APC and Waiver Policy

Fundamental Scientific Reports in Multidisciplinary Areas (FSRMA) is a fully Open Access journal. To support the costs associated with editorial management, peer-review administration, online publication, digital infrastructure, archiving, DOI registration, and long-term maintenance of published content, the journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) for manuscripts accepted for publication.

Article Processing Charge

FSRMA charges a single Article Processing Charge of USD 120 per accepted article. The APC is payable only after the manuscript has successfully completed peer review and has been formally accepted for publication. APC payment or waiver status does not influence editorial or peer-review decisions.

The APC is charged only after a manuscript has successfully completed the editorial and peer-review process and has been formally accepted for publication.

There is no submission fee.

FSRMA does not charge authors additional mandatory:

  • Editorial processing fees
  • Page charges
  • Colour figure charges
  • Language-editing fees
  • Membership fees
  • Review fees

unless any such charge is clearly announced on the journal website before submission.

Editorial Independence

Payment or ability to pay an APC has no influence on manuscript evaluation, peer review, editorial decisions, or acceptance for publication.

Editors and reviewers are not informed of an author's waiver request where this is not necessary for processing the request.

All manuscripts are evaluated according to the journal's scholarly, ethical, and editorial criteria.

Waiver and Discount Policy

FSRMA recognizes that publication charges may create financial barriers for some authors.

The journal may provide full or partial APC waivers or discounts to eligible authors with demonstrated financial need.

Waivers may be considered for:

  • Authors from low-income economies.
  • Authors from lower-middle-income economies who demonstrate financial need.
  • Students without institutional or research funding.
  • Early-career researchers without access to publication funding.
  • Authors whose research received no external funding and who can demonstrate an inability to pay the APC.
  • Authors affected by exceptional financial or humanitarian circumstances.

Country classifications may be considered using internationally recognized economic classifications, such as those published by the World Bank, where appropriate.

Which Author Must Qualify?

For multi-author manuscripts, waiver eligibility will normally be assessed primarily on the circumstances of the corresponding author.

The journal may also consider the location, funding status, institutional support, and financial circumstances of the full author group where appropriate.

A waiver will not normally be granted solely because one co-author is based in an eligible country if the research team otherwise has adequate institutional or grant funding.

Full and Partial Waivers

Depending on the circumstances, FSRMA may provide:

  • 100% full waiver
  • Partial APC discount

The level of waiver or discount will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on the information provided by the author.

Authors should not assume that a waiver is automatically granted unless the journal has confirmed it in writing.

How to Apply for a Waiver

Authors requesting a waiver or discount should submit their request through the journal's official editorial contact or submission system.

The request should include:

  • Manuscript title
  • Manuscript ID, if already assigned
  • Name and affiliation of the corresponding author
  • Country of residence or institutional affiliation
  • Funding status of the research
  • Brief explanation of the reason for the waiver request
  • Relevant supporting information where reasonably requested

When to Apply

Authors should request an APC waiver before payment is requested and preferably at the time of submission or during the editorial process.

The waiver request should not be submitted to peer reviewers.

A waiver request does not affect whether the manuscript is sent for review or whether it is accepted.

Waiver Assessment

Waiver requests are assessed separately from editorial decisions.

The person responsible for evaluating a waiver request should not allow the author's financial circumstances to influence the academic evaluation of the manuscript.

The journal may approve, partially approve, or decline a waiver request depending on:

  • Country income classification
  • Availability of research funding
  • Institutional support
  • Career status
  • Demonstrated financial need
  • Exceptional circumstances

Waivers Are Not Based on Academic Outcome

Waivers and discounts are not rewards for acceptance and are not linked to:

  • Reviewer recommendations
  • Citation potential
  • Academic reputation
  • Author nationality alone
  • Editorial preference

The same scholarly and ethical standards apply to all manuscripts regardless of APC or waiver status.

Invited Articles

If FSRMA invites specific scholarly content, the journal may waive the APC where this has been agreed in advance.

Any such arrangement will not affect the journal's editorial standards or peer-review requirements.

No Hidden Charges

FSRMA is committed to fee transparency.

Authors will not be required to pay undisclosed mandatory charges after acceptance.

If the journal introduces any additional author charge in the future, the amount and conditions will be clearly displayed on the journal website before authors are expected to pay it.

Withdrawal Charges

FSRMA does not charge a manuscript withdrawal fee.

If this policy changes in the future, any withdrawal charge will be publicly disclosed in advance and will not exceed the journal's applicable author charges, consistent with DOAJ requirements. DOAJ

Taxes and Bank Charges

Where applicable, authors are responsible for any bank-transfer, currency-conversion, or transaction charges imposed directly by their payment provider.

If any tax or mandatory journal-level payment surcharge applies, it must be disclosed clearly to the author before payment.

FSRMA will not introduce undisclosed charges after acceptance.

Refunds

If an APC has already been paid, any refund request will be considered in accordance with the journal's applicable refund or withdrawal procedures.

APCs are generally not refundable after final publication has occurred, except where required by law or where the journal determines that a refund is justified.

Transparency

The current APC, waiver eligibility, and applicable fee conditions will be displayed clearly on the FSRMA website.

If the APC changes, the journal will update the website accordingly.

The fee applicable to a manuscript should normally be the fee communicated under the journal's published terms during that submission process.

Relationship with Other Journal Policies

This policy should be read together with FSRMA's:

  • Open Access Policy
  • Author Guidelines
  • Peer Review Policy
  • Withdrawal Policy
  • Publication Ethics and Research Integrity Policy
  • Conflict of Interest Policy
  • Copyright and Licensing Policy

FSRMA aims to maintain an equitable and transparent Open Access publishing model while ensuring that financial circumstances do not improperly influence editorial decision-making.