Copyright and Licensing

The Archives of Clinical and Experimental Orthopaedics (ACEO) operates under an open-access model that grants full rights to authors over their published works while ensuring broad dissemination under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

“Authors retain ownership of their work — readers retain the right to use it freely with proper attribution.”

Author Copyright Ownership

Authors publishing in ACEO retain the copyright of their articles. The journal does not require transfer of ownership; instead, authors grant ACEO a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute their work globally under open-access terms.

  • Authors hold full copyright of their manuscripts upon publication.
  • Authors may reuse, distribute, or adapt their work freely.
  • All versions (submitted, accepted, and published) may be archived in repositories without embargo.

Creative Commons License (CC BY 4.0)

All ACEO articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which allows anyone to:

  • Share — copy, redistribute, and transmit the work in any medium or format.
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the work for any purpose, even commercially.

Users must provide appropriate credit to the authors and the journal, link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. The full license terms are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

License Summary Table

Permission Allowed? Condition
Read and Download ✔ Yes Free for all users
Copy and Redistribute ✔ Yes With proper attribution
Adapt or Remix ✔ Yes Must credit authors and source
Commercial Use ✔ Yes Allowed under CC BY 4.0

Attribution Guidelines

Proper citation ensures that the original work receives due recognition. Example format:

Author(s). “Title of Article.” Archives of Clinical and Experimental Orthopaedics, Year, Volume(Issue), Pages. DOI: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/aceo.xxxxx.

Attribution should include the article’s DOI link and mention of the CC BY 4.0 license.

Third-Party Content

Some figures, images, or tables within ACEO articles may contain third-party material not covered by the journal’s license. Such content is clearly identified in captions or footnotes. Permission must be obtained from the rights holder for reuse beyond fair dealing or educational purposes.

Preprints and Self-Archiving

Authors are encouraged to deposit their preprints, accepted manuscripts, and final published versions in repositories. ACEO supports self-archiving to promote research accessibility and transparency.

  • Preprint: Allowed anytime before submission.
  • Postprint: Allowed immediately upon acceptance.
  • Published PDF: May be shared publicly with attribution.

Reuse by Third Parties

Third parties are free to reuse ACEO content under the same CC BY 4.0 license, provided they:

  • Credit the author(s) and the journal.
  • Link to the Creative Commons license.
  • Indicate any modifications made to the original work.

Author Agreements

Upon submission, authors confirm that:

  • The manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • They hold the rights to license the article under CC BY 4.0.
  • They accept the journal’s open-access and licensing terms.

All authors must sign the publication consent form before final acceptance.

Publisher Rights

While authors retain copyright, ACEO holds publishing rights necessary to manage and distribute the article under open access. This includes:

  • Digital dissemination and indexing through partner databases.
  • DOI assignment via Crossref.
  • Long-term archiving in CLOCKSS/LOCKSS networks.

License Display and Metadata

Each published article displays the CC BY 4.0 logo and a machine-readable license tag in HTML metadata, ensuring recognition by repositories and search engines.

Compliance with International Standards

ACEO’s copyright and licensing policies comply with:

Revocation and Disputes

Disputes concerning copyright ownership or licensing terms are resolved in accordance with international copyright law and COPE dispute resolution processes. Authors may contact the editorial office for clarification or mediation.

Contact Information

For queries related to copyright, permissions, or reuse:

Conclusion

Through its transparent copyright and licensing framework, ACEO ensures that authors retain full control over their work while empowering the global scientific community to freely share, reuse, and build upon orthopaedic research for the betterment of healthcare worldwide.