Open Access and Publication Charges

Colloquys Publishing follows an open-access publishing model designed to make scholarly research freely accessible to readers without subscription barriers.

To support editorial administration, peer-review coordination, production, publication, digital infrastructure, hosting, preservation, and ongoing maintenance, an Article Processing Charge (APC) applies to certain manuscripts following formal acceptance.

The applicable APC is determined by the publication route and Article Category under which the manuscript is accepted.

An author's ability or inability to pay an APC does not influence editorial assessment, peer review, acceptance, rejection, or any other editorial decision.

No Submission or Peer-Review Fees

Colloquys Publishing does not charge authors a separate fee for:

• Manuscript submission
• Initial editorial screening
• Technical assessment
• Peer-review evaluation
• Editorial decision-making

Authors are not required to make any payment in order to obtain peer review or an editorial decision.

For manuscripts subject to an APC, payment is requested only after the manuscript has completed the applicable editorial and peer-review process and has been formally accepted for publication.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

Colloquys Publishing uses a structured APC model so that publication charges appropriately reflect differences in manuscript type, length, editorial requirements, and production needs.

The principal publication routes are:

• Regular Issue
• Special Issue

Within these publication routes, manuscripts are grouped into Article Categories according to the nature and format of the contribution.

Article types available for submission may vary according to the aims, scope, and editorial policy of the individual journal.

All APCs shown below are stated in Euros (EUR) and apply per accepted article unless otherwise specified.

Regular Issue APCs

Regular Issue manuscripts are published as part of the journal's normal publication schedule and remain subject to the applicable editorial assessment, peer-review process, research-integrity checks, ethical requirements, and production workflow.

Regular Issue APC Structure

Special Issue APCs

Special Issues are scholarly collections developed around a defined research topic, emerging field, interdisciplinary theme, or another area of particular academic interest.

Manuscripts submitted to a Special Issue remain subject to the journal's normal editorial, ethical, research-integrity, and peer-review requirements.

Special Issue APC Structure

The Special Issue APC reflects the applicable publication arrangement and does not indicate a reduced standard of peer review, editorial assessment, publication ethics, or research-integrity review.

Some approved Special Issues may receive institutional, organizational, sponsorship, or other authorized APC support. Where such arrangements apply, the applicable terms will be communicated clearly to authors.

Submission to or participation in a Special Issue does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Article Classification

The Editorial Office may determine the appropriate Article Category and Article Type according to the manuscript's content, scholarly purpose, length, structure, and publication format.

For example:

• A full Original Research Article would normally fall under Full-Length Scholarly Articles.
• A Case Report, Brief Report, or Short Communication would normally fall under Shorter or Focused Contributions.
• A Commentary, Perspective, or Viewpoint would normally fall under Editorial, Commentary and Opinion Content.

If a manuscript has been submitted under an incorrect category, the Editorial Office may assign the appropriate classification.

Where this results in a different APC, the corresponding author will be informed before final publication.

Invited Editorial Content

Specifically invited Editorials, Editorial Notes, Commentaries, Perspectives, or similar contributions from Editorial Board members or invited subject experts may, at the publisher's discretion, be published without an APC.

Unsolicited manuscripts submitted under these article types are subject to the applicable APC where accepted.

An invitation or APC exemption does not guarantee publication.

Where an Editor or Editorial Board member is an author or co-author of a submitted manuscript, that individual must not participate in the editorial assessment, reviewer selection, peer-review management, or publication decision concerning their own submission.

What the APC Supports

Article Processing Charges contribute to the publishing infrastructure and professional services required to process and publish accepted scholarly content.

Depending on the manuscript and publication route, the APC may support:

• Editorial administration and manuscript management
• Initial technical and submission-compliance checks
• Research-integrity and originality screening
• Peer-review coordination and reviewer communication
• Editorial workflow management
• Production preparation
• Copyediting and technical formatting, where applicable
• Typesetting and article layout
• Preparation of online HTML and/or PDF content, where applicable
• Publication metadata preparation
• Persistent identifier or DOI-related processing, where applicable
• Online hosting and platform maintenance
• Digital archiving and preservation infrastructure
• Corrections and post-publication record maintenance
• Author communication and publication support

The APC is a publication-processing charge. It is not a payment for acceptance, favorable peer review, or editorial approval.

No Routine Additional Publication Charges

Colloquys Publishing follows a transparent publication-pricing policy.

