1. Standard article processing charge

The standard APC is USD 100 per article. The charge applies to the article as a whole and is not charged separately to each co-author.

Where applicable, the APC is requested only after formal acceptance for publication. Submission, completion of an initial check, referral for peer review or a request for revision does not provide a basis for issuing an APC invoice.

This standard rate must be read together with the full cost coverage period set out in section 2.

2. Full cost coverage through 31 December 2026

Through 31 December 2026 inclusive, all publication costs are covered by the budget of the Research Institute of Criminology of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Authors are not charged an APC during this period: the amount payable by authors is USD 0.

Coverage applies to all authors within the stated period, regardless of nationality, country of residence, affiliation or number of co-authors. No individual application for this general waiver or evidence of financial circumstances is required.

Institutional funding does not exempt a manuscript from scholarly or ethical assessment and does not guarantee acceptance. Publication decisions follow the same editorial requirements as for work to which an APC applies.

3. Transition after the coverage period

The established period of budget-funded coverage ends on 31 December 2026. The standard APC remains USD 100; any extension of coverage or change in the rate is announced through a separate official update.

For manuscripts whose review, acceptance and publication fall on different sides of this date, the criterion for eligibility under the coverage period has not yet been established. Submission, acceptance or publication date is not automatically treated as decisive. Transition arrangements must be published on this page before payment is required for such articles.

Before an invoice is issued, the author receives a written explanation of the applicable APC, the basis for charging it and any coverage. Individual terms previously confirmed in writing are honoured; an unpublished transition rule is not used to impose an unexpected charge.

4. Purpose of the APC and absence of hidden charges

The APC is intended to cover publishing costs associated with preparing an accepted article, technical editing and typesetting, metadata preparation, online publication and maintaining its availability on the journal platform.

There is no submission fee. This policy establishes no separate charges for initial screening, peer review or consideration of a revised manuscript. No APC is charged for an article rejected before acceptance.

Hidden or undisclosed additional charges are not permitted. Any separately charged optional service, if offered, must be described and agreed before it is ordered; it cannot become a condition of scholarly assessment or acceptance.

The APC does not purchase guaranteed acceptance, an expedited favourable decision, citations or inclusion of an article or the journal in a particular database.

5. Editorial independence

Scholarly assessment, reviewer selection, review content, acceptance, rejection and post-publication decisions are independent of APC payment, an author’s ability to pay, a waiver or the source of financial support.

Decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or an authorised independent editor on the basis of journal scope, scholarly quality, methodological soundness and ethical requirements. The established recusal procedure applies where a conflict of interest exists.

Financial matters are handled by authorised institute staff within their assigned responsibilities. Payment or budget-funded coverage gives the payer no right to influence an editorial decision. Editors do not change scholarly decisions to obtain payment.

6. Invoicing and payment

Where an APC becomes payable after formal acceptance, the corresponding author or an agreed payer receives an official invoice or another applicable documented settlement arrangement from the institute as publisher.

Before payment, the following must be clear:

• the title or identifier of the accepted article;
• the payment recipient and verifiable payment details;
• the charge, any waiver or coverage applied, and the total payable;
• the settlement currency and, where conversion applies, its method and basis;
• payment terms and deadline;
• applicable cancellation and refund conditions.

The reference rate is expressed in US dollars. The actual settlement currency and payment method are determined by the institute’s duly issued documents. This policy does not establish bank details, a fixed exchange rate or separate tax surcharges. Material mandatory settlement terms are disclosed before a payment obligation arises.

During full budget-funded coverage, authors are not asked to pay the standard APC. If accounting documents are needed for internal records, they must clearly show that no amount is payable by the author.

7. Additional waivers and third-party payment

The current general waiver is the full budget-funded coverage described in section 2. This policy establishes no other automatic discounts, country-specific rates or special waiver programmes.

If the institute approves additional waivers, the eligibility criteria, eligible authors, application procedure and deadline, and conditions for multi-author articles are published in advance. A request for support does not influence manuscript assessment.

Authors may contact the editorial office before payment to ask about available financial support. An enquiry does not itself establish entitlement to a waiver; an authorised institute representative communicates the decision in writing.

Where an APC applies, it may be paid by the author, an institution or a funder using the agreed payment details. The source of payment does not change copyright, the article’s licence or editorial independence requirements. Payer information does not replace the funding statement for the research itself.

8. Cancellation, erroneous payments and refunds

No APC is charged if authors withdraw a manuscript or it is rejected before acceptance. An author who mistakenly transfers funds before payment becomes due should inform the editorial office so that the payment can be checked and resolved.

In the event of an erroneous or duplicate payment, cancellation after acceptance or a refund enquiry, the author submits a request identifying the article and providing proof of payment. The institute considers the request against the documents, applicable law and terms disclosed before payment, and provides a reasoned response.

This policy establishes no automatic retention of the full amount, fixed non-refundable percentage or universal bank refund deadline. Specific cancellation and refund conditions must be communicated before payment; unannounced penalties are not imposed. The grounds for the decision, amount and implementation procedure are explained in response to the request.

Corrections, expressions of concern and retractions are considered independently of financial disputes. Payment of an APC does not prevent necessary ethical action or entitle a payer to demand that an unreliable publication remain unchanged.

9. Open access and copyright

Reading and downloading articles published as open access are free for users. An author’s obligation to pay an APC, where applicable, does not create a charge for reader access.

Authors retain copyright; the journal’s Open Access Policy and Copyright and Licensing Policy apply. Budget-funded coverage, an individual waiver or third-party payment does not change the licensing terms established for the article.

10. Transparency and updates

The APC, coverage period and other material financial terms are publicly available on the website and communicated to authors early in the submission process. Information on the journal page, in the Instructions for Authors, submission checklist and payment documents must be consistent.

Changes to the rate or terms are published with an effective date and a clear description of their scope. New terms are not applied covertly or retroactively to obligations previously confirmed. If a change affects a manuscript under consideration, its implications are explained to the author individually.

Following approval by the authorised management, this policy takes effect on publication on the official website. The actual publication date and dates of subsequent revisions are recorded on the page.

11. Responsibilities, enquiries and complaints

As founder and publisher, the Research Institute of Criminology of the Republic of Uzbekistan is responsible for approving financial terms, budget-funded coverage during the announced period and documented resolution of payments. Editorial leadership is responsible for independent scholarly decisions and consistent information for authors.

Questions about APC applicability, coverage, invoices or refunds should be sent to the editorial office. Complaints are handled under the Complaints and Appeals Policy. Include the article title or identifier and the issue concerned; do not send passwords, full payment card details or unnecessary personal information.

Editorial Office of Criminological Activity
Email: info@uzkti.uz