Terms & Conditions

Last Updated: 18 October 2026

Introduction and Scope

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern general use of the website of the Journal of Biochemical and Clinical Genetics (JBCGenetics), https://jbcgenetics.com (the "Website"). The journal is owned by the Saudi Society of Medical Genetics, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ("SSMG", "we", "us"). It is published by Discover STM Publishing Ltd, Ireland, which also hosts and technically supports the Website.

You are asked to follow these Terms when you use the Website. Specific activities, such as submitting a manuscript, publishing an article or paying a charge, may be subject to additional conditions set out in the journal's policies and in any agreement made at the time. These Terms do not override applicable law or any rights you have by law or under a separate agreement.

Related Policies

These Terms apply together with the following JBCGenetics policies, which govern the activities they describe (manuscript preparation and submission, editorial standards, peer review, charges, copyright and licensing, corrections and retractions, publication ethics, personal data and cookies). Where a policy sets specific requirements for an activity, that policy applies to it.

  • Guide for Authors

  • Editorial Policies

  • Peer Review Policy

  • Article Processing Charges

  • Copyright Information

  • License Information

  • Corrections, Retractions & Expressions of Concern

  • Publishing Ethics And Publication Malpractice Statement

  • Privacy Policy

  • Cookie Policy

Use of the Website

You may use the public parts of the Website for lawful personal, scholarly, educational and professional purposes. You must not interfere with or disrupt the Website or its servers or networks; attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Website, to accounts or to related systems, or otherwise to compromise its security; introduce malicious code or other harmful material; use automated means that place an unreasonable load on the Website or bypass its access controls; use the Website unlawfully or in a way that infringes the rights of others; or misrepresent your identity or your connection with JBCGenetics, SSMG or the Website's service providers. Nothing in this section restricts lawful use of open-access articles under their applicable licence.

Intellectual Property and Open-Access Content

Published articles. Copyright in published scholarly articles is generally retained by the authors, subject to the licence under which each article is published. JBCGenetics articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0). Please refer to the licence statement for the individual article and to the Copyright Information and License Information pages for current details. Nothing in these Terms limits the rights granted to readers by an article's licence.

Website branding and design. The JBCGenetics and SSMG names and logos, the design and layout of the Website and its software, other than published articles, are owned by or licensed to SSMG or its service providers and are protected by intellectual property laws. You must not copy, adapt or reuse them without permission, except as permitted by law.

Third-party material. Some material on the Website, including figures or images within articles, may be used with the permission of third parties and may be subject to separate terms. Please check any notice that accompanies such material.

Unpublished manuscripts. Submitting a manuscript does not transfer its copyright to SSMG, and authors keep their rights in what they submit. By submitting a manuscript, authors permit JBCGenetics, SSMG and Discover STM to process it for editorial evaluation, peer review and, if it is accepted, production and publication, in accordance with the Guide for Authors, the journal's policies and any applicable agreement. Submission alone does not give SSMG wider rights to commercialise, translate or distribute an unpublished manuscript.

Copyright concerns. If you believe that material on the Website infringes your copyright, please contact us at info@ssmg.org.sa with details identifying the material, your rights in it and how we can reach you, and we will consider the concern.

Submissions and Editorial Decisions

Authors who submit manuscripts are governed by the Guide for Authors and the journal's editorial policies. Submission does not guarantee peer review, acceptance or publication. Editorial decisions are made under the journal's established editorial and peer-review procedures.

Charges and Payments

The journal charges no article processing charges (APCs). An approved post-publication correction processing fee may apply, as described on the Article Processing Charges page, which sets out the current amount and conditions. Any tax is applied as stated on that page. These Terms do not create any additional charge. Payments may be processed through third-party payment providers.

Accounts and the Submission Platform

Visitors do not need an account to read the Website. Manuscript submission, peer review and other editorial accounts are provided through the ePublisyst platform. Virtual editorial services for the journal are provided by Sofia Fields (Editorial Services) Ltd, United Kingdom, as a service provider to the journal. Those accounts are subject to the applicable platform terms and to the JBCGenetics policies that apply to your role. You should keep your login credentials confidential and tell us promptly if you suspect unauthorised access to your account. Where an account is suspended or closed, we will have regard to applicable rights and to the need to preserve editorial and scholarly records.

Medical Information

Articles and other content on the Website are scholarly material intended for professional and educational purposes. They are not a substitute for individual clinical judgement or for patient-specific medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and readers should seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional about any medical condition. Published articles represent the views of their authors and are subject to the journal's editorial and correction policies. This notice does not limit our legal or editorial responsibilities.

External Links and Services

The Website may link to external websites and services, such as those of authors' institutions, indexing and archiving services and payment or submission platforms. These are governed by their own terms and policies, which you should read before using them. We do not control external services and are not responsible for their content or practices, except where the law provides otherwise.

Availability and Security

We take reasonable measures to maintain and secure the Website and may carry out maintenance or restrict access where necessary. We do not guarantee that the Website will be uninterrupted or free of errors. Nothing in this section limits our legal obligations, including those under data protection law.

Liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, or any rights you have as a consumer under applicable law. Subject to that, and to the extent the law permits, SSMG is not liable for loss or damage that was not reasonably foreseeable, or that results from your use of or inability to use the Website or your reliance on information on it, except where it is caused by our breach of a legal duty.

Privacy and Cookies

The Privacy Policy explains how we process personal data, and the Cookie Policy explains the cookies used on the Website; both are listed above. Reading or accepting these Terms is not consent to any processing of personal data. Where consent is required, it is requested separately.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, subject to any mandatory legal protections that apply to you in your country of residence. Disputes arising from these Terms are subject to the competent courts in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, without limiting any right you have under mandatory law to bring proceedings elsewhere.

Enquiries and Complaints

General enquiries about the Website can be sent to contact@jbcgenetics.com, and enquiries to the journal owner to info@ssmg.org.sa. Concerns about editorial matters or publication ethics, including how a manuscript has been handled, should be raised under the Publishing Ethics And Publication Malpractice Statement and the Corrections, Retractions & Expressions of Concern policy listed above. Concerns about personal data should be raised under the Privacy Policy, using the contact details given there. We will consider complaints fairly and respond as soon as reasonably practicable.

Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time. The revised version will be published on this page with its revision date and will apply to use of the Website after publication. Where a change would materially affect existing contractual obligations, we will consider any notice or acceptance requirements that apply before relying on it.