Unless a specific journal or publication arrangement clearly states otherwise in advance, authors are not normally charged additional fees for standard components of article publication, including:

• Color figures in the online article
• Standard tables
• Ordinary supplementary files
• Data availability statements
• Standard author corrections made during the production-proof stage
• Online publication and reader access to the published article
• Standard publication metadata
• Standard PDF and/or HTML publication formats, where applicable

The APC communicated to the corresponding author represents the applicable standard publication charge for the approved Article Category.

Authors may also submit supplementary materials where they contribute meaningfully to the transparency, reproducibility, interpretation, or understanding of the research. These may include datasets, additional figures or tables, questionnaires, research instruments, protocols, appendices, supporting documentation, or other relevant research materials.

Ordinary supplementary materials do not normally attract a separate publication charge.

If a manuscript requires an exceptional service outside the journal's normal publication workflow, such as unusually large, technically complex, or externally hosted supplementary material or another non-standard production requirement, the corresponding author will be informed in advance of any proposed additional cost.

No additional charge will be imposed without prior communication and agreement.

Open Access and Licensing

Articles published by Colloquys Publishing are made freely and immediately accessible online without subscription charges.

All articles published by Colloquys Publishing are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Under CC BY 4.0, readers may share and adapt published content provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the licence is provided, and any changes made are indicated in accordance with the licence terms.

Authors retain copyright in their original work while granting Colloquys Publishing the non-exclusive rights necessary to publish, distribute, and maintain the scholarly record.

Authors should refer to the journal's Copyright and Licensing Policy for complete information regarding copyright, licensing, and permitted reuse.

Waiver and Discount Policy

Colloquys Publishing recognizes that access to research and publication funding varies considerably among researchers, institutions, countries, and career stages.

Authors who are unable to meet the applicable APC may request:

• A full APC waiver
• A partial APC waiver
• A reduced APC

Requests are considered individually and may take into account circumstances such as:

• Absence of research-grant or institutional publication funding
• Affiliation with a resource-constrained institution
• Student or doctoral researcher status
• Early-career researcher status with limited publication support
• Independent researcher status without external sponsorship
• Exceptional documented financial hardship
• Other circumstances that substantially limit access to publication funding
• Approved institutional, collaborative, or Special Issue funding arrangements

Where financial assistance is requested on the basis of institutional or geographic circumstances, the primary institutional affiliation of the corresponding author may be considered.

For other financial-hardship requests, relevant considerations may include available research funding, institutional publication support, grant funding, career stage, independent-researcher status, and other appropriate circumstances.

Waivers and discounts are not automatic, and no particular reduction is guaranteed unless formally confirmed by Colloquys Publishing.

Authors are expected to provide accurate information when requesting a waiver or discount.

Financial-support decisions are administrative matters and are separate from editorial assessment. The perceived importance, expected impact, or scholarly merit of a manuscript is not used to determine an author's eligibility for financial assistance.

How to Request a Waiver or Discount

Authors should preferably request financial assistance before the final APC invoice is issued.

A waiver or discount request should normally include:

• Manuscript number, where available
• Article title
• Corresponding author's name
• Institutional affiliation
• Funding information, where applicable
• A brief explanation of the reason for requesting financial assistance

Requests may be sent to:

support@colloquys.com

Authors are encouraged to make waiver or discount requests as early as reasonably possible so that the applicable financial arrangement can be clarified before publication.

Editorial Independence

Financial arrangements and editorial decisions are handled separately.

APCs, waivers, discounts, refunds, institutional arrangements, Special Issue arrangements, sponsorships, and other financial matters do not determine whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.

Editors and peer reviewers do not determine an author's eligibility for a waiver or discount.

Where practicable, financial-assistance requests are handled confidentially by appropriate administrative personnel separately from individuals responsible for scholarly assessment.

An author's ability or inability to pay, funding status, institutional resources, geographic location, waiver request, or discount request must not influence:

• Reviewer selection
• Peer-review reports
• Editorial recommendations
• Revision requirements
• Acceptance
• Rejection

Editorial decisions are based on appropriate scholarly considerations, including originality, academic or scientific quality, methodological rigor where applicable, relevance to the journal's aims and scope, ethical compliance, research integrity, and the quality of the submitted work.

Payment of an APC does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Institutional and Publishing Arrangements

Colloquys Publishing may establish publishing arrangements with universities, research institutions, academic societies, scholarly organizations, research networks, or other appropriate academic bodies.

Depending on the arrangement, eligible authors may receive:

• Reduced APCs
• Partial APC support
• Full APC support
• Institutionally funded publication support
• Other approved financial arrangements

Such arrangements concern publication charges and administrative support only and do not affect peer review or editorial decision-making.

All manuscripts remain subject to the applicable journal's editorial, ethical, research-integrity, peer-review, and publication requirements.

