Article Processing Charges
The Article Processing Charge (APC) has been established to support the sustainable operation of the journal and the editorial, production, dissemination, platform, and preservation services associated with open access scholarly publishing. The journal is committed to maintaining a transparent and equitable APC policy while keeping publication costs as accessible as reasonably possible.
Article Processing Charge
The standard Article Processing Charge is US$200 per accepted article. The APC is charged only after a manuscript has been accepted for publication and does not influence the editorial or peer-review decision.
| Service Component | Cost | Included Services |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Company Expenses | $60 (30%) |
Office and personnel expenses, administrative costs, tax-related costs, and other basic operating expenses associated with journal publishing. |
| Production Services | $50 (25%) |
Professional typesetting and publication production, XML/JATS production where applicable, figure preparation, formatting, and publication-quality processing. |
| Dissemination & Archiving | $40 (20%) |
DOI registration, online dissemination, digital preservation and archiving services, and activities supporting the discoverability and accessibility of published research. |
| Platform Operations | $30 (15%) |
Journal platform operation, server infrastructure, security, system maintenance, technical support, and plagiarism-detection services. |
| Global Equity Fund | $20 (10%) |
Support for reviewer and scholarly recognition initiatives, publication development, and activities that contribute to broader participation in the academic publishing community. |
| Total APC | $200 | Standard Article Processing Charge per accepted article. |
APC Reduction Policy
To support equitable access to scholarly publishing, the journal provides reduced APC arrangements for eligible authors according to the applicable country or economy classification. The standard APC is US$200 per accepted article.
High-Income Economies
Eligibility:
Authors from high-income economies under the applicable country classification.
APC:
Standard Article Processing Charge.
APC payable: $200
Developing Countries
Eligibility:
Authors from eligible developing economies under the journal's applicable country classification policy.
APC Reduction:
15% reduction from the standard APC.
APC payable: $170
Least Developed Countries
Eligibility:
Authors from countries designated by the United Nations as Least Developed Countries.
APC Reduction:
25% reduction from the standard APC.
APC payable: $150
Transparency and Additional Fees
The applicable APC is clearly communicated to authors, and no additional publication fees are charged beyond the applicable APC unless explicitly stated in the journal's policies.
The APC supports the editorial, production, dissemination, platform, and preservation services associated with the publication of accepted articles.
The journal maintains a Refund Policy to provide clear guidance regarding applicable refunds and payment-related circumstances.
Editorial Independence
The payment of an APC, or eligibility for an APC reduction, does not influence the editorial decision, peer-review process, or assessment of the scientific quality of a manuscript. Editorial decisions are based on the journal's scope, scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigor, relevance, and other applicable editorial and peer-review criteria.
Article Processing Charge Payment
Authors may pay the applicable Article Processing Charge through the secure payment platform below after receiving the relevant payment instructions from the journal.
Pay Article Processing Charge