Journal Policy
Article Processing Charges and Waiver Policy
Journal of Biological and Sustainability Sciences
APC Transparency Statement
The Journal of Biological and Sustainability Sciences is committed to transparency in article processing charges, publication fees, waiver decisions, and author communication.
Article processing charges, where applicable, are used to support editorial management, website maintenance, article hosting, metadata preparation, digital archiving, platform development, and publication services.
Publication charges do not influence editorial decisions. All manuscripts are evaluated according to scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, peer review, and relevance to the journal scope.
Current APC Status
At present, JBSS article processing charges are waived during the initial launch and development phase of the journal.
- During the initial launch and development phase of JBSS, article processing charges are currently waived.
- Authors may submit manuscripts without paying an article processing charge during the waiver period.
- The journal reserves the right to introduce or revise article processing charges in the future.
- Any future APC structure will be clearly displayed on the journal website before implementation.
- Previously accepted manuscripts will follow the fee policy that was active at the time of acceptance.
APC Policy Principles
- Article processing charges, where applicable, must be clearly stated before manuscript submission.
- Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, originality, ethical compliance, peer-review evaluation, and journal scope.
- Ability or inability to pay publication charges must not influence editorial assessment or peer-review decisions.
- Authors should not be asked to pay any fee that has not been clearly communicated by the journal.
- The journal aims to maintain transparency in publication charges, waiver decisions, and fee-related communication.
Waiver Eligibility
Waivers or discounts may be considered for authors who lack institutional, project-based, or grant-based publication funding.
- Authors from low-income or resource-limited institutions
- Early-career researchers with limited publication funding
- Students and postgraduate researchers without institutional funding
- Authors submitting invited articles, editorials, or special contributions
- Manuscripts of high scientific value where authors lack publication support
- Submissions from collaborators or institutions participating in approved journal development initiatives
Editorial Independence
Fee status and waiver requests are handled separately from the scientific assessment of manuscripts.
- Editors and reviewers do not make decisions based on payment status.
- Peer review must be completed independently of fee discussions.
- A manuscript cannot be accepted solely because an author can pay a publication fee.
- A manuscript cannot be rejected solely because an author requests a waiver.
- Waiver requests are handled separately from scientific peer review wherever possible.
Waiver Request Procedure
Authors who require a waiver should contact the editorial office before or during submission. The request should include the manuscript title, corresponding author name, affiliation, country, and a brief explanation of why a waiver is requested.
Waiver requests are reviewed by the editorial or publishing office according to journal policy, available resources, author circumstances, and institutional context.
A waiver request does not guarantee manuscript acceptance. Manuscripts requesting a waiver must still complete editorial assessment and peer review.
Payment Transparency
Where any publication fee is introduced in the future, JBSS will maintain transparent payment communication.
- Any applicable fee must be communicated clearly and in writing.
- Payment instructions, where applicable, should be issued only by the authorized editorial or publishing office.
- The journal should provide confirmation after receiving payment, where payment is required.
- No hidden submission, review, acceptance, or publication charges should be applied.
- Fee changes should be updated on the journal website before being applied to new submissions.
Author Responsibilities
- Authors should check the APC and waiver policy before submission.
- Authors requesting a waiver should provide truthful and reasonable justification.
- Authors should disclose institutional or grant-based publication funding where relevant.
- Authors should not make payment to unofficial accounts or individuals.
- Authors should communicate only through official journal or editorial office channels regarding fees.
No Submission or Review Fee
JBSS does not charge a separate manuscript submission fee or peer review fee. If publication charges are introduced in the future, they will apply only according to the official APC policy displayed on the journal website.
Authors should not pay any unofficial fee for submission, editorial assessment, peer review, acceptance, publication, indexing, or certificate issuance.
Changes to APC Policy
The journal may revise its APC and waiver policy as publishing operations develop. Any change in APC amount, waiver availability, payment method, or fee structure will be updated on the journal website.
Policy changes will apply to new submissions after the updated policy is posted. Manuscripts already accepted under a previous fee arrangement will normally follow the policy active at the time of acceptance.
Contact for APC and Waivers
Questions regarding article processing charges, APC waivers, publication fees, fee exemptions, or payment transparency may be directed to the editorial office.