Refund Policy

1. General Principle

Explorer Press Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "the Publisher") adheres to a strictly post-acceptance payment model. Article Processing Charges (APCs) are invoiced only after a manuscript has successfully passed peer review and received a formal acceptance decision. By paying the APC, the author confirms their agreement to proceed with publication. Given that the editorial and initial production resources are committed immediately upon acceptance, refunds are granted only in specific, limited circumstances outlined below.

2. Eligibility for Refund

2.1 Full Refund Eligibility

Authors may be eligible for a full (100%) refund under the following circumstances:

  • Duplicate Payment: If an author inadvertently pays the APC more than once for the same manuscript, the excess payment (or the duplicate payment) will be fully refunded.

  • Publisher Cancellation: In the rare event that the Publisher decides to cease the journal or cancel the publication of a specific article due to internal operational changes before it is published online, the APC will be fully refunded.

  • Technical/System Error: If a payment was processed due to a verifiable technical error on the Publisher's payment platform or invoicing system, the full amount will be refunded.

  • Payment Before Formal Acceptance: If an author was charged and paid the APC before receiving a formal "Acceptance" letter (due to an administrative error), the payment will be fully refunded immediately upon verification.

2.2 Non-Refundable Situations

Since the APC is charged only after the manuscript has been accepted, the fee is considered non-refundable in the following cases:

  • Author Withdrawal After Payment: Once the APC has been paid, the Editorial Board and Production Team have already committed resources to the article. Therefore, requests for withdrawal and refunds initiated by the author will not be honored. The article will proceed to publication as scheduled.

  • Publication Completed: Articles that have already been published online (Available via Early Access or in a formal issue) are not eligible for a refund.

  • Delayed Author Response: If the author fails to return proofs or complete necessary publication formalities within the timeframe provided by the editorial office, resulting in the article being removed from the schedule, the APC remains non-refundable due to the administrative costs already incurred.

  • Change of Author Affiliation or Funding: Withdrawal requests based on a change in the author's funding status, institutional affiliation, or personal preference after payment are not valid grounds for a refund.

3. Refund Application Process

3.1 Submission Requirements

Authors wishing to request a refund under the eligible categories must submit a formal application via email to the journal's finance department at contact@explorerpress.com. The application must include:

  • Manuscript ID and Title
  • Corresponding Author's Name and Institution
  • Proof of Payment (Receipt or Transaction ID)
  • Detailed reason for the refund request
  • Relevant supporting documentation (e.g., proof of duplicate payment)
3.2 Processing Timeline
  • Refund requests are typically reviewed and processed within 15-20 business days from the date of receipt.
  • The Publisher will send a confirmation email once the refund request has been approved and processed.
3.3 Refund Method

Refunds will be issued using the same payment method utilized for the original transaction (e.g., credit card, bank transfer). If the original payment method is no longer valid, the author must provide valid banking details for a wire transfer.

Note: The Publisher is not responsible for any delays, conversion fees, or intermediary bank charges imposed by the author's bank or payment processor during the refund process.

4. Currency and Deductions

  • Refunds will be processed in US Dollars (USD).
  • In the event of a refund for a duplicate payment or overpayment, the refund amount will strictly match the net amount received by the Publisher. Any transaction fees, bank charges, or currency conversion fees deducted by intermediaries during the original payment transaction will not be reimbursed.

5. Appeals and Exceptions

The Publisher reserves the right to make exceptions to this policy in cases of Force Majeure (e.g., severe natural disasters, war, or global pandemics) or documented medical emergencies that prevent the author from fulfilling their publication obligations. Such requests must be accompanied by substantive evidence and will be reviewed by the Publisher's management board on a case-by-case basis.