APC Payment and Refund Policy

Effective date: 20/02/2026

This APC Payment and Refund Policy explains when and how Article Processing Charges (APCs) are paid, how payments are verified, and the conditions under which refunds may be issued.

1) APC Amount

AIDSAE is an open access journal. An Article Processing Charge (APC) of USD 50 applies per accepted article.

  • No submission fee is charged.
  • The APC is charged only after formal acceptance.

2) When the APC is Due

  • The APC becomes due after the Editor-in-Chief (or delegated editor) issues a formal acceptance decision.
  • Payment is required before the final version is scheduled for production and publication (copyediting, layout/typesetting, metadata preparation, archiving, and related publication steps).

3) Payment Methods

AIDSAE accepts APC payments via:

  • Bank transfer
  • Mobile money
  • PayPal

For security and accuracy, payment details are provided only after acceptance in the official APC payment request email from AIDSAE.

4) Invoice and Payment Instructions

After acceptance, the editorial office will send an APC payment request email that includes:

  • an invoice (or formal payment request),
  • the amount due (USD 50),
  • authorised payment account details for the selected payment method, and
  • instructions for submitting proof of payment.

Anti-fraud notice: Authors must not send money to individuals claiming they can secure publication. APC payments must be made only using the official payment details provided in the acceptance/payment request email and on the AIDSAE website.

5) Proof of Payment and Verification

To activate production and publication scheduling, authors must submit:

  • a payment receipt or transaction confirmation, and
  • the manuscript ID/title (as stated in the invoice).

The editorial office may verify payments before production begins. Delays in submitting proof of payment may delay publication scheduling.

6) Waivers and Discounts

AIDSAE may grant partial or full APC waivers in limited cases (e.g., student-led unfunded work, invited manuscripts, or high public-interest research).

  • Waiver requests should be made at submission (or before acceptance).
  • Waivers are granted at the discretion of the editorial office.
  • A waiver request does not guarantee a waiver.

7) Withdrawal Policy (Before and After Acceptance)

7.1 Withdrawal before acceptance
Authors may withdraw a manuscript at any time before acceptance without any charge.

7.2 Withdrawal after acceptance
If a manuscript is withdrawn after acceptance, AIDSAE may have already initiated production activities. Refund eligibility depends on whether production has started (see Section 8).

8) Refund Policy

General rule: Refunds are considered only in limited circumstances and depend on the stage of processing.

8.1 Full refund (typically possible)

A full refund may be issued if:

  • the APC was paid, but production has not started, and
  • the author requests withdrawal promptly, or
  • AIDSAE is unable to proceed with publication due to an internal administrative error.

8.2 Partial refund (limited cases)

A partial refund may be considered if:

  • production has started but is minimal, and
  • the author requests withdrawal promptly, and
  • the editorial office determines that only a small portion of production costs has been incurred.

(The partial refund amount, if any, is determined by the editorial office based on work already completed.)

8.3 No refund (normally applies)

Refunds are normally not provided if:

  • the manuscript is withdrawn after production has started, including any of the following:
    • copyediting, language polishing, layout/typesetting, reference checks, DOI/metadata preparation, or archiving workflows
  • the delay or failure to publish results from author-side issues, including:
    • failure to submit final files or required statements
    • failure to respond to editorial queries within a reasonable time
    • breach of journal policies (e.g., plagiarism, unethical research, falsified data)

8.4 Retractions and post-publication actions

APCs are not refundable in cases of:

  • retraction, expression of concern, or major correction resulting from misconduct, plagiarism, duplicate submission, or unreliable findings.

9) Disputes and Chargebacks

If an author initiates a payment dispute or chargeback without first contacting the editorial office for resolution, AIDSAE may pause publication processing until the matter is resolved. The journal encourages authors to contact the editorial office first to address any concerns.

10) Policy Updates

AIDSAE may update this policy periodically. The version published on the journal website is the current policy and applies from the effective date shown above.

11) Contact

For APC payment, waiver, withdrawal, or refund enquiries, contact:
AIDSAE Editorial Office: editorialoffice@ecoscribepublishers.com