The SCICONX Journal of Advanced Materials & Engineering (JAME) follows a transparent and author-supportive Article Processing Charge (APC) model designed to sustain high-quality editorial services, rigorous peer-review, ethical publishing practices, and global open-access distribution. As an open-access platform, all accepted articles are made permanently and freely available to readers worldwide without subscription, ensuring maximum visibility, citation potential, and real-world impact for authors.

This page provides detailed, comprehensive information about the journal’s APC structure, discount policies, waivers, invoicing procedures, and the rationale behind the fee system—crafted to offer complete clarity to authors.

1. Why Does JAME Charge an APC?

JAME operates under a Gold Open Access publishing model, which requires continuous investments in infrastructure, editorial operations, and technological development. The APC helps cover:

• Expert Editorial Management
  Manuscript handling, screening, conflict-of-interest checks, and quality control before and after peer review.
• High-Quality Peer Review Support
  Administrative and technical support to coordinate independent expert reviewers, track revisions, and ensure timely evaluations.
• Production & Publication Services
  Professional formatting, typesetting, artwork preparation, metadata assignment, DOI generation, and XML conversion.
• Open Access Hosting & Archiving
  Long-term digital preservation, global server maintenance, indexing support, and platform upgrades.
• Ethics, Integrity & Compliance Operations
  Plagiarism checking, research misconduct screening, corrections/retirements, and adherence to COPE, DOAJ, and international standards.

The APC ensures that every published article is freely accessible worldwide, enabling maximum dissemination of scientific advances in materials and engineering research.

2. APC Structure for JAME

• The Standard article processing charges are 1229 Euros and these APCs are exclusive of any applicable taxes.

Note: Charges apply only after a manuscript has been accepted for publication following peer review.

3. What the APC Covers (Detailed Breakdown)

Unlike many journals that provide generic descriptions, JAME offers a transparent breakdown explaining what exactly the APC supports:

A. Editorial Quality & Peer Review

• Initial manuscript triage
• Plagiarism screening (multiple stages)
• Matching with technical editors
• Reviewer coordination
• Cross-checking revisions
• Final quality audit before acceptance

B. Article Production

• High-resolution typesetting
• Graphical and figure optimisation
• Proof generation & author communication
• Citation formatting & metadata standardisation
• DOI assignment and registration with Crossref
• XML & HTML conversion for global indexing systems

C. Open Access Distribution

• Permanent hosting on SCICONX servers
• Long-term preservation in multiple repositories
• Open-license archiving
• Persistent URL maintenance
• Unlimited global access and downloads

D. Compliance & Ethics

• COPE-guideline adherence
• Publication ethics monitoring
• Retraction, correction, and post-publication procedure management

4. Payment Process & Invoicing

• An official APC Invoice is issued immediately after manuscript acceptance.
• Payments can be made via:
  • Bank transfer
  • Credit/debit card
  • Institutional payment gateway
  • Research grant accounts
• Authors have 15 days to complete the payment.
• A Payment Confirmation Receipt is issued for funding or grant documentation.

Publication scheduling begins only after payment is confirmed.

5. APC Refund Policy

JAME offers a transparent refund policy:

• Full Refund: If the article is withdrawn before entering production.
• Partial Refund (50%): If significant production work has begun but the author withdraws due to unavoidable academic reasons.
• No Refund: Once the article is published online or assigned to an issue.

6. Withdrawal Policy

SCICONX Publishing respects authors’ rights to request manuscript withdrawal but emphasizes that such requests should be made responsibly due to the significant time and resources invested by editors, reviewers, and the publishing team. Authors may withdraw their manuscript without penalty before peer review begins. During peer review, a valid reason—such as ethical concerns, duplication, or submission errors—must be provided. Post-acceptance withdrawal is strongly discouraged, and submitting the same manuscript to another journal without proper justification is considered unethical and may be reported. To offset editorial and processing efforts, a withdrawal fee equivalent to 40% of the Article Processing Charge (APC) may be applied for requests made after peer review starts. The Editorial Office retains the right to approve or decline withdrawal requests, particularly in cases of suspected misconduct or duplication. SCICONX encourages authors to thoroughly evaluate the journal’s scope and policies prior to submission to minimize unnecessary withdrawal requests, ensuring a smooth and ethical publishing process.

For APC-related queries or special requests, please contact us at: editorialoffice@sciconx.org

7. APC Does NOT Influence Editorial Decisions

The acceptance of manuscripts is strictly based on scientific merit, novelty, rigor, and alignment with the journal’s aims.
APC payment:

• has no role in peer-review outcomes,
• is only requested after acceptance,
• does not guarantee fast acceptance or preferential treatment.

JAME is committed to fair, unbiased, ethical, and transparent publishing practices.

8. Need Assistance with APC?

Authors facing difficulty may contact the APC support team for:

• Waiver requests
• Institutional invoices
• Payment documentation
• Membership discounts
• Special issue fee clarifications

Email: editorialoffice@sciconx.org
Support Desk: +44 1528 360034

The APC system at JAME is designed not merely as a fee structure but as a sustainable, author-centric, transparent model that ensures high-quality publishing and broad dissemination of scientific knowledge in advanced materials and engineering innovation.