Article Processing Charge
Open Access Model
UJHSE is a gold open access journal. All published articles are immediately and permanently available online to everyone without subscription or paywall. To sustain this model, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is applied upon acceptance of a manuscript.
APC Rates
+ applicable taxes (18% GST for Indian authors). APC is charged only upon acceptance of the manuscript.
No Hidden Fees
UJHSE maintains a transparent fee structure. There are absolutely no hidden charges:
- No submission fee — Submitting a manuscript is free of charge
- No review fee — Peer review is provided at no cost to authors
- No page charges — No additional charges based on article length
- No color figure charges — Color images and figures are included at no extra cost
- APC is charged ONLY upon acceptance — You pay nothing unless your manuscript is accepted for publication
Payment Methods
- Online payment via secure Razorpay payment link (Credit/Debit Card, UPI, Net Banking, Wallets)
- International wire/bank transfer for authors outside India
Payment details and a formal invoice are provided to corresponding authors upon acceptance of their manuscript.
Payment Timeline
Payment must be completed within 14 days of the acceptance notification. Publication proceeds after payment confirmation is received by the editorial office.
Fee Waiver Policy
UJHSE is committed to ensuring that financial constraints do not prevent the publication of quality research. Waiver decisions are handled by the publisher's office, separately from the editorial team, so that they can never influence the editorial outcome.
Eligibility — Tiered Waivers
| Eligibility | Waiver |
|---|---|
| Corresponding author from a World Bank "Low-Income Economy" | 100% waiver (full APC waived) |
| Corresponding author from a "Lower-Middle-Income Economy" | 50% discount |
| Corresponding author from an "Upper-Middle-Income Economy" | 25% discount (case-by-case) |
| Early-career researcher (within 5 years of PhD/MD, no funding) | Up to 50% discount on demonstration of need |
| Genuine financial hardship (any author) | Up to 100% waiver, evidence-based |
| Editorial Board members & invited reviewers (active) | One waived APC every two years (cannot be combined with above) |
The current World Bank country classification list is the reference: World Bank Country and Lending Groups.
How to Request a Waiver
- Submit your waiver request at the time of manuscript submission, not after acceptance, by emailing editor@ujhse.utkarshresearchnetwork.in with the manuscript ID, the requested waiver tier, and (for hardship requests) a brief justification.
- The publisher's office reviews and responds within 5 working days, before peer review begins.
- The decision letter (and any granted percentage) is documented and binds the journal at acceptance.
- Waiver requests do not reach the handling editor or peer reviewers. Editors do not know the waiver status of any manuscript they handle.
Refund Policy
The APC is non-refundable once the article is published online with a DOI. Limited refunds are available in the following circumstances:
- Duplicate payment — fully refundable on confirmation
- Author withdrawal before production — refundable minus a 10% processing fee, provided withdrawal is requested before the article enters typesetting
- Article retraction due to publisher error — full refund
- Article retraction due to author misconduct — non-refundable
Refund requests should be sent to editor@ujhse.utkarshresearchnetwork.in with the manuscript ID and proof of payment. Refunds are processed within 21 working days via the original payment method.
Currency, Taxes & Invoicing
- International authors: APC is USD 300, charged in USD via international wire transfer or Razorpay International. No additional taxes are added by UJHSE; any applicable bank fees or local taxes are the author's responsibility.
- Indian authors: APC is INR 10,000 + 18% GST (CGST + SGST or IGST as applicable) = INR 11,800 total. A GST-compliant tax invoice is issued by Utkarsh Research Network Pvt. Ltd. (GSTIN provided on request).
- Currency conversion: Indian authors paying from abroad must use INR pricing; international authors based in India should consult the editorial office for the appropriate currency.
- Institutional invoicing: If your institution will pay the APC, provide the institution's billing details (name, address, GSTIN, PO number) at acceptance and we will issue the invoice directly.
Editorial Independence
Editorial and peer review decisions are completely independent of APC payment status. The journal will never request payment before an editorial decision has been made. Acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is based solely on scientific merit, relevance, and adherence to ethical standards.
What APC Covers
The Article Processing Charge supports the following services:
- Peer review management and coordination
- Professional copyediting
- Typesetting and layout
- DOI registration via Crossref
- Digital hosting and long-term archiving
- Indexing submissions to databases
- Journal platform maintenance and development