Article Processing Charges Policy

Commitment to Ethical and Transparent Publishing

The International Review of FinTech Business and Management (IRFBM), published by the Academy of Decision and Data Sciences (ADDS), is committed to fair, transparent, and ethical scholarly publishing.

The journal supports open access and seeks to reduce financial barriers that may prevent researchers from publishing or accessing high-quality academic work. Editorial decisions are based solely on the academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological strength, and ethical compliance of submitted manuscripts.

Current Article Processing Charges

IRFBM currently does not charge any article processing charges, submission fees, review fees, acceptance fees, publication fees, or page charges.

Authors are not required to make any payment at any stage of the publication process, including:

  • Manuscript submission

  • Initial editorial screening

  • Similarity checking

  • Peer review

  • Revision

  • Acceptance

  • Copyediting

  • Typesetting

  • Online publication

  • Digital archiving

  • Assignment of article metadata

The absence of publication charges reflects the journal's commitment to supporting open access and encouraging scholarly participation without financial discrimination.

No Submission or Review Fee

IRFBM does not charge authors for submitting a manuscript or for having a manuscript evaluated through the peer review process.

Payment is not required for:

  • Desk evaluation

  • External peer review

  • Additional review rounds

  • Editorial assessment

  • Resubmission after revision

  • Consideration of an appeal

The editorial process remains independent of all financial considerations.

Editorial Independence

Editorial and peer review decisions are made solely on scholarly merit.

The following factors do not influence editorial decisions:

  • An author's ability to pay

  • Institutional affiliation

  • Country of residