Article Processing Charges (APC) & Waiver Policy

APC

The APC is €500 EUR per accepted article. There is no submission fee, peer-review fee, page charge, or colour charge. The APC is invoiced only after final academic acceptance.

What the APC Supports

• Editorial and peer-review workflow administration.
• Similarity screening and publication-integrity checks.
• Copyediting, typesetting, XML/metadata preparation and production.
• DOI registration and article metadata services.
• Continuous online publication and publishing infrastructure.
• Digital preservation arrangements and administrative publishing costs.

Editorial Independence

APC payment or waiver status does not influence editorial decisions. Financial administration is separated from academic decision-making as far as supported by the journal’s operational systems.

Payment
Invoices are issued by the publisher, Scirator Conferences LLP, after acceptance. Payment is normally due within 14 days unless otherwise stated on the invoice. Payment methods and banking/payment-gateway details are provided on the official invoice.

Waivers and Discounts
Automatic full waivers are available for eligible corresponding authors in Research4Life Group A countries, subject to the journal’s current eligibility list. A 50% discount may be available for eligible corresponding authors in Group B countries and for defined categories such as authors from Small Island Developing States or unfunded doctoral researchers, subject to administrative criteria and available funds. Exceptional financial hardship may be considered case-by-case regardless of country.

The waiver or discount request is made at initial submission and identifies the corresponding author’s institution, country, and the basis for the request. No institutional identity-card copy is required. Waiver decisions are handled administratively and are kept separate from editorial evaluation.

Refunds

APCs are generally non-refundable once production has commenced, except where required by applicable law or where the publisher determines a refund is appropriate because of an administrative or publishing error attributable to the journal. Where an author withdraws after payment but before publication, the publisher may consider a partial refund after accounting for documented production costs. Retraction for research misconduct does not create an automatic entitlement to an APC refund.

Taxes

The APC is exclusive of applicable taxes. Tax treatment depends on the transaction and relevant law; the invoice states any taxes charged.