Journal Policies

1. Peer Review Process

IJAPESH follows a double-blind peer-review system:

  • Initial plagiarism check (Turnitin/iThenticate, <15% similarity).

  • Reviewed by at least two independent experts.

  • Authors and reviewers remain anonymous.

  • Decision: Accept / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Reject.

2. Open Access Policy

  • Free to read, download, and share (CC BY-NC 4.0 license).

  • Authors retain copyright but grant IJAPESH first publication rights.

3. Publication Fees (Article Processing Charges - APCs)

To sustain quality peer review, editing, and hosting, IJAPESH charges a nominal fee:

  • Submission Fee: None (free submission).

  • Publication Fee (if accepted): (covers DOI, indexing, archiving, and editorial costs).

  • Waivers: Available for authors from low-income countries (case-by-case basis).

4. Ethical Guidelines (COPE Compliance)

Authors Must:

  • Submit original, unpublished work (no plagiarism).

  • Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources.

  • Correct errors if discovered post-publication.

Reviewers & Editors Must:

  • Maintain confidentiality.

  • Avoid bias or discrimination.

  • Declare conflicts of interest.

5. Plagiarism & Misconduct Policy

  • >20% similarity (excluding references) → rejection.

  • Self-plagiarism (reusing text without citation) → rejection.

  • Fabrication/falsification → retraction + blacklisting.

6. Copyright & Licensing

  • CC BY-NC 4.0: Free to share/adapt with attribution (non-commercial use).

  • Authors may reuse their work in theses/conferences (with citation).

7. Archiving & Indexing

  • Archived in PKP PN, Google Scholar, and Crossref (DOI).

8. Retractions & Corrections

  • Errors → Corrigendum.

  • Misconduct → Retraction (marked in PDF).

9. Appeals & Complaints