Personal Data Protection Policy (PDPA)

Personal Data Protection Policy (PDPA)
Journal of Buddhist Education and Research (JBER)
ISSN: 2586-9434 (Print)
Publisher: Somdet Phra Phutthachan (Aj Asaphamahathera) Fund, Wat That Khon Kaen

Effective Date: 1 January 2026

1. Introduction
Journal of Buddhist Education and Research (JBER), published with the support of Somdet Phra Phutthachan (Aj Asaphamahathera) Fund, Wat That, Royal Monastery, is committed to protecting the personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, and all users in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019) of Thailand (PDPA). This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal data in relation to the journal’s editorial, publication, and administrative processes.

2. Scope of This Policy
2.1 This policy applies to personal data collected through:
2.2 The JBER website (ThaiJo system)
2.3 Email communications
2.4 Manuscript submission and peer review processes
2.5 Editorial and publication management
2.6 Journal administrative operations

3. Categories of Personal Data Collected
JBER may collect the following categories of personal data:

3.1 Authors
Full name
Institutional affiliation
Academic position
Email address
Telephone number (if provided)
ORCID ID (if provided)
Biography and academic background

3.2 Reviewers
Full name
Institutional affiliation
Academic expertise
Email address
Review history

3.3 Editors and Editorial Board Members
Name and academic title
Institutional affiliation
Contact information

3.4 Website Users
Name (if registered)
Email address
System usage data (through ThaiJo platform)

4. Purpose of Data Processing
JBER collects and processes personal data for the following purposes:
4.1 Manuscript submission and editorial management
4.2 Double-blind peer review process
4.3 Communication regarding review results and revisions
4.4 Publication and dissemination of accepted articles
4.5 Indexing and archiving in academic databases
4.6 Maintaining transparency and academic integrity
4.7 Compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
4.8 Personal data will not be used for purposes other than those stated above without prior consent, unless required by law.

5. Legal Basis for Processing
JBER processes personal data under the following legal bases:
5.1 Consent of the data subject
5.2 Contractual necessity (submission and publication process)
5.3 Legal obligation
5.4 Legitimate interest (academic publishing and integrity)

6. Data Retention
6.1 Personal data will be retained:
6.2 For as long as necessary to fulfill publication and academic record-keeping purposes
6.3 In accordance with ThaiJo system archival policies
6.4 As required by law or academic indexing standards
6.5 Reviewer identities remain confidential in accordance with the double-blind review policy.

7. Disclosure of Personal Data
JBER may disclose personal data only when necessary:
7.1 To editorial board members
7.2 To assigned peer reviewers (anonymized)
7.3 To indexing databases (for published authors only)
7.4 To government authorities when required by law
JBER does not sell, trade, or transfer personal data to third parties for commercial purposes.

8. Data Security Measures
JBER implements appropriate administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards, including:
8.1 Access control to editorial systems
8.2 Password-protected ThaiJo accounts
8.3 Confidential handling of reviewer and author information
8.4 Secure email communications

9. Rights of Data Subjects
Under the PDPA, data subjects have the following rights:
9.1 Right to access their personal data
9.2 Right to rectification
9.3 Right to erasure (where legally applicable)
9.4 Right to restrict processing
9.5 Right to data portability
9.6 Right to withdraw consent
9.7 Right to lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Committee of Thailand
Requests may be submitted to the Journal Office via email.

10. Cookies and Online Data
The JBER website operates under the ThaiJo system, which may collect technical data such as IP address and browsing behavior for system functionality and security purposes.

11. Contact Information
For inquiries regarding personal data protection, please contact:

Journal of Buddhist Education and Research (JBER)
JBER Office
Wat That Khon Kaen
327 Klang Muang Road
Nai Mueang Subdistrict
Mueang Khon Kaen District
Khon Kaen 40000
Thailand

Email: niraj.rua@mcu.ac.th
Website: https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jber/index

12. Policy Amendments
JBER reserves the right to amend this policy as necessary to comply with changes in legal requirements or journal operations. Updated versions will be published on the journal website.