Article Processing Charges

Notice: JFINES currently charges no APCs. Manuscripts submitted before 1 January 2027 will remain free of publication charges. From 1 January 2027, manuscripts submitted to JFINES will be subject to an APC of USD 150, payable only after peer review and formal acceptance. The APC will not influence editorial assessment, peer review, acceptance, rejection, or publication decisions.

Current APC Policy

The Journal of Food Innovation, Nutrition and Environmental Sciences (JFINES) currently does not charge Article Processing Charges (APCs). Publication in the journal remains free for all authors until 31 December 2026.

This no-APC policy has been part of our commitment to supporting authors, promoting inclusive scholarly publishing, and strengthening JFINES as a credible open-access journal serving researchers in food science, nutrition, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, and related fields.

Manuscripts submitted before 1 January 2027 will remain under the current no-APC policy, even if they are accepted for publication after this date.

APC Policy from 1 January 2027

With effect from 1 January 2027, JFINES will introduce an Article Processing Charge of USD 150 for manuscripts submitted on or after this date.

The APC will be payable only after a manuscript has successfully completed peer review and has been formally accepted for publication. JFINES does not charge submission fees, review fees, editorial assessment fees, or any other hidden charges.

Payment of the APC will not influence editorial assessment, peer review, acceptance, rejection, or publication decisions. All editorial decisions will continue to be based solely on the scientific quality, originality, relevance, ethical compliance, and overall suitability of the manuscript.

Purpose of the APC

The APC will support the continued operation and development of the journal, including:

  • DOI registration and maintenance;
  • website hosting and OJS platform maintenance;
  • copyediting, proofreading, layout and production;
  • metadata preparation and management;
  • long-term digital preservation and archiving;
  • editorial administration and peer-review coordination;
  • indexing development and journal visibility activities;
  • maintenance of open-access publication without subscription barriers.

JFINES remains committed to keeping publication costs modest and transparent, while maintaining rigorous editorial and ethical standards.

Voluntary Contributions Before January 2027

Until the APC policy takes effect, JFINES welcomes voluntary contributions from authors, institutions, partners, and members of the public who wish to support the journal’s development.

Voluntary contributions are not linked to any specific manuscript and do not influence peer review, editorial decisions, publication timelines, or acceptance outcomes in any way. Such contributions are used only to support journal operations, platform maintenance, DOI registration, production quality, metadata management, archiving, and indexing development.

Waivers and Discounts

From 1 January 2027, JFINES may consider partial or full APC waivers in exceptional cases, particularly for unfunded authors, postgraduate students, and authors from low-resource institutions or low-income settings.

Waiver requests must be made after acceptance and will be handled separately from editorial decision-making. Editors, reviewers, and editorial board members will not make acceptance or rejection decisions based on an author’s ability to pay.

Editorial Independence and Peer Review

All manuscripts submitted to JFINES undergo editorial screening and double-blind peer review by suitably qualified experts. The journal is committed to maintaining a transparent, fair, and academically rigorous review process.

The introduction of APCs from January 2027 will not change the journal’s editorial standards. Manuscripts will continue to be accepted only when they meet the journal’s requirements for originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, clarity of presentation, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

Transparency and Ethical Publishing

JFINES is committed to responsible open-access publishing. The journal maintains clear policies on peer review, publication ethics, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, corrections, retractions, complaints and appeals, copyright, licensing, and archiving.

The journal does not use hidden fees, misleading indexing claims, guaranteed acceptance, or acceptance based on payment. All APC information is publicly available on this page so that authors are fully informed before submitting their manuscripts.

Indexing and Visibility

JFINES is currently indexed/listed in DOAJ, AJOL, and Google Scholar. The journal is also working to strengthen its metadata quality, digital preservation, editorial processes, and publication standards in preparation for future evaluation by additional reputable indexing and abstracting services.

Inclusion in any indexing database is subject to independent assessment by the relevant indexing body. JFINES does not guarantee acceptance into any specific database, but remains committed to meeting recognised standards for scholarly publishing.

Our Commitment to Authors

JFINES seeks to provide authors with a credible, transparent, and supportive publishing experience. The journal is committed to:

  • fair and timely editorial handling;
  • rigorous peer review;
  • transparent publication policies;
  • responsible open-access publishing;
  • permanent article identification through DOIs;
  • improved discoverability through quality metadata and indexing development;
  • continued visibility for research in food innovation, nutrition, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences, and related fields.

For inquiries about APCs, waivers, or publication policies, please contact the editorial office.