Article Processing Charges (APC) Policy

APC Fees & Policies
Ver: 1.0 (Jan 1, 2026) P-ISSN: 3117-8316 E-ISSN: 3117-8324

Preamble and Rationale

The International Journal of Contemporary Impediments in Commerce and Management (IJCICM) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal committed to advancing scholarly research. As an open-access journal, all articles are made freely available online worldwide immediately upon publication.

To support the academic, administrative, technical, and publication services required for maintaining a quality open-access publishing system, the journal levies an Article Processing Charge (APC) exclusively on manuscripts that have successfully completed peer review and received formal acceptance.

Payment of an APC does not influence editorial decisions, nor does it guarantee acceptance. Every manuscript is evaluated solely on its originality, academic quality, relevance, methodology, and ethical compliance.

Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to all categories of manuscripts submitted to IJCICM, including:

Original research articles
Review articles & SLRs
Case studies & Field reports
Short communications & Notes
Special issue & Conference articles

APC Schedule — Standard Rates (Effective Jan 1, 2026)

Article Category Maximum Length APC Rate
Original Research Article Up to 12 pages ₹1,500
Review Article / Systematic Review Up to 20 pages ₹2,000
Case Study / Field Report Up to 10 pages ₹2,000
Short Communication / Research Note Up to 6 pages ₹1,500
Special Issue / Conference Article Up to 10 pages ₹1,500

*No additional charges are imposed without prior communication to and approval from the corresponding author.

Minimum Feasible APC — Recommended Threshold

Indicative operational breakdown required to maintain academic and publishing quality standards without compromise:

Cost Component Estimated Cost per Article
Peer-Review Coordination and Reviewer Honorarium ₹800–₹1,000
Copyediting, Typesetting and XML Production ₹600–₹800
DOI Registration and Metadata Submission ₹200–₹300
Digital Archiving and Repository Hosting ₹150–₹200
Plagiarism Checking (iThenticate / Turnitin) ₹150–₹250
Platform Maintenance, Website & IT Services ₹200–₹300
Administrative and Editorial Overhead ₹200–₹350
Minimum Viable APC — Total Estimated Cost ₹2,300–₹3,200
Purpose & Utilisation

APCs directly support manuscript routing, plagiarism screening, language formatting, layout typesetting, XML/HTML generation, indexing validation, secure archival structures, and maintaining standard metadata visibility globally.

Key Principles
  • • Post-Acceptance: Payable ONLY after formal scientific acceptance.
  • • Total Independence: Finance holds zero weight in editorial evaluation.
  • • Absolute Transparency: No hidden costs or payment-based metrics.
Timeline, Payments & Author Responsibilities

Payment Timeline & Methods 

The standard timeline allows 14 calendar days from the official invoice date. Payment must be cleared via authorized routes: NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, UPI, or designated digital settlement links. The journal strongly advises against executing transactions to any individual bank accounts or unverified third-party representatives.

Receipts & Compliance Requirements

Clearance confirmations are systematically released within three working days. Under the Author Responsibility Clause, the submitting corresponding author bears comprehensive accountability for coordinating group funding distributions, confirming structural page alignments, and securing prior approvals across all listing co-authors.

Concessions & Asset Scope Limitations
Waivers & Hardships: Complete or structured regional discount concessions remain applicable exclusively for independent or underfunded researchers from verified low-income domains. Concession validations carry zero correlation with the active blind scientific evaluation.
Institutional Membership: Associated institutional faculties are eligible for structural deductions ranging from 20% to 30%, depending entirely on standard core terms formalized inside active organizational agreements.
Pagination & Figure Scale: Standard operational values accommodate up to a combined maximum of 10 figures and tables. Printed dynamic color inclusions incur additional manual production overages fixed at ₹500 (or USD 6) per asset.
Ethical Integrity Guarantee

IJCICM rigidly guarantees that processing operations run completely isolated from predatory behaviors, add-on financial increments, or transaction-linked validations. Revisions to basic policy margins require a structural 90-day notification timeline prior to active implementation.

Critical Clauses: Refunds, Withdrawals & Retractions

• 48-Hour Partial Window: Volumetric withdrawal requests registered within 48 hours of initial remittance qualify for up to a 75% reimbursement limit, given formatting production workflows haven't initialized.

• Zero Refund Conditions: Fees remain completely non-refundable once standard copyediting steps begin, or if an asset faces subsequent retraction due to verified academic malpractice (plagiarism, fabrication, copyright violations, or undisclosed conflicting interests).

• Withdrawal Consensus: Formal structural removals demand signed written authorization metrics verified and approved by every matching co-author.

Governance, Redressal and Notices

Administrative Authority: Full interpretation and structural implementation rights belong exclusively to the IJCICM Editorial Board, directed by the serving Editor-in-Chief.

Grievance Desk: Discrepancies, invoice errors, or tracking claims should be reported directly with complete reference files via the official channels. Valid complaints receive initial receipts in 3 days, targeting full resolution inside 15 working days.

Official Contact: [Insert Official APC Email Address] Next Policy Review Cycle: 2027