INTERACTION: SOCIOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION JOURNAL

Open Access Policy

Last Updated: February 2026 | Version: 2.0

Policy Statement

Interaction: Sociology of Communication Journal is a fully open-access journal committed to providing free, immediate, and permanent access to all published content.

Scientific research should be freely available to everyone without unnecessary financial, technical, or legal barriers.

Open Access Principles

Definition of Open Access

Open Access means that users have the right to:

Read: Access and read articles for free without a subscription or payment
Download: Download articles in digital format without restrictions
Copy: Make copies of articles for personal or educational use
Distribute: Share articles with others
Link: Create links to articles from websites or other publications
Index: Allow search engines and other systems to index content
Data Mine: Use articles for text mining, data analysis, and computational research

With proper attribution to the original authors.

Open Access Model

Gold Open Access

Interaction uses the Gold Open Access model, which means:

✅ Immediate and Permanent Access: All articles are openly available immediately upon publication and forever
✅ No Embargo Period: No waiting period before articles become openly available
✅ No Paid Version: No ‘premium’ or paid version of the same article
✅ No Paywall for Readers: No payment walls or subscription systems to access articles
✅ Free for Readers: All readers can access content without any fees
✅ Affordable APC for Authors: Authors pay an affordable Article Processing Charge (APC) with waivers available for developing countries

Differences with Other Models

Model	Description	Interaction
Gold OA	Articles are openly available immediately upon publication	✅ THIS IS OUR MODEL
Green OA	Authors archive versions in repositories after embargo	✅ Also Supported
Hybrid OA	Some articles open in paid journals	❌ Not Used
Bronze OA	Free to read, but without a clear open license	❌ Not Adequate
Diamond/Platinum OA	Free for authors and readers, institutionally funded	❌ Not Our Model (we have APC)

Interaction is a Gold Open Access journal with an affordable APC and an extensive waiver program for developing countries, ensuring access for both readers and authors from all economic backgrounds.

Creative Commons License

License Used

All articles published in Interaction are licensed under:

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)

License URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What CC BY 4.0 Permits

This license allows users to:

✅ Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially
✅ Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially
✅ Commercial Use: Use articles for commercial purposes, including in paid products or services
✅ No Additional Restrictions: The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms

License Terms

Users must:

⚠️ Give Attribution: Give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, indicate if changes were made, and do not imply endorsement by the licensor

Recommended Attribution Format:

[Author Name]. ([Year]). [Article Title]. Interaction: Sociology of Communication Journal, [Volume]([Number]), [Pages]. https://doi.org/[DOI]. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Example:

Smith, J. & Doe, A. (2025). Digital Communication in Urban Spaces. Interaction: Sociology of Communication Journal, 12(1), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.xxxxx/interaction.v12i1.001. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Why CC BY 4.0?

We chose CC BY 4.0 because:

Most Permissive: Provides maximum freedom to users
International Standard: Recognized and understood globally
Supports Research: Facilitates reuse, remix, and further research
Transparent: Clear and easy-to-understand terms
Collaborative: Encourages collaboration and innovation

Copyright

Copyright Retention by Authors

Authors retain full copyright to their work.

✅ Authors are copyright holders
✅ No copyright transfer to journal or publisher
✅ Authors have complete control over their work

Publication Agreement

By submitting an article to Interaction, authors:

Grant a non-exclusive license to the journal to publish the article
Agree to CC BY 4.0 license for published articles
Allow broad distribution of articles in various formats and platforms
Retain all other rights not explicitly granted

No copyright transfer agreement is asked for or required.

Rights Retained by Authors

Authors are free to:

Post Preprints: Post preprint versions in repositories or personal websites anytime
Post Postprints: Post-accepted manuscript versions in institutional repositories
Post Published Version: Post published version (version of record) anywhere
Share with Colleagues: Share articles with colleagues, students, or anyone
Educational Use: Use articles for teaching and educational purposes
Reuse in New Work: Reuse portions of articles in new publications with proper citation
Translation: Translate articles to other languages (with attribution)
Adaptation: Create adapted or derivative versions (with attribution)

All these rights apply without requiring permission from the journal.

Access and Availability

Direct Access

Journal Website: All articles are available for free on the journal’s official website
Persistent Identifiers (DOI): Each article has a DOI for permanent access
Mobile-Friendly: Website optimized for mobile device access
Global Access: No geographic or IP-based restrictions

Available Formats

Articles are published in the following formats:

PDF: For reading and downloading
HTML: For online reading with interactive features
XML: For text mining and data analysis

No Registration Required

✅ No registration required to read articles
✅ No login or password needed
✅ No personal information required
✅ Completely anonymous access for readers

Archiving and Preservation

Long-term Preservation

Interaction is committed to long-term preservation of all published content:

