Copyright and Licensing

Who Owns What?

• Authors retain copyright in the text, figures, tables, and supplementary files they create, subject to any third-party rights cleared for inclusion.
• The journal receives a license to publish and disseminate the work online as the version of record, to archive it for long-term preservation, and to tag it with machine-readable metadata.
• Readers receive reuse permissions defined by the Creative Commons license displayed on the article page and PDF.

Licenses We Use

APCR’s default license for research articles is Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0). This permits sharing and adaptation, including commercial reuse, provided that appropriate credit is given, a link to the license is included, and changes are indicated. Where author funders or institutional mandates require alternative open licenses, APCR can apply those on a case-by-case basis so long as the terms remain compatible with open access.

Plain-Language Summary of CC BY 4.0

• You may: copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose.
• Under these conditions: credit the authors and the journal; include a reference to the license; indicate if changes were made; do not imply endorsement.
• No additional restrictions: you may not add legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

The specific license applied to an article appears on the article webpage and PDF; that statement controls if it differs from this general policy.

How to Attribute

When reusing APCR content, include a citation and a license notice. A recommended format is:

Author(s) (Year). Title. Archives of Pathology and Clinical Research. DOI. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

For adapted figures or tables, add a note such as “Adapted from …” with a link to the original and an indication of changes.

Third-Party Material and Permissions

Authors must ensure that they have the right to include all third-party images, figures, tables, questionnaires, scales, or substantial text excerpts. If such materials are not under a compatible open license, authors must obtain written permission from the rights holder for open-access distribution under the article’s license. Captions should clearly indicate the source and license of third-party content. If a figure or dataset cannot be licensed under the same terms as the article, a distinct credit line must state the applicable restrictions.

• Use high-resolution originals and keep permission letters on file.
• For patient images, secure and document explicit consent for publication.
• For institutional logos or trademarks, confirm permissible use.

Government Works, Employer Policies, and Work-for-Hire

Some jurisdictions treat government employee works as public domain, and some employers require assignment of copyright to the institution. Authors should disclose such constraints during submission. APCR will mark government or public-domain content accordingly and, where required, apply a compatible license or public-domain dedication. Works authored within multi-institution collaborations should clarify the rights of each contributor and any sponsor conditions.

Data, Code, and Supplementary Files

APCR encourages open sharing of datasets and code used in published studies. Authors should select licenses that match their intentions for reuse (e.g., CC0 or CC BY for data; permissive OSI-approved licenses for code). The article should include a Data Availability Statement with repository links and persistent identifiers. For sensitive clinical data, de-identification and controlled-access repositories may be necessary; the statement should explain any access constraints and the process to request data.

Preprints and Prior Public Posting

APCR allows submission of manuscripts previously posted on reputable preprint servers. On publication, authors should link the preprint to the version of record and update any preprint licenses or notes to reflect the final citation and DOI. Preprint posting does not limit the open license applied to the article in APCR.

Translations, Adaptations, and Classroom Use

CC BY 4.0 permits translation and adaptation, provided appropriate attribution is maintained and any changes are indicated. Educators may reuse figures, tables, and text excerpts in syllabi, slide decks, and course packs with the required credit line. To help readers, translated versions should include a note specifying that they are not the version of record and should point to the original article.

Text and Data Mining (TDM)

APCR supports non-infringing TDM of its content. Users may download or crawl articles for indexing, machine analysis, and training of analytical tools where the license permits, provided that activities do not disrupt journal services and proper attribution is maintained. Large-scale harvesting should respect robots.txt and reasonable rate limits; for bulk access, please contact the editorial office.

Use of Generative AI and Image Tools

Open licensing does not authorize fabrication of data or deceptive image manipulation. Any AI-assisted enhancement or generation used within an article must be disclosed and validated. Reusers of APCR content must avoid generating misleading derivatives and must label synthetic outputs clearly, especially for clinical images or histopathology micrographs.

Author Warranties and Indemnities

By submitting, authors warrant that their work is original, does not infringe third-party rights, and that permissions for any included material have been obtained. Authors agree to indemnify the publisher against claims arising from breach of these warranties. APCR provides no warranty that use of the content will be free from claims by third parties.

License Display and Corrections

The license statement is displayed on the article landing page and within the PDF. If a license label is missing or incorrect, the journal will correct the record and, where necessary, issue a notice to ensure downstream services receive accurate metadata. Machine-readable license tags are embedded in article pages to support indexing and repository harvesting.