Article Processing Charge (APC) Policy

International Journal of Architectural Engineering Technology (IJAET)
Publisher: Avanti Publishers
ISSN: 2409-9821

1. Article Processing Charge

The International Journal of Architectural Engineering Technology (IJAET) is an open-access journal. To support the editorial administration, peer-review management, copyediting, typesetting, production, online hosting, digital preservation, and dissemination of published research, the journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC).

The standard APC is US$630 per accepted article.

The APC is payable only after a manuscript has been formally accepted for publication. There are no submission fees, and submitting a manuscript does not create any obligation to pay an APC.

Payment of the APC does not guarantee acceptance or influence editorial decisions.

2. Country-Based APC Discounts and Waivers

IJAET recognises that research funding and publishing resources vary across countries. The journal therefore provides automatic APC discounts and waivers based on the World Bank’s country-income classifications and the Research4Life eligibility framework.

The applicable APC is determined using the institutional affiliation of the corresponding author.

The following rates apply:

Eligibility category	APC discount	Amount payable
Research4Life Group A countries	100%	US$0
Research4Life Group B countries	50%	US$330
All other eligible countries	0%	US$630

Country eligibility is determined using the applicable official country classification at the time the manuscript is accepted.

Only the corresponding author’s institutional affiliation is used to determine the country-based discount. Having co-authors affiliated with institutions in other countries does not independently qualify a manuscript for a different discount.

The journal reserves the right to verify institutional affiliations and eligibility before applying a discount or waiver.

3. Research Funding and Institutional Support

Authors are encouraged to use available research grants, institutional publication funds, or other designated funding to cover publication costs.

Where an article is supported by an external research grant or institutional funding that explicitly covers publication or open-access charges, the standard APC of US$630 applies, regardless of the corresponding author’s country classification.

This provision applies only where relevant funding is actually available for publication expenses. The mere existence of a research grant, institutional affiliation, or general research funding does not automatically establish that publication funds are available.

Authors must accurately disclose relevant research funding during submission.

4. Invited Articles and Special Issues

IJAET may offer APC waivers or discounts for specifically invited contributions, commissioned articles, or selected special issues.

Any such arrangement must be authorised by the publisher and established before the applicable publication charge is invoiced.

The applicable waiver or discount will be communicated to the invited author or announced in the relevant call for papers, where appropriate.

Invitations, waivers, and discounts do not guarantee acceptance. All manuscripts remain subject to the journal’s standard editorial screening, peer-review procedures, and publication criteria.

5. Promotional Discounts and Institutional Agreements

The journal may introduce time-limited promotional discounts or enter into institutional, society, or other publishing agreements.

Such arrangements must have clearly defined eligibility criteria, discount amounts, and validity periods. They will be communicated through the journal’s official website, relevant announcements, or the applicable agreement.

Promotional discounts and institutional arrangements are subject to their published terms and cannot be combined with other discounts unless expressly stated.

6. Application of Discounts and Waivers

Country-based discounts and waivers are applied according to the eligibility criteria set out in this policy.

Where an author qualifies for more than one discount or waiver, the journal will apply the single most favourable applicable rate unless the terms of a particular promotion or agreement expressly permit combining benefits.

Authors must provide accurate affiliation and funding information. The journal may request supporting documentation where necessary to verify eligibility.

Any discrepancy or suspected misrepresentation may result in reassessment of the applicable APC.

7. No Individual APC Negotiations

IJAET applies APCs, discounts, and waivers according to the published eligibility criteria and authorised arrangements described in this policy.

Individual APC amounts are not negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Requests for discretionary reductions outside the established policy will not ordinarily be considered.

This provision does not prevent the journal from introducing new promotional offers, approving invited-article waivers, or establishing institutional agreements in accordance with the provisions above.

8. Payment and Publication

The applicable APC will be communicated to the corresponding author following formal acceptance.

Payment instructions and the payment deadline will be provided by the editorial office or publisher.

Publication proceeds after the applicable administrative and production requirements have been completed. Any exceptional payment arrangements must be agreed with the publisher before publication.

Authors should contact the editorial office if they identify an error in the APC amount or the application of an eligibility category.

9. No Additional Publication Charges

Unless explicitly stated on the journal’s official website or in an applicable agreement, IJAET does not charge additional submission fees, page charges, or mandatory fees for colour figures.

Any additional author-facing charges introduced in the future will be clearly disclosed before authors are expected to incur them.

10. Editorial Independence

APCs, discounts, waivers, payment status, and funding arrangements have no influence on editorial decisions.

All manuscripts are evaluated according to their scholarly merit, originality, relevance to the journal’s scope, methodological quality, and compliance with publication ethics.

Editorial decisions are made independently of the publisher’s financial considerations. The availability of a discount or waiver neither guarantees acceptance nor provides preferential treatment during peer review.

11. Policy Transparency and Amendments

This policy is publicly available so that prospective authors can determine the applicable publication charges before submitting their manuscripts.

IJAET may revise its APC rates, country eligibility criteria, and discount arrangements when necessary. Any changes will be announced on the journal’s official website, together with their effective date.

Unless otherwise stated, changes will apply to manuscripts accepted on or after the effective date and will not retrospectively increase the APC for manuscripts already accepted.

For questions concerning APC eligibility, authors may contact the IJAET editorial office through the contact details provided on the journal’s official website.