Please read these Terms of Service carefully before using Cervantes. By accessing or using the platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you may not use the Service.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By registering for, accessing, or using the Cervantes research article management platform ("Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"), our Privacy Policy, and any applicable journal-specific policies. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Erdos Publish House S.L (Erdos Publish House, S.L.).
If you are using Cervantes on behalf of an institution or organization, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.
2. Description of Service
Cervantes is a cloud-based research article management system designed for academic journals, publishers, and research communities. The Service provides:
- Manuscript submission and tracking for authors
- Peer review management and reviewer assignment tools
- Editorial decision workflow and communication tools
- Document version control and revision tracking
- Automated notifications and status updates
- Article Processing Charge (APC) invoicing and payment processing
- Publication workflow and editorial calendar management
- Analytics and reporting dashboards
- GDPR-compliant data management tools
The Service is operated by Erdos Publish House S.L and developed since 2014 to support the global research community. Certain features may be in development ("beta") and subject to change without notice.
3. User Accounts
3.1 Registration
To access most features of Cervantes, you must create an account using a valid email address. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your account information up to date.
3.2 Account Security
You are solely responsible for safeguarding your account credentials. You must notify us immediately at cervantes@erdospublish.org if you become aware of any unauthorized use of your account. We are not liable for any loss resulting from unauthorized access due to your failure to protect your credentials.
3.3 Account Types
Cervantes supports multiple account roles including Author, Reviewer, Editor, Managing Editor, and Administrator. Access to certain features depends on your assigned role as configured by your journal's administrator.
3.4 Account Suspension
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or compromise the security or integrity of the Service.
4. Permitted Use and Restrictions
4.1 Permitted Use
You may use Cervantes solely for lawful academic, editorial, and scholarly publishing purposes in accordance with these Terms and applicable law.
4.2 Prohibited Activities
You agree not to:
- Submit false, misleading, or plagiarized manuscripts or reviewer reports
- Manipulate the peer review process or engage in reviewer fraud
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other accounts or system resources
- Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Service
- Use automated bots, scrapers, or scripts to access the Service without prior written consent
- Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
- Violate any applicable local, national, or international laws or regulations
- Harass, intimidate, or impersonate any other user or third party
- Use the Service for commercial purposes not authorized by these Terms
5. Content and Intellectual Property
5.1 Your Content
You retain all intellectual property rights in manuscripts, reviews, correspondence, and other content you submit to Cervantes ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, process, and display such content solely as necessary to operate the Service.
5.2 Platform IP
The Cervantes platform, including its software, design, trademarks, logos, and all underlying technology, is the exclusive property of Erdos Publish House and is protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, or create derivative works without our prior written consent.
5.3 Feedback
Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you submit regarding the Service may be used by us without restriction or compensation to you.
6. Payments and Fees
6.1 APC and Submission Fees
Certain journals using Cervantes may charge Article Processing Charges (APCs) or submission fees. These fees are set by the individual journal and are separate from any subscription fees for the Cervantes platform itself. All applicable fees will be clearly displayed before payment is required.
6.2 Payment Processing
Payments are processed through our secure, integrated payment gateway. We accept major credit cards and bank transfers. All transactions are encrypted using industry-standard TLS technology.
6.3 Refunds
Refund policies for APCs and other fees are governed by the individual journal's editorial policies. Platform subscription refunds are handled on a case-by-case basis. Please contact cervantes@erdospublish.org for refund requests.
6.4 Taxes
You are responsible for all taxes, duties, and levies applicable to your use of the Service in your jurisdiction. We may add applicable taxes to your invoice as required by law.
7. Privacy and Data Protection
Your use of Cervantes is subject to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. We process personal data in accordance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws. Please review our Privacy Policy to understand our practices.
By using the Service, you consent to the collection, processing, and storage of your personal data as described in our Privacy Policy.
8. Service Availability
We strive to maintain high availability of the Cervantes platform. However, we do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free access to the Service. We may conduct scheduled maintenance with advance notice where possible, or emergency maintenance without notice when necessary.
We shall not be liable for any loss or damage resulting from service interruptions, including loss of data, provided we take reasonable steps to maintain data integrity and backups.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Erdos Publish House S.L and Erdos Publish House shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, goodwill, or business opportunities, arising from your use of or inability to use the Service.
Our total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising out of or related to these Terms shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total amounts paid by you to us in the twelve months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred euros (€100).
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limitation of liability. In such cases, our liability shall be limited to the greatest extent permitted by applicable law.
10. Termination
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at cervantes@erdospublish.org. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice.
Upon termination, your right to use the Service will immediately cease. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will remain in effect, including intellectual property rights, disclaimers, and limitations of liability.
You may request an export of your data within 30 days of account termination, after which your data may be deleted in accordance with our data retention policy.
11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Spain, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Spain.
For users located in the European Union, you may also have the right to bring claims before the consumer protection authorities or alternative dispute resolution bodies in your member state.
We encourage users to contact us first to resolve any disputes informally before pursuing formal legal proceedings.