Article Processing Charge (APC)

Article Processing Charges (APC)

FOCUS: Jurnal of Law, published by the Faculty of Law, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Cirebon, Indonesia, is committed to maintaining transparency, fairness, accountability, and academic integrity in its editorial and publication processes.

The journal applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) to support editorial administration, peer-review management, manuscript editing, layout preparation, Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registration, and open-access publication.

The APC policy is established to ensure that authors are fully informed of the applicable charges, payment procedures, and related conditions before proceeding with the publication process.

1. Article Processing Charges

Fee Category Amount
Initial Manuscript Submission Free of Charge
Initial Editorial Screening Free of Charge
Article Processing Charge (APC) IDR 500,000
Separate DOI Registration Fee No Additional Charge
Reader Access Free of Charge

Total Article Processing Charge: IDR 500,000 per manuscript proceeding to peer review.

The APC is payable after the manuscript successfully passes the initial editorial screening and before the full peer-review process begins.

2. APC Coverage

The Article Processing Charge covers the following editorial and publication services:

  1. Initial Editorial Assessment: Administrative and editorial evaluation of the manuscript's compliance with the journal's focus, scope, submission requirements, and publication ethics.

  2. Peer-Review Management: Coordination and administration of the double-blind peer-review process conducted by qualified reviewers.

  3. Manuscript Editing: Standard copyediting and editorial preparation to improve consistency, clarity, and compliance with the journal's publication standards.

  4. Layout Design and Typesetting: Preparation and formatting of accepted manuscripts in accordance with the journal's publication template.

  5. DOI Registration: Assignment and registration of a Digital Object Identifier for published articles.

  6. Open-Access Publication: Online publication and unrestricted access to the final published article through the journal's official website.

  7. Electronic Archiving: Management of published articles and their bibliographic metadata through the journal's Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform in accordance with its electronic archiving policy.

No additional mandatory charges are imposed for the standard editorial and publication services listed above.

3. Submission and Payment Procedures

FOCUS: Jurnal of Law applies the following submission and payment procedures:

  1. Manuscript Submission: Authors submit their manuscripts through the journal's official OJS submission system. No fee is charged at the initial submission stage.

  2. Initial Editorial Screening: The Editorial Board evaluates the manuscript's relevance, originality, completeness, compliance with author guidelines, and suitability for further review.

  3. APC Notification: Manuscripts that pass the initial screening will receive an official APC notification and payment instructions from the editorial office.

  4. Payment Confirmation: Authors complete the required payment of IDR 500,000 using the payment method officially designated by the journal.

  5. Peer-Review Process: After payment confirmation, the manuscript proceeds to the double-blind peer-review process.

  6. Editorial Decision: The Editorial Board determines whether the manuscript is accepted, requires revision, or is rejected based on the reviewers' recommendations and the journal's academic standards.

  7. Publication: Accepted manuscripts proceed through the final editing, typesetting, DOI registration, and online publication stages.

Important: No payment is required when a manuscript is first submitted. Authors must receive official payment instructions from the editorial office before making any payment.

4. Editorial Independence and Publication Decisions

Payment of the APC does not guarantee manuscript acceptance, favorable peer-review results, or publication in FOCUS: Jurnal of Law.

All manuscripts are evaluated based on academic merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to legal scholarship, and compliance with publication ethics.

The Editorial Board maintains full independence in making publication decisions. Financial transactions, payment status, institutional affiliations, and other nonacademic considerations must not influence reviewers' evaluations or editorial decisions.

Authors who have paid the APC remain subject to the same academic standards and peer-review requirements as other authors.

5. Refund Policy

To ensure transparency and fairness, requests for APC refunds are subject to the following provisions:

  1. Rejection Before Peer Review: If the journal is unable to proceed with the peer-review process after payment has been received, the author may be eligible for a full refund.

  2. Rejection After Peer Review: Once the peer-review process has commenced, the APC is generally non-refundable because editorial administration and peer-review services have already been undertaken.

  3. Author-Initiated Withdrawal: If an author withdraws a manuscript before the peer-review process begins, a refund may be considered. Withdrawals after peer review has commenced are generally not eligible for a refund.

  4. Duplicate or Incorrect Payments: Payments made more than once or resulting from verified administrative errors are eligible for appropriate reimbursement.

  5. Journal-Initiated Cancellation: If the journal cancels manuscript processing due to circumstances attributable to the journal, the Editorial Board will review the case and determine the appropriate refund arrangement.

Authors seeking refunds must submit a written request to the editorial office, including the manuscript identification details, proof of payment, and reasons for the request.

Refund requests will be evaluated fairly and transparently in accordance with the journal's applicable administrative policies.

6. APC Waivers and Discounts

FOCUS: Jurnal of Law recognizes the importance of promoting equitable opportunities for scholarly publication.

Requests for APC waivers or discounts may be considered in exceptional circumstances, subject to the approval of the journal's management and the availability of institutional support.

Requests should be submitted to the editorial office before payment is made and should include a brief explanation of the circumstances supporting the request.

Any waiver or discount must be approved and communicated in writing.

Decisions concerning APC waivers or discounts must remain separate from the academic evaluation and editorial decision-making processes.

7. Payment Security and Transparency

All APC payments must be made only through payment methods officially communicated by the editorial office of FOCUS: Jurnal of Law.

Authors are advised not to transfer payments to unauthorized individuals, unofficial accounts, or third parties claiming to represent the journal.

The editorial office will provide official payment information and confirmation to ensure transparency and accountability.

Any changes to APC amounts, payment procedures, or related financial policies will be communicated through the journal's official website.

8. Open Access and Copyright

Payment of the APC supports the publication and online availability of accepted manuscripts but does not transfer copyright ownership from authors to the journal.

Articles published in FOCUS: Jurnal of Law are made available through the journal's open-access platform in accordance with its copyright and licensing policy.

Published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0) license, permitting redistribution of the original work with appropriate attribution, subject to the license conditions.

Readers may access and download published articles without subscription or access fees.

9. Complaints and Inquiries

Authors who have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding APC payments, refunds, or related administrative matters may contact the editorial office.

All inquiries will be handled professionally and fairly in accordance with the journal's applicable editorial and administrative policies.

Editorial Office — FOCUS: Jurnal of Law

Faculty of Law, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Cirebon

Jl. Perjuangan No. 17, Karyamulya, Kesambi, Cirebon, West Java 45131, Indonesia

Email: focus.law@untagcirebon.ac.id

Official Website: https://jurnal.publikasi-untagcirebon.ac.id/index.php/focus

FOCUS: Jurnal of Law is committed to ensuring that its Article Processing Charges policy is implemented transparently, consistently, and fairly while maintaining the independence, credibility, and integrity of the scholarly publication process.