Institutional Repository: Articles archived in institutional repositories
Cloud Backup: Regular backups in secure cloud storage
LOCKSS/CLOCKSS: Participation in digital preservation systems (if available)
PKP Preservation Network: Archiving through PKP PN
Multiple Copies: Copies in different geographic locations for redundancy

Permanent Accessibility

✓ Content will remain freely available forever
✓ DOIs will continue to function and point to articles
✓ No plans to close access in the future
✓ If the journal ceases operation, content will be moved to permanent repositories

Self-Archiving and Repositories

Self-Archiving Policy (Green Open Access)

Interaction strongly encourages authors to self-archive their articles:

✅ Preprint (Pre-Peer Review Version)

When: Anytime
Where: Institutional repositories, preprint servers, personal websites
Requirements: Mark as ‘preprint’ or ‘pre-peer review version.’

✅ Accepted Manuscript (Accepted Version)

When: Immediately after acceptance
Where: Institutional repositories, personal websites
Requirements: Include publication information and DOI when available

✅ Published Version (Version of Record)

When: Immediately after publication
Where: Anywhere (repositories, websites, social media)
Requirements: Use published PDF version, include DOI and CC BY 4.0 license

Recommended Repositories

We encourage deposits in:

Institutional Repositories: University or institutional repositories of authors
Disciplinary Repositories: Specialized repositories for sociology or communication
Preprint Servers: OSF Preprints, SocArXiv, SSRN, ResearchGate
Academic Databases: Academia.edu, ResearchGate (as supplements)

Fees and Funding

Article Processing Charge (APC)

Gold Open Access Model with Affordable APC

Free for Readers: All readers can access content without any fees or subscriptions

Affordable APC for Authors: IDR 350,000 (~USD $25) per article

Waivers Available: Full or partial waivers for authors from developing countries

For complete details on APCs and waiver eligibility, please take a look at our Author Fee & APC Policy document.

No Fees for Readers or Institutions

✅ Free for Readers: No subscription fees or pay-per-view charges
✅ Free for Institutions: No membership fees or institutional charges
✅ Global Access: No regional pricing or access barriers

Reader Rights

What Readers Can Do

As a reader, you can:

✅ Read for free without restrictions
✅ Download in various formats
✅ Print for personal use
✅ Save on personal devices
✅ Share with others
✅ Cite in your own work
✅ Link from blogs, websites, or social media
✅ Translate for personal use or sharing (with attribution)
✅ Analyze for text mining or research
✅ Use in teaching without special permission

What You CANNOT Do

⚠️ Without Attribution: Cannot use without giving proper credit to authors
⚠️ Misleading: Cannot imply endorsement or approval by authors
⚠️ Restricting Others: Cannot restrict others from doing things permitted by the license

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What’s the difference between Gold OA and Green OA?

Gold OA means articles are published openly, directly in the journal. Green OA means authors archive versions in repositories. Interaction is Gold OA (articles immediately open) and also supports Green OA (authors encouraged to self-archive).

Q2: Is Interaction still fully open access if there’s an APC?

Yes. Open access refers to reader access, not author fees. All our articles are freely accessible to readers worldwide. The affordable APC supports operational costs while maintaining full open access for readers.

Q3: Do I need to request permission to use articles?

No, as long as you provide the right information. The CC BY 4.0 license provides automatic permission for all uses, including commercial, as long as attribution is given.

Q4: Can I use articles for commercial purposes?

Yes, the CC BY 4.0 license allows commercial use. You can include articles in commercial products or use them in paid services, as long as you provide proper attribution.

Q5: Can I translate articles into other languages?

Yes, you can translate articles into other languages. Could you make sure to provide proper attribution and indicate that this is a translation from the original article?

Q6: Can articles be used for AI training or machine learning?

Yes, the CC BY 4.0 license allows text and data mining, including for AI training, as long as you comply with attribution requirements.

Q7: Who holds the copyright to articles?

Authors retain full copyright. The journal only receives a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute articles.

Q8: Can I post articles on my personal website?

Yes, you can post any version (preprint, accepted manuscript, or published version) on your personal website at any time.

Q9: What is the APC fee, and are waivers available?

The APC is IDR 350,000 (~USD $25). Yes, we offer full waivers (100%) to authors from low-income countries and partial waivers (50%) to authors from lower-middle-income countries or to graduate students without funding. See our APC Policy for details.

Q10: What happens if the journal ceases operation?

We are committed to long-term preservation. If the journal ceases operation, all content will be moved to permanent, publicly accessible repositories.

Compliance with International Standards

Our Open Access policy complies with:

BOAI (Budapest Open Access Initiative): Follows BOAI definitions and principles
Berlin Declaration on Open Access: Committed to Berlin Declaration principles
DOAJ Standards: Meets Directory of Open Access Journals requirements
COPE Guidelines: Follows Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines
Plan S Principles: Compatible with Plan S requirements for full OA
UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science: Supports UNESCO recommendations