ACDM Policies
Arts, Communication & Digital Media — Editorial Policies, Ethics, and Guidelines
ACDM (Arts, Communication & Digital Media) is a peer-reviewed, gold open access journal published by StarNexus Science Press (Hong Kong). This page outlines the editorial policies, ethical standards, and publication guidelines that govern the journal's operations. All policies are aligned with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) Core Practices and international publishing standards.
Peer Review Policy
ACDM operates a double-blind peer review process. Both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other throughout the review process. This ensures impartiality and fairness in evaluation.
Reviewer Selection
Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the subject area. Our AI-powered reviewer matching system helps identify qualified reviewers from our 10,000+ researcher database.
Review Timeline
The first decision is typically made within 4-6 weeks of submission. Reviewers are given 3-4 weeks to complete their evaluations. Extensions are available upon request.
Review Criteria
Reviews assess originality, significance, methodological rigor, clarity, ethical compliance, and fit with the journal's scope. Reviewers provide constructive feedback for authors.
Reviewer Recognition
Reviewers are acknowledged on the journal website and may receive APC discounts. Reviewing activity can be credited on ORCID and Publons.
Ethics & Malpractice Statement
ACDM is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in academic publishing. We adhere to COPE Core Practices and investigate any suspected misconduct in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Plagiarism Screening
All submissions are screened using iThenticate (Crossref CrossCheck). Similarity reports are provided to editors for informed decision-making. Plagiarism is not tolerated.
Authorship & Contributions
Authors must have made substantial contributions to the work. All authors must approve the final manuscript. The corresponding author takes responsibility for the submission.
Conflict of Interest
All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Editors recuse themselves from handling manuscripts with conflicts.
Data Fabrication & Falsification
Data fabrication, falsification, and manipulation are serious ethical violations. Any such cases will be investigated and may result in retraction and reporting to institutions.
Human & Animal Research
Research involving human subjects or animals must have appropriate ethics approval. Informed consent is required for human studies. Approval details must be included in the manuscript.
Misconduct Investigation
Suspected misconduct is investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines. Actions may include corrections, expressions of concern, retractions, and reporting to institutions.
Open Access & Copyright Policy
Gold Open Access
All articles published in ACDM are gold open access. They are freely available to readers worldwide immediately upon publication, with no subscription or pay-per-view barriers.
Creative Commons License
All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This allows users to share, adapt, and build upon the work with proper attribution.
Copyright Retention
Authors retain full copyright of their work. No transfer of copyright is required. Authors grant the journal a license to publish the work under CC BY 4.0.
Self-Archiving
Authors may post their published articles on personal websites, institutional repositories, and social media. The final published version should be cited with a DOI.
Article Processing Charges (APC) & Waivers
Standard APC
800 USD
Invoiced only after formal acceptance. No submission fee.
Discounts
Editorial Board Members — 40% off
Associate Editors — 60% off
Editor-in-Chief — 100% off
Waivers
Top 40% of accepted articles per issue — Full waiver
Inaugural issue — 20% off for all authors
Low-income country waivers available upon request.
Data Sharing & Privacy Policy
Data Sharing
Authors are encouraged to share supporting data and research materials. Data can be deposited in recognized repositories or made available through supplementary files.
Privacy & Confidentiality
Personal information is collected solely for publishing purposes and is not shared with third parties. Reviewers and editors are bound by confidentiality agreements.
Data Access & Retention
All journal data belongs to the journal. We provide full data export upon request. No vendor lock-in. Data is retained in secure systems with appropriate backups.
GDPR Compliance
We comply with applicable data protection regulations. Users may request access, correction, or deletion of their personal information at any time.
Corrections & Retractions
Corrections
Minor errors that do not affect the scholarly integrity of the article are corrected through a formal correction notice linked to the original article.
Retractions
Articles may be retracted if they contain serious errors, are found to be fraudulent, or violate ethical guidelines. Retraction notices are published and linked to the original article.
Expressions of Concern
In cases where there is ongoing investigation or significant uncertainty, an expression of concern may be issued to alert readers while the case is resolved.
Questions About Our Policies?
If you have any questions about ACDM policies, ethics, or guidelines, please contact our editorial team.
2026 StarNexus Science Press (Hong Kong). All rights reserved.
Published by the Greater Bay Area StarNexus Innovation Institute Limited, operating as StarNexus Science Press (Hong Kong), a non-profit academic publisher.
Contact: info@starnexus.press