1. Open Access Commitment

The West African Journal of Clinical Sciences (WAJCS) operates a full Open Access publishing model. All articles published in the journal are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication.

Readers may access, read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles without requiring subscription fees or prior permission from the publisher or authors.

2. Licensing Policy

Under this license, users are permitted to:

• Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
• Use the material for academic, educational, and commercial purposes

Appropriate credit must always be given to the original authors and source.

3. Copyright Policy

Authors retain copyright of their published work while granting WAJCS the non-exclusive right to publish, archive, and disseminate the article.

Authors are free to:

• Deposit published articles in institutional repositories
• Share articles on personal or institutional websites
• Distribute articles for educational and research purposes
• Reuse their work in future scholarly publications with proper citation

4. Accessibility and Archiving

WAJCS supports long-term digital preservation and accessibility of published content.

The journal encourages indexing, archiving, and dissemination through:

• Institutional repositories
• Academic databases
• Search engines and scholarly indexing services
• Open-access knowledge repositories

5. Benefits of Open Access

WAJCS recognizes the importance of Open Access publishing in enhancing scientific communication and research visibility.

• Increases global visibility and citation of published articles
• Promotes equitable access to scientific information
• Supports researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and students worldwide
• Enhances collaboration and interdisciplinary knowledge exchange
• Accelerates translation of research findings into clinical practice and public health policy

6. Article Processing Charges (APC)

Information regarding article processing charges, submission fees, or publication fees (where applicable) will be transparently communicated on the journal website.

WAJCS remains committed to supporting equitable participation in scholarly publishing and may consider fee waivers or discounts in special circumstances.

7. Ethical Publishing Standards

All Open Access publications in WAJCS are subject to rigorous peer review, ethical publication standards, and editorial quality assurance.

Open Access publication does not compromise the scientific integrity, editorial independence, or quality standards of the journal.

8. Compliance with International Standards

WAJCS aligns its Open Access practices with internationally recognized scholarly publishing principles and supports initiatives that advance equitable access to scientific knowledge.