Article Processing Charge (APC)

Submission Fee

JFU does not charge a manuscript submission fee.

Submission fee: IDR 0

Editorial Assessment and Peer-Review Fee

JFU does not charge authors for editorial assessment or peer review.

Editorial assessment and peer-review fee: IDR 0

Article Processing Charge

An Article Processing Charge of IDR 1,000,000 applies only to manuscripts that have been formally accepted for publication.

The APC supports publication services, including editorial administration, similarity screening, DOI registration, production, metadata management, website publication, and digital dissemination.

Payment of the APC does not guarantee acceptance. The author’s ability to pay, inability to pay, waiver request, or payment status must not influence reviewer selection, peer review, revision assessment, or the editorial decision.

Invoice and Payment Instructions

The APC becomes payable only after the manuscript has been formally accepted for publication.

JFU will issue an official invoice or written payment instruction containing:

1. the manuscript identification number;
2. the article title;
3. the corresponding author’s name;
4. the APC amount;
5. the payment deadline;
6. the authorized payment channel; and
7. instructions for submitting proof of payment.

Payment must be completed within 14 calendar days from the invoice date.

Payment must be made only through the official payment channel stated in the invoice or written payment instructions issued by JFU.

Authors must not make payment to an account communicated through an unofficial email address, private message, or unauthorized person.

For security and institutional accountability, bank-account information should be provided through the official invoice or written payment instructions rather than displayed permanently on the public website.

Proof of Payment

After completing payment, the corresponding author must submit proof of payment to:

Email: jfu@sci.unand.ac.id

Proof of payment may also be submitted through the official JFU administrative contact stated in the invoice.

The payment record should include:

1. the manuscript identification number;
2. the article title;
3. the corresponding author’s name;
4. the invoice number, where available;
5. the payment date;
6. the amount paid; and
7. a readable copy of the transaction receipt.

JFU will confirm receipt after the payment has been verified.

A messaging application may be used for administrative follow-up only when the official number is clearly identified by JFU. Sensitive financial or personal information should preferably be submitted through the official journal email or authorized institutional system.

Late Payment

If payment is not received within 14 calendar days from the invoice date, JFU will send a reminder to the corresponding author.

The corresponding author may request an extension before the payment deadline by sending a written explanation to the Journal Office.

If payment, an approved extension, or an approved waiver arrangement has not been received, production and scheduling of the accepted article may be suspended until the APC requirement has been resolved.

Late payment does not reverse the scholarly acceptance decision. However, the article will not normally be scheduled for publication until the administrative payment requirement has been completed.

JFU will not suspend scholarly assessment because an author has submitted a good-faith waiver request that remains under administrative consideration.

Waivers and Discounts

JFU may provide an APC waiver or discount of up to 50% to a corresponding author who demonstrates financial hardship or another circumstance recognized under the journal’s approved procedure.

A waiver or discount request must be submitted:

1. within two calendar days after initial manuscript submission;
2. before the manuscript has been accepted; and
3. through the official Journal Office email.

The request must include:

1. the manuscript identification number and title;
2. the corresponding author’s name and affiliation;
3. the type of assistance requested;
4. a brief explanation of the circumstances; and
5. any supporting information reasonably required for administrative assessment.

Waiver and discount requests are assessed by the publisher or an authorized administrative or financial officer designated by JFU.

The Editor-in-Chief may provide administrative information where necessary but must not allow a waiver request to influence the academic assessment or editorial decision.

Editors and reviewers involved in scholarly assessment should not be informed of a waiver request unless this becomes operationally necessary after the academic decision has been completed.

A waiver or discount:

• does not guarantee peer review;
• does not guarantee acceptance;
• does not influence reviewer selection;
• does not influence editorial decisions; and
• does not change the copyright or licensing conditions applied to the article.

The decision will be communicated in writing to the corresponding author.

Refund Policy

APC payments are normally non-refundable after an article has entered production.

A refund may be considered where:

1. payment was made in error;
2. the same invoice was paid more than once;
3. an incorrect APC amount was invoiced;
4. payment was made for a manuscript to which the charge did not apply; or
5. another verified administrative error justifies a refund.

A retraction, correction, expression of concern, authorship dispute, or post-publication complaint does not normally create an entitlement to an APC refund.

Dissatisfaction with peer-review reports, the production schedule, indexing outcomes, citation performance, or subsequent use of the article does not create an entitlement to a refund.

Refund decisions are made by the publisher or authorized financial unit and are independent of editorial decision-making.

Refund Request Procedure

A refund request must be submitted within 7 calendar days after the payment date or discovery of the relevant payment error.

The request must be sent to:

Email: jfu@sci.unand.ac.id
Subject: APC Refund Request: [manuscript ID or article DOI]

The request must include:

1. the manuscript identification number or article DOI;
2. the article title;
3. the corresponding author’s name and affiliation;
4. the invoice number, where available;
5. the payment date and amount;
6. proof of payment;
7. the reason for requesting the refund; and
8. the information required by the authorized financial unit to process an approved refund.

JFU will verify the payment and may request additional records where reasonably necessary.

The refund decision will be communicated in writing. An approved refund will be processed through the payment method permitted by the financial procedures of JFU and Universitas Andalas.

Any unavoidable bank, transfer, currency-conversion, or administrative deduction will be communicated before the refund is processed.

Financial and Editorial Independence

APC invoicing, payment verification, waiver assessment, discount assessment, and refund decisions are administrative matters.

These matters must remain separate from:

1. editorial screening;
2. reviewer selection;
3. peer review;
4. revision assessment;
5. acceptance or rejection decisions;
6. scholarly complaints and appeals; and
7. decisions concerning corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions.

Editors and reviewers must not receive financial incentives based on the acceptance of individual manuscripts.

An author’s ability or inability to pay must not influence the scholarly evaluation of a manuscript.

Changes to Charges

Any change to the APC amount, payment procedure, waiver arrangements, discount conditions, or refund terms will be dated and published on the JFU website before it applies.

Unless otherwise stated in an official written notice, the applicable APC is the amount stated in the invoice issued for the accepted manuscript.