Legal

Terms and Conditions

1. Definitions

1.1: "The Organiser" means Proud Pen, the organiser of the Event.
1.2: "The Event" means the International Conference on Higher Education, held in Oxford, United Kingdom, on 14–16 May 2027, including its online sessions.
1.3: "The Participant" means any person who registers for the Event in any category, including presenters, listeners and virtual participants.
1.4: "The Booking Contact" means a person who completes a registration on behalf of a Participant.

2. Registration and Payment

2.1: Registration is completed online and becomes binding upon payment of the registration fee.
2.2: All fees are stated in GBP (£) and must be paid in advance. On-site payment is not available.
2.3: A presentation place is confirmed only once the corresponding registration fee has been received and matched.
2.4: Additional fees apply to additional accepted papers, co-authors attending in person and additional listeners, as shown on the Registration page. Each attending person is registered as a separate attendee.
2.5: Where a registration is completed on behalf of a third party, the Booking Contact receives financial correspondence and receipts, and the Participant receives their own badge, certificate and joining details.
2.6: Registrations paid by bank transfer are confirmed only once the payment has been matched by the Organiser. Bank transfer charges, where applicable, are borne by the Participant.
2.7: Invoices are issued on request; the Participant or Booking Contact is responsible for supplying accurate billing details before payment.
2.8: A pro forma invoice may be requested before payment. The request and the issued pro forma invoice are not a registration and do not reserve a place. The institution named on the pro forma invoice is the billing recipient. Each pro forma invoice states its validity date; after payment, the normal registration form must be completed and the transfer receipt uploaded, and the registration is confirmed only once the payment is matched.

3. Cancellation and Non-attendance

3.1: CANCELLATION POLICY — In case of any cancellation or non-attendance, unfortunately the registration fees are not refundable.
3.2: A registered Participant may be substituted by a colleague at no additional charge, provided the Organiser is notified in writing before the registration deadline.
3.3: A Participant registered for in-person attendance may switch to virtual participation at no additional charge, subject to notifying the Organiser before the Event.
3.4: Non-attendance for any reason, including the refusal or delay of a visa or travel document, does not entitle the Participant to a refund.

4. Event Changes

4.1: The Organiser may amend the programme, speakers, session times, venue or format of the Event where necessary.
4.2: Where the Event is rescheduled or its format changed, existing registrations transfer automatically to the amended Event.
4.3: The Organiser is not liable for consequential costs incurred by the Participant, including travel, accommodation or visa expenses.

5. Invitation Letters and Visas

5.1: Invitation letters are issued only after registration and payment have been completed.
5.2: An invitation letter confirms the Participant's registration and expected participation in the Event. It does not guarantee the issuance of a visa or any other travel permission.
5.3: All decisions on travel documentation rest with the relevant embassy, consulate or authority and are outside the Organiser's control.
5.4: The Participant is responsible for the accuracy of the details supplied for the letter.

6. Intellectual Property and Recording

6.1: Authors retain all rights to their own work.
6.2: By submitting, the Participant grants the Organiser permission to publish the accepted abstract and, where applicable, the full paper in the Event's Abstract Book, proceedings, programme and related archives. Work published in the proceedings is published open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). This is the single copyright and publication agreement accepted on the submission form.
6.3: The Participant confirms that the submitted work is original, unpublished, not under review elsewhere and approved by all co-authors, and that any research involving human participants had appropriate ethical approval and consent.
6.4: The Event may be photographed, recorded and live-streamed. Participation implies consent to the use of such material for documentation and promotion. Participants may opt out by contacting the Organiser.

7. Code of Conduct

7.1: All Participants are expected to behave respectfully toward other participants, speakers, staff and venue personnel.
7.2: Harassment, discrimination and disruptive behaviour are not tolerated.
7.3: The Organiser may refuse admission to, or remove from the Event, any Participant in breach of this section, without refund.

8. Liability

8.1: Participation in the Event is at the Participant's own risk, within the limits permitted by law.
8.2: The Organiser is not liable for loss of or damage to personal property at the venue.
8.3: Participants are advised to arrange their own travel and health insurance.

9. Data Protection

Personal data is processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

10. Governing Law and Contact

10.1: These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Organiser is established.
10.2: Questions regarding these Terms: [email protected]

11. Academic Integrity and Generative AI

11.1: Authors may use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in manuscript writing only to improve the language and readability of their own text, and such use must be disclosed, identifying the tool and its purpose.
11.2: Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality and references in their submission. AI tools cannot be listed as authors or used to fabricate research data, findings or references.
11.3: Basic spelling, grammar, punctuation and reference-formatting checks do not require disclosure. AI used as part of the research method is described in the methodology and is distinct from the writing rule above.
11.4: The full policy is the conference's Policy on the Use of Generative AI and AI-assisted Technologies. → Generative AI Author Policy