other ICCK journals operate under a hybrid model, where authors may choose between publishing their articles under the OA route (with a CC BY license) or under the traditional subscription model.

This approach ensures that ICCK accommodates different academic communities, funding environments, and author preferences, while consistently working toward greater openness and accessibility in scholarly publishing.

2. Fully Open Access Journals

In Fully Open Access Journals, all articles are published as open access. This means:

• Articles are freely available to anyone, anywhere, immediately upon publication.
• No subscription fees or pay-per-view charges are applied.
• Authors (or their institutions/funders) pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) to cover publication costs. Waivers or discounts may be available based on funding status, geographic region, or financial need.
• All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, allowing users to copy, distribute, adapt, and build upon the work, provided appropriate credit is given.

3. Hybrid Open Access Journals

In Hybrid Open Access Journals, authors can choose between:

• Open Access Option: Authors may pay an APC to make their article freely available under a CC BY 4.0 license, consistent with fully OA journals.
• Traditional Subscription Option: Authors may choose to publish without paying an APC. In this case, the article is accessible to subscribers or institutions only, although authors may still share accepted manuscripts via institutional repositories in compliance with journal policies.
• Free to Read Option (Publisher-selected): For selected subscription articles, ICCK may designate them as Free to Read, providing unrestricted access to readers worldwide without APC charges or subscription barriers.

This flexible model supports author choice, accommodates diverse funding environments, and facilitates broader accessibility.

4. Archiving and Preservation

All ICCK journals are digitally archived to ensure long-term accessibility and preservation. Articles are preserved through:

• Portico for permanent digital archiving.
• Institutional and subject-specific repositories (Green OA, where permitted).
• Self-archiving rights granted to authors for preprints and accepted manuscripts.

5. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their work. For open access articles, ICCK requires the CC BY 4.0 license, unless otherwise specified by the journal. This license allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided the original work is properly cited.

For hybrid journals, subscription-based articles remain under traditional copyright, but authors may share accepted versions according to the journal’s self-archiving policy.

6. Compliance with Funders

ICCK’s Open Access policies align with major funder requirements, including Plan S, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the European Commission, and other international funding agencies. Authors are encouraged to check specific funder mandates when selecting publishing options.

7. Access and Usage Rights

Readers are entitled to:

• Read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to full-text articles.
• Use published content for lawful purposes, including teaching, research, and further innovation.
• Reuse and adapt materials published under CC BY licenses, with proper attribution.

8. Transparency and Accountability

ICCK is committed to transparency in its publishing model. Article Processing Charges (APCs), waiver policies, copyright terms, and licensing conditions are clearly stated on each journal’s website. Changes to the Open Access Policy will be communicated in advance to ensure clarity for authors and readers.