Article Processing Charges Policy

APC Transparency and Publication Fee Policy

The Journal of Pharmacovigilance and Drug Research (JPADR) is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, and ethical publishing practices regarding publication charges and financial policies.

This policy explains the journal's Article Processing Charges (APCs), payment procedures, waiver and discount policies, refund conditions, and the journal's commitment to editorial independence. JPADR follows internationally recognized publishing standards, including the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

1. Article Processing Charge (APC)

The Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted manuscripts is:

USD 100 (One Hundred United States Dollars)

The APC is payable only after successful peer review and formal editorial acceptance of the manuscript.

No submission fee is charged.

2. Currency of Payment

The APC is payable in:

  • United States Dollar (USD)

Where appropriate, equivalent payment in local currency may be accepted based on prevailing exchange rates and payment arrangements communicated by the Editorial Office.

Any bank charges, transaction fees, or currency conversion costs are the responsibility of the author.

3. When the APC is Charged

JPADR does not charge any fee for:

  • Manuscript submission.
  • Initial editorial screening.
  • Peer review.

The APC becomes payable only:

  • After completion of peer review.
  • Following formal editorial acceptance.
  • Before final production and publication.

Authors will receive an official acceptance letter together with payment instructions.

Payment of the APC alone does not guarantee publication unless all publication requirements have been fulfilled.

4. What the APC Covers

The APC supports the journal's publishing operations, including:

  • Editorial processing.
  • Peer-review management.
  • Manuscript handling.
  • Copyediting and language editing.
  • Typesetting and formatting.
  • DOI registration.
  • Website hosting and maintenance.
  • Online publication.
  • Metadata management.
  • Long-term digital preservation.
  • Administrative publishing support.

The APC helps sustain the journal's open-access publishing model while ensuring high editorial standards.

5. Open Access Policy

JPADR follows a fully Open Access publishing model.

Under this model:

  • All published articles are freely available online.
  • No subscription fees are charged to readers.
  • Research remains accessible to the global scientific community.

The APC supports unrestricted dissemination of scholarly research.

6. APC Waiver and Discount Policy

JPADR may consider full or partial APC waivers under appropriate circumstances.

Waivers or discounts may be considered for:

  • Authors from low-income countries.
  • Students or early-career researchers with financial limitations.
  • Authors demonstrating genuine financial hardship.
  • Invited articles approved by the Editorial Office.
  • Special editorial initiatives or academic collaborations.

Whenever possible, waiver requests should be submitted before or during manuscript submission.

Approval of waivers is not automatic and is subject to editorial and administrative evaluation.

7. Waiver Decision Authority

Waiver and discount decisions are made by:

  • Editor-in-Chief.
  • Editorial Office.
  • Authorized Publishing Administration.

Waiver decisions are based solely on eligibility criteria and financial considerations.

Editorial decisions remain completely independent of APC payment or waiver status.

Reviewers are not informed of APC payments or waiver requests.

8. Editorial Independence

JPADR maintains complete editorial independence from financial considerations.

Editorial decisions are based solely on:

  • Scientific merit.
  • Research quality.
  • Ethical compliance.
  • Relevance to the journal's scope.
  • Peer-review recommendations.

Payment of APCs does not influence:

  • Peer-review outcomes.
  • Editorial decisions.
  • Publication priority.

9. Refund Policy

APC payments are generally non-refundable once:

  • Production processing has commenced.
  • DOI registration has been completed.
  • Typesetting or publication has begun.
  • The article has been published online.

Refunds may be considered in exceptional cases such as:

  • Duplicate payment.
  • Technical payment errors.
  • Editorial withdrawal before production begins.
  • Other exceptional circumstances approved by the journal.

No refund will normally be provided if:

  • The author voluntarily withdraws the manuscript after production has started.
  • Publication is delayed due to author-related issues.
  • Ethical concerns arise after manuscript acceptance.

Refund requests should be submitted to the Editorial Office together with supporting documentation.

10. Withdrawal After Acceptance

Authors wishing to withdraw an accepted manuscript should notify the Editorial Office immediately.

The journal reserves the right to:

  • Retain partial APC charges for completed production work.
  • Decline withdrawal requests once publication preparation has commenced.

Unethical withdrawal practices may constitute publication misconduct.

11. Financial Transparency

JPADR is committed to transparency regarding:

  • Publication fees.
  • Waiver policies.
  • Editorial independence.
  • Ethical publishing practices.

The journal does not impose hidden publication charges.

Any future changes to APC policies will be clearly communicated through the journal website.

12. Commitment to Ethical Publishing

JPADR remains committed to:

  • Ethical scholarly publishing.
  • Transparent publication fees.
  • Fair editorial processes.
  • Responsible open-access publishing.
  • Research integrity.
  • Editorial independence.

The journal follows ethical publishing guidance provided by:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

13. Contact Regarding APC and Waivers

Authors with questions regarding:

  • APC payment.
  • Waiver requests.
  • Invoices.
  • Institutional payment support.
  • Refund requests.

are encouraged to contact the Editorial Office through the official contact details available on the journal website.

All financial communications are handled professionally, confidentially, and in accordance with the journal's financial policies.

References

  1. Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.
  2. Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Best Practices for Open Access Publishing.
  3. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for Ethical Scholarly Publishing.