Sentam Research
and Publishing
Article Processing Charges (APC) Refund Policy
Policy Statement and Ethical Alignment
Sentam Research and Publishing is committed to ethical, transparent, and responsible scholarly publishing. This Article Processing Charges (APC) Refund Policy is developed in alignment with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing.
In accordance with these principles:
Editorial decisions are independent of financial transactions.
APC policies are clearly stated, publicly accessible, and applied consistently.
Authors are informed in advance about refund conditions and limitations.
Purpose of APCs
APCs support the legitimate costs associated with scholarly publishing, including but not limited to:
Editorial management and peer review coordination
Manuscript quality checks and ethical screening
Copyediting, typesetting, and production
Online hosting, dissemination, and long-term digital preservation
Payment of an APC does not guarantee acceptance or publication and has no influence on editorial or peer review outcomes, in line with COPE guidance on editorial independence. APCs are only required when the article has been accepted for publication.
General Refund Principles
Refunds are exceptional and considered only under clearly defined circumstances.
The stage of manuscript processing is the primary determinant of refund eligibility.
Transparency and consistency guide all refund decisions.
Refund Eligibility (Before Publication)
Refunds may be considered only when payment has been made and the article has not yet been published, and only under the following circumstances:
Author-Initiated Withdrawal
A refund may be considered if:
The author formally withdraws the manuscript before final acceptance or before publication processing begins.
Administrative or Ethical Screening Rejection
Refunds may be considered where a manuscript is rejected at an early stage due to:
Administrative non-compliance
Ethical or policy-related concerns identified prior to publication
Duplicate or Erroneous Payments
Where:
A duplicate payment is made due to system error, payment gateway malfunction, or verified human error.
4.4 Payment Rejection or Verification Failure
If a payment is successfully made but later:
Rejected, reversed, or withdrawn during financial or compliance verification.
Non-Refundable Circumstances
In line with COPE and DOAJ expectations regarding transparency and sustainability, no refunds shall be issued in the following situations:
After Publication
Once an article has been formally published (including early online publication), APCs are strictly non-refundable, as publication involves irreversible editorial and production processes.
Completion of Editorial or Peer Review Work
No refunds will be issued once substantial editorial handling, peer review coordination, or production work has been completed, even if the manuscript is later withdrawn.
Rejection Following Peer Review
APCs are not refundable when a manuscript is rejected based on scholarly merit following peer review, as peer review constitutes a core publishing service.
Policy Violations
No refunds shall be granted for manuscripts rejected due to:
Plagiarism or redundant publication
Ethical misconduct
Authorship disputes
Failure to adhere to journal policies
Excess Payments and Overpayments
Handling of Excess Payments
If an author, institution, or funder pays an amount exceeding the stated APC:
The excess amount will not be refunded as cash.
The surplus will be converted into a redeemable publishing credit.
Redeemable Credits
Redeemable credits:
May be applied toward APCs for future submissions within Sentam journals.
May be used for other eligible publishing services offered by Sentam.
Are non-transferable and linked to the original payer or affiliated institution.
Do not constitute cash equivalents and cannot be exchanged for monetary refunds.
Waivers, Discounts, and Equity Considerations
Sentam supports equitable access to publishing through APC waivers and discounts. In accordance with DOAJ best practices:
Waivers and discounts, once granted, cannot be converted into refunds or cash credits.
Partial payments under waived or discounted APCs are subject to the same refund rules as standard APCs.
Institutional and Third-Party Payments
For APCs paid by institutions, libraries, consortia, or funding bodies:
Refunds or credits shall be handled in accordance with agreements established with the paying entity.
Sentam does not manage or influence internal refund policies of third-party funders.
Refund Request Process
Submission
Refund requests must:
Be submitted in writing through official Sentam communication channels.
Include proof of payment and the manuscript reference number.
Review
Requests are assessed case-by-case, ensuring fairness and consistency.
Decisions are made independently of editorial outcomes, in line with COPE principles.
Refund Processing
Approved refunds will be processed using the original payment method where feasible.
Processing timelines depend on third-party payment providers and banking systems.
Transaction fees charged by payment processors may be deducted where applicable.
Technical Errors and Exceptional Circumstances
Sentam reserves the right to assess refund requests arising from verified technical failures or exceptional circumstances. Such decisions are discretionary and do not establish precedent.
Policy Review and Updates
This policy may be updated periodically to reflect evolving best practices in scholarly publishing.
Revisions take effect upon publication on the Sentam website and are applied prospectively.
Author Acknowledgement
By submitting a manuscript and/or paying an APC, authors and payers confirm that they have read, understood, and agreed to this Refund Policy.