The corresponding author of each manuscript is responsible for arranging payment of the publishing fees after the manuscript has been editorially accepted. An invoice will be issued to the corresponding author with detailed instructions for payment.
Why a Fee is Charged
A publishing fee is necessary to cover the costs associated with producing and distributing the article, ensuring it is freely accessible to the public. The fee supports several key aspects of the publication process:
- Unrestricted Free Open Access:
- All publications are freely available to the public. Anyone with internet access can read, download, and share your articles without any restrictions.
- Technology:
- Maintaining an online presence requires a robust publication platform, secure hosting, and efficient email services.
- Article Processing:
- This includes receiving and checking manuscripts for guideline adherence, performing plagiarism checks, facilitating communication between authors and editors, organizing peer reviews, managing revisions, copyediting, typesetting, layout editing, proofreading, graphic design, cover design, assigning DOIs to articles and references, reference checking, converting files to XML for indexing, adding metadata, and overall project management.
- Post-Publication Activities:
- Ensuring permanent preservation using services like Portico, applying for indexing in various repositories, promoting and marketing the articles, and maintaining continued online presence.
Fee Waiver Policy
We offer fee waivers and discounts to support authors from low-income and lower-middle-income economies as defined by the World Bank.
- Low-Income Economies:
- Authors from countries listed as low-income economies are eligible for a complete fee waiver. Proof must be provided from their institutions confirming that all authors reside in and that the research was conducted in a low-income country or another lower-middle-income economy. Eligible countries include:
- Afghanistan, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Dem. Rep), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Korea (Dem. People's Rep), Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe.
- Lower-Middle-Income Economies:
- Authors from countries listed as lower-middle-income economies are eligible for a 50% fee waiver. Proof must be provided from their institutions confirming that all authors reside in and that the research was conducted in a lower-middle-income country. Eligible countries include:
- Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Congo (Rep), Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt (Arab Rep), El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Mauritania, Micronesia (Fed. Sts), Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tunisia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen (Rep), Zambia.
The full list of eligible countries is updated according to the World Bank’s classifications and may change periodically. Authors are encouraged to check the most recent list and provide the necessary documentation when applying for a fee waiver or discount.