Open Access & Waiver Policy
1. Open Access Policy
United Frontiers Publisher (UFP) is committed to the global dissemination of high-quality scholarly research through a Gold Open Access publishing model. All articles published in UFP journals are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication without subscription fees or access restrictions.
Unless otherwise stated, all published articles are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
2. Article Processing Charges (APCs)
To support the sustainable publication of high-quality scholarly research, United Frontiers Publisher (UFP) charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted manuscripts. The APC covers the costs associated with editorial management, peer review administration, manuscript production, DOI registration, online publication, indexing support, digital archiving, and the long-term preservation of published articles.
Transparency Principles
- No Submission or Review Fees: APCs are charged only after manuscript acceptance.
- No Hidden Charges: There are no submission, peer-review, or administrative fees.
- Editorial Independence: Editorial decisions are based solely on academic merit and are independent of APC payments.
3. APC Rates by Journal
| Journal | APC (USD) |
|---|---|
| International Journal of Management Thinking (IJMT) | USD 200 |
| Journal of Advances in Humanities Research (JADHUR) | USD 200 |
Additional journals published by United Frontiers Publisher will publish their APC rates on their respective journal websites while adhering to this unified APC and Waiver Policy.
4. UFP Academic Development Initiative (APC Waiver Programme)
United Frontiers Publisher is committed to promoting equitable access to scholarly publishing. Through the UFP Academic Development Initiative, eligible authors who demonstrate financial need may apply for an APC waiver or discount.
The programme is designed to support researchers, particularly those from developing countries, while maintaining the highest standards of editorial quality, research integrity, and independent peer review.
5. Eligibility and Waiver Policy
Eligibility is assessed based on the corresponding author’s country income classification, World Population Review country income classification, institutional funding availability, and demonstrated financial need.
APC Discount Structure
| Applicant Category | APC Discount |
|---|---|
| Students from Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries | 75% |
| Academic Staff from Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries | 50% |
5.1 Waiver Conditions
- Eligibility is assessed based on the institutional affiliation of the corresponding author.
- Authors who require financial assistance may request an APC waiver or discount at any stage of the publication process. All applications will be assessed individually based on the Publisher’s waiver policy.
- The Publisher may request appropriate supporting documentation to verify eligibility.
- Only one waiver or discount may be applied to each manuscript.
- Approval of any waiver or discount is granted solely at the discretion of United Frontiers Publisher following verification of eligibility.
- Receiving an APC waiver or discount does not influence editorial decisions or the peer-review outcome.
5.2 Post-Publication Terms
- Standard Licensing: Articles published under a waiver or discount retain full, unrestricted Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) rights.
- Preservation Equity: All manuscripts receive identical indexing, metadata deposit, and long-term digital archiving treatments regardless of fee status.
- Verification Auditing: UFP reserves the right to audit student/faculty status post-publication; falsified applications may result in retraction or billing adjustments.
6. Editorial Independence
The editorial and peer-review process is conducted independently of APC payments and waiver requests.
- Manuscripts are evaluated solely on academic merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
- Editors, Editorial Board members, and peer reviewers are not informed of an author’s APC payment status or waiver request during the editorial and peer-review process.
- APC administration and billing are managed separately from editorial decision-making to ensure fairness, transparency, and editorial independence.
7. Payment Information
Payment instructions and an official invoice will be sent to the corresponding author only after formal acceptance of the manuscript.
- Payments must be made in United States Dollars (USD) unless otherwise agreed by the Publisher.
- Authors are responsible for any applicable bank transfer fees, currency conversion charges, or transaction costs.
- Proof of payment must be submitted to the Editorial Office before the accepted manuscript proceeds to the production and publication stage.
8. APC Refund Policy
Article Processing Charges (APCs) are non-refundable once an accepted manuscript has entered the production process, including copyediting, typesetting, DOI registration, or online publication.
Refunds may be considered only in exceptional circumstances where publication cannot proceed due to an error or administrative issue attributable to United Frontiers Publisher.
9. Apply for an APC Waiver or Discount
Eligible authors of accepted manuscripts may apply through the UFP APC Waiver Application Form.
☐ I would like to apply for an APC waiver or discount.
For more enquiries regarding Article Processing Charges (APCs), waiver eligibility, payment procedures, or invoicing, please contact the Editorial Office of the respective journal or United Frontiers Publisher.
Email: contact@ufpub.com
Our Commitment to Global Research Equity
United Frontiers Publisher (UFP) is committed to promoting equitable access to scholarly publishing by reducing financial barriers for researchers with limited funding. Through the UFP Academic Development Initiative, eligible students and academic staff from low- and lower-middle-income countries may apply for Article Processing Charge (APC) waivers or discounts, enabling wider participation in international scholarly communication.
All manuscripts receiving APC support undergo the same rigorous editorial assessment, peer-review process, production standards, indexing, and publication procedures as all other submissions. Financial assistance has no influence on editorial decisions, publication quality, or the rights granted to authors under the journal’s Open Access policy.
To promote transparency and accountability, UFP may publish annual, aggregated, and anonymized statistics on its Academic Development Initiative, including the number of approved waivers, the value of financial assistance provided, and the geographical distribution of supported researchers. No personal or identifiable author information will be disclosed.