Refund Policy

The Journal of Strategic Business Research (JSBR) is committed to ensuring fairness and transparency in all financial transactions related to Article Processing Charges (APCs) or any other publication-related fees. This Refund Policy outlines the conditions under which payments may be refunded and the process for requesting a refund.

1. Applicability

This policy applies only to:

  • Article Processing Charges (APCs) for accepted manuscripts in the open access model.
  • Printing or special publication charges (if applicable).
  • Other optional services (e.g., expedited review fees, print-on-demand copies).

2. General Principle

Because editorial work begins immediately after a manuscript is submitted, full refunds are generally not possible once the peer review process has started, except in limited cases outlined below.

3. Refund Eligibility Criteria

a) Full Refund (100%) will be provided if:

  • The author withdraws the manuscript before it enters the peer review process.
  • The journal is unable to initiate peer review due to an administrative or technical error.
  • The journal rejects the manuscript before peer review begins and after payment has been mistakenly processed.

b) Partial Refund (up to 50%) will be provided if:

  • The author withdraws the manuscript during peer review, and the withdrawal is approved by the editorial board.
  • There is a significant delay in the editorial process (e.g., exceeding twice the stated review timeline) and the author chooses to withdraw.

c) No Refund will be provided if:

  • The manuscript has been accepted and is already in production (copyediting, typesetting, or proofing stage).
  • The article has been published online or in print.
  • The author withdraws without a valid reason or fails to respond to editorial communication.
  • The withdrawal is deemed unethical (e.g., to submit the same work to another journal).

4. Refunds Due to Journal Error

If a payment was made in error (duplicate transaction, incorrect amount charged) or if the journal fails to publish an accepted article due to its own internal issues, a full refund will be issued, regardless of the manuscript’s status.

5. Refund Request Procedure

To request a refund, the corresponding author must:

  1. Send an email to the editorial office with “Refund Request” in the subject line.
  2. Include the manuscript ID, title, date of payment, and payment proof (transaction receipt).
  3. Provide a clear explanation of the reason for the refund request.
  4. Wait for an official response from the editorial office, which will be issued within 10–14 business days.

6. Refund Method

  • Approved refunds will be processed through the same payment method used for the original transaction.
  • Refunds are typically issued within 15 business days after approval.

Any transaction or bank fees incurred during refund processing will be deducted from the refund amount, unless the refund is due to a journal error.