The SCICONX Journal of Immunity and Infectious Diseases (JIID) operate as an open-access journal, ensuring that published research is freely accessible to readers across the world without subscription barriers. To sustain this model and cover the costs of peer review, editorial management, copyediting, typesetting, digital archiving, and global dissemination, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is applied to accepted manuscripts.

1. Transparency in APC

• No submission fee: Authors are not charged at the time of manuscript submission.
• Payment after acceptance: APC is payable only after a manuscript has been peer-reviewed and formally accepted for publication.
• Flat and fair rates: The journal applies a standardized APC to ensure equitable treatment of all authors, regardless of institution or geographic location.

2. What the APC Covers

The APC supports a wide range of essential publishing services, including:

• Rigorous double-blind peer review coordination and reviewer management.
• Professional language editing, copyediting, and typesetting to ensure clarity and accuracy.
• High-quality figure, table, and supplementary file handling.
• Long-term digital preservation and archiving in trusted repositories.
• Open-access hosting under Creative Commons licensing for unrestricted readership.
• Assignment of a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to every published article.
• Indexing and discoverability in relevant academic databases and search engines.

3. APC Structure

• 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.

4. Payment Process

• Once a manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author will receive an invoice with payment instructions.
• Payments can be made securely via credit card, bank transfer, or institutional funding channels.
• A receipt will be issued for institutional reimbursement purposes.
• Payment must be completed before the article proceeds to final publication.

5. Refund Policy

• APCs are non-refundable once the article has been published.
• If an article is withdrawn before publication due to editorial reasons (not author misconduct), a partial refund may be considered.
• In cases of article retraction due to author misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, data fabrication), APC refunds will not be issued.

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.

7. Commitment to Accessibility

The APC model allows JIID to remain fully open access, ensuring that:

• All published content is freely available to readers worldwide, including clinicians, researchers, students, and policymakers.
• Authors retain copyright under a Creative Commons license, enabling broad reuse and citation.
• No hidden costs or paywalls limit the dissemination of vital research in immunity and infectious diseases.

By implementing a fair and transparent APC system, the SCICONX Journal of Immunity and Infectious Diseases (JIID) ensures the sustainability of open-access publishing while fostering global collaboration. We remain committed to balancing financial sustainability with inclusivity, so that groundbreaking research can reach the widest possible audience, regardless of economic barriers.