In support of open scholarship and the ethical sharing of knowledge, WJLMC: World Journal of Language, Media and Culture upholds transparent and fair licensing policies that honour author rights and facilitate global access. Our licensing approach is centred around the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence, reflecting our commitment to accessibility, recognition, and academic freedom.

Creative Commons (CC BY) licence

WJLMC uses the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence as its standard licensing framework. This licence allows others to:

• Share – copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format

• Adapt – remix, transform, and build upon the work for any purpose, including commercial use

These permissions are granted on the condition that proper attribution is given to the original author. The CC BY licence empowers researchers and educators to reuse and build upon published work while ensuring that original creators receive due credit.

Attribution requirement

The cornerstone of the CC BY licence is the requirement for proper attribution. Users of content must:

• Credit the author clearly

• Provide a link to the licence

• Indicate if any modifications were made

This ensures that authors’ intellectual contributions are respected while enabling widespread and flexible use of their work.

Why CC BY?

The decision to adopt the CC BY licence aligns with WJLMC’s mission to:

• Support open access and unrestricted knowledge sharing

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research

• Ensure that authors' work can be used widely without legal or financial barriers

The simplicity and legal clarity of CC BY also promote better compliance and ethical reuse.

Authors’ rights

Authors published in WJLMC retain full copyright of their work.
They maintain control over how their work is used, shared, and repurposed, and are always credited as the original creators. This policy affirms our commitment to protecting author ownership while maximising reach and readership.

Licensing transparency

The specific CC BY licence is clearly displayed:

• On the full-text article page

• On the main manuscript page where the DOI appears

Although embedding the licence within the article’s full text is recommended for added clarity, it is not a requirement for publication.

Open access alignment

In line with the principles of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), WJLMC ensures that:

• All content is freely accessible without charges or subscription

• Users are allowed to read, download, distribute, print, search, and link to full texts for any lawful purpose

• There are no restrictions on content reuse beyond the standard CC BY attribution clause

This policy supports the democratisation of academic knowledge and broader public engagement with research.

Archiving and preservation

To ensure long-term access, WJLMC archives all content on secure servers through trusted partners. The journal is also listed in Sherpa Romeo, offering clear information about our open access policies. These measures protect the longevity, security, and accessibility of published content.

Further information

For more on the CC BY licence or to clarify appropriate usage and attribution, please visit the Creative Commons website or contact our support team at support@pierreonline.uk.

Our licensing terms are designed to support the global exchange of ideas while protecting the rights and recognition of all contributors.