Why have I been asked to pay to publish my article?

Article Processing Charges (APCs) are charged to authors of scholarly articles during the publication process. APCs are used by open access journals in lieu of subscription fees that libraries and readers traditionally have paid to gain access to research articles. APCs shift the burden of journal production costs (editing, peer review, hosting, archiving, preservation), to authors from readers. Paying an APC results in an article that is available to anyone with an internet connection. Corporate, non-profit, society, academic, and other publishers use a variety of models to meet their income needs and publishing service costs, and charging APCs is one model.

APCs should not be confused with page charges long associated with both print and digital publications. Page charges are used to cover administrative costs as well as the cost of print publication, but do not make the article available in an open access (OA) model.​

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Article Processing Charges (APC) Policy

The International Journal of Science and Innovation is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal committed to the free and permanent dissemination of scholarly research. To support the costs associated with high-quality academic publishing, the journal applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted manuscripts.

Purpose of APCs

APCs are used strictly for cost recovery and operational sustainability, including but not limited to:

• Editorial management and coordination of peer review

• Plagiarism screening and ethical compliance checks

• Copyediting, formatting, and typesetting

• DOI registration and metadata dissemination

• Website hosting and long-term digital archiving

• Open-access distribution and article preservation

The journal operates on a non-profit academic model, and APCs are not used for profit generation.

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Editorial Independence and Payment Policy

Payment of an APC does not influence editorial decisions in any manner.

• No fees are charged at the time of manuscript submission

• APCs are requested only after a manuscript has been formally accepted following peer review

• Manuscripts that are rejected at any stage of the review process are never charged

All editorial decisions are based solely on scientific merit, originality, methodological rigor, and ethical standards.

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Peer Review Process

The International Journal of Science and Innovation follows a rigorous double-blind peer-review process to ensure academic integrity and publication quality.

Review Workflow

1. Initial Editorial Screening
   Manuscripts are assessed for scope, originality, plagiarism, and ethical compliance.

2. Assignment to Handling Editor
   A subject-area editor oversees the review process.

3. Double-Blind Peer Review
   Each manuscript is evaluated by two or more independent expert reviewers. Author and reviewer identities remain confidential.

4. Reviewer Feedback and Revisions
   Authors receive detailed reviewer comments and are required to address all scientific concerns.

5. Final Editorial Decision
   Acceptance is granted only after reviewers’ concerns are satisfactorily resolved.

6. Post-Acceptance Processing
   Upon acceptance, APC invoicing, DOI assignment, copyediting, and publication are initiated.

Typical review timelines range from 2–4 weeks per review round, depending on revision requirements.

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APC Waiver and Discount Policy

To promote inclusivity and equitable access to publishing, the journal offers APC waivers and discounts under the following conditions:

• Full or partial waivers for:

  • Authors from low- and middle-income countries

  • Independent or early-career researchers

• Waiver requests are evaluated independently of editorial decisions

Requesting or receiving a waiver does not affect peer-review outcomes.

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Indexing, Archiving, and Accessibility

All published articles are:

• Assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• Freely accessible under an open-access model

• Archived to ensure long-term preservation and discoverability

• Indexed in scholarly search engines and metadata repositories where applicable

The journal is committed to meeting the technical and ethical requirements for inclusion in recognized indexing services.

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Publication Ethics and Standards

The journal adheres to internationally recognized best practices in scholarly publishing, including:

• Ethical peer-review standards

• Plagiarism detection and originality verification

• Author responsibility and research integrity

• Transparent editorial governance

Any form of academic misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, or unethical authorship practices, results in immediate rejection or retraction.