Payment and Invoicing

No APC payment is required at the time of manuscript submission or during peer review.

For manuscripts subject to an APC, payment is requested only after formal acceptance.

Following acceptance, the corresponding author will receive information regarding:

• The applicable Article Category
• Article Type
• APC amount
• Any approved waiver or discount
• Invoice details
• Payment instructions
• Applicable payment timeline

Payment, or confirmation of an approved waiver or other financial arrangement, should normally be completed before final publication.

Payment methods may include approved online payment facilities, bank transfer, institutional payment arrangements, or other authorized methods communicated on the invoice.

An official payment acknowledgement or receipt will be provided for completed transactions where applicable.

All APC prices displayed on this page are stated in Euros (EUR).

Where payment is processed in another currency, the applicable conversion may be determined by the payment provider, banking institution, or authorized payment arrangement at the time of transaction.

Where legally applicable taxes, banking charges, payment-processing fees, currency-conversion charges, or other mandatory charges apply, these will be identified on the invoice or communicated to the author before payment.

Authors should not make payments through unofficial payment links, personal bank accounts, or payment instructions that have not been authorized by Colloquys Publishing.

Manuscript Withdrawal Before Publication

Authors may request withdrawal of an unpublished manuscript by submitting a written request from the registered corresponding-author email address.

The withdrawal request should identify the manuscript clearly and provide a brief explanation for the request.

Colloquys Publishing does not impose a separate manuscript withdrawal fee before publication.

Where an accepted manuscript is withdrawn, the journal may request additional information for administrative and scholarly-record purposes.

If a withdrawal request involves an authorship dispute, duplicate submission, research-integrity concern, ethical issue, or another publication-related matter requiring investigation, the journal may review the circumstances before formally closing the manuscript record.

Such a review does not create a financial penalty for manuscript withdrawal.

APC Refund Policy

No APC is payable before formal manuscript acceptance.

If an APC has been paid but substantive production or publication processing has not yet commenced, the corresponding author may submit a refund request.

Once substantive production or publication services have commenced following payment and author authorization, APC payments are normally non-refundable.

Refunds may nevertheless be considered in circumstances including:

• Duplicate payment
• Payment made in error
• Publisher billing error
• Payment-processing error
• Inability of the publisher to complete the agreed publication service
• Another exceptional circumstance approved by Colloquys Publishing

Refund decisions are administrative and financial matters and do not influence editorial decisions.

Where a refund is approved, non-refundable banking, currency-conversion, payment-processing, or statutory charges imposed by third parties may be taken into account where legally applicable and clearly communicated.

After Publication

Once an article has been formally published as part of the scholarly record, it is not normally treated as an unpublished manuscript withdrawal.

Where significant errors, research-integrity concerns, or ethical issues are identified after publication, the matter may instead be addressed through an appropriate:

• Correction
• Retraction
• Expression of Concern
• Editorial notice
• Other post-publication action

Such actions will be handled in accordance with the journal's applicable publication-ethics, corrections, and research-integrity policies.

Changes to APCs

Colloquys Publishing may periodically review its Article Processing Charges to reflect legitimate changes in publishing operations, production requirements, infrastructure, or related publication costs.

Any revised APC structure will be displayed transparently on the journal website.

Unless otherwise clearly communicated and agreed with the author, the APC applicable to a manuscript will normally be the published rate in effect at the time the manuscript was initially submitted.

Any waiver, discount, institutional arrangement, Special Issue support, or other approved reduction may subsequently lower the amount payable.

Changes to APC rates will not be applied retrospectively to completed payments.

Commitment to Fair and Transparent Pricing

Colloquys Publishing aims to maintain an open-access publication model that balances affordability, responsible publishing operations, and equitable participation in scholarly communication.

Transparent APC categories, clearly stated publication charges, waiver and discount arrangements, payment procedures, refund provisions, and the separation of financial matters from editorial decisions are intended to help authors understand publication costs before final publication.

Publication charges do not purchase acceptance, favorable peer review, editorial approval, or any particular editorial outcome.

All manuscripts remain subject to the journal's applicable scholarly, editorial, ethical, research-integrity, peer-review, and publication requirements.

Need Assistance?

Authors who require clarification regarding Article Processing Charges, Article Categories, Special Issue charges, waiver or discount eligibility, institutional arrangements, invoices, payment procedures, refunds, or other publication-fee matters may contact:

General and APC Support: support@colloquys.com

Journal Editorial Office: jgrf.editor@colloquys.net

Colloquys Publishing will provide clarification regarding applicable publication charges and approved financial arrangements before final publication.