Last Updated: Sunday 19 July 2026 17:05:33 PM

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

Datamine Publishing and Consulting Centre operates a transparent and equitable Article Processing Charge (APC) model to support the editorial, peer review, production, DOI registration, online hosting, long-term digital preservation, and dissemination of high-quality open access research.

Submission of manuscripts is completely free. APCs become payable only after a manuscript has successfully completed peer review and has been formally accepted for publication.

To promote equitable participation in scholarly publishing, APCs are determined according to the World Bank country income classification of the corresponding author's country of affiliation.

Country Income Category	Regular Publication	Fast Track Publication/Priority Publication Service (PPS)*
Low-Income Countries (LICs)	USD 85	USD 115
Middle-Income Countries (MICs)	USD 100	USD 130
High-Income Countries (HICs)	USD 140	USD 170

Regular Publication/Priority Publication Service (PPS) follows the journal's standard editorial workflow and publication schedule.

Fast Track Publication/Priority Publication Service (PPS) receives priority editorial handling while maintaining the same rigorous editorial assessment, similarity screening, double-blind peer review, and publication ethics standards as regular submissions. Fast Track processing is intended to facilitate more rapid publication for manuscripts requiring expedited handling and remains subject to successful peer review and editorial acceptance.

What the APC Covers

The APC contributes to the costs associated with:

• Editorial assessment and manuscript management.
• Double-blind peer review administration.
• Similarity screening.
• Professional copyediting and proofreading.
• Typesetting and article formatting.
• DOI registration and metadata management.
• Online publication.
• Long-term digital archiving and preservation.
• Website hosting and maintenance.
• Indexing preparation and dissemination.
• Post-publication support.

Important Information

• Submission of manuscripts is free of charge.
• APCs are payable only after formal acceptance of a manuscript.
• Payment of an APC does not guarantee publication and does not influence editorial decisions.
• Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal.
• The applicable APC is determined using the most recent World Bank country income classification at the time the manuscript is accepted.
• APCs may be reviewed periodically by Datamine Publishing and Consulting Centre. Any revisions will apply prospectively and will not affect manuscripts already under editorial consideration.

* Fast Track Publication offers accelerated editorial processing while maintaining the same quality standards and ethical requirements applied to all manuscripts.

Article Processing Charge (APC) Waiver and Discount Policy

Datamine Publishing and Consulting Centre is committed to ensuring that financial constraints do not unnecessarily prevent the publication of high-quality scholarly research. While Article Processing Charges (APCs) support the costs of editorial management, peer review administration, production, DOI registration, digital preservation, and open access dissemination, we recognise that some authors may face genuine financial limitations.

To promote equitable participation in scholarly publishing, the publisher operates an APC Waiver and Discount Policy that provides financial assistance in appropriate circumstances.

Requests for APC waivers or discounts are considered fairly, transparently, and independently of the editorial evaluation process.

Editorial Independence

The editorial and peer review process is completely independent of APC payments.

Editors and reviewers are not informed whether an author has requested or received an APC waiver or discount.

Requesting or receiving a waiver or discount:

• does not influence editorial decisions;
• does not affect peer review;
• does not guarantee publication; and
• does not disadvantage an author's manuscript in any way.

All manuscripts are evaluated solely on the basis of scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigour, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal.

Eligibility for APC Waivers or Discounts

Waivers or discounts may be considered for authors who demonstrate genuine financial need or who fall within one or more of the following categories:

Authors with Demonstrated Financial Need

Authors who are unable to meet APC requirements because of limited research funding or institutional financial constraints may apply for financial assistance.

Early-Career Researchers

At the publisher's discretion, partial discounts may be offered to postgraduate students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career academics, particularly where institutional funding is unavailable.

Invited Articles

Full APC waivers may be granted for invited editorials, invited commentaries, commissioned review articles, or other invited scholarly contributions approved by the Publisher or Editor-in-Chief.

Special Issues and Promotional Initiatives

The publisher may approve temporary APC discounts or full waivers for:

• inaugural journal issues;
• special thematic issues;
• strategic research initiatives;
• publisher-sponsored conferences; or
• other approved promotional activities.

Institutional Partnerships

Authors affiliated with universities, research institutions, professional associations, or organisations that have formal collaboration agreements with Datamine Publishing and Consulting Centre may qualify for negotiated APC discounts in accordance with the applicable partnership agreement.

Application Process

Authors requesting an APC waiver or discount should submit a request to the Editorial Office after receiving notification that their manuscript has been accepted for publication.

Requests should briefly explain the circumstances supporting the application and may include relevant supporting information where appropriate.

The publisher may request additional information where necessary to facilitate a fair assessment.

Assessment of Requests

Waiver and discount requests are assessed individually.

In considering requests, the publisher may take into account factors including:

• availability of research funding;
• institutional support;
• country income classification;
• exceptional circumstances affecting the authors;
• publisher promotional initiatives; and
• available waiver resources.

The publisher reserves the right to approve, partially approve, or decline any request.

Funding Acknowledgement

Where research has been supported by grants, contracts, or institutional funding that includes provision for publication costs, authors are encouraged to utilise those resources before requesting financial assistance from the publisher.

Transparency

Datamine Publishing and Consulting Centre is committed to administering APC waivers and discounts fairly, consistently, and transparently.

The publisher periodically reviews this policy to ensure that it continues to promote equitable access to scholarly publishing while maintaining the sustainability of high-quality open access journals.

Conclusion

Datamine Publishing and Consulting Centre believes that the ability to publish important scholarly research should not be determined solely by financial capacity. Through this APC Waiver and Discount Policy, we seek to balance equitable access with sustainable publishing, ensuring that deserving authors have the opportunity to disseminate high-quality research while preserving the integrity, independence, and long-term viability of our publishing programme.

Accepted Modes of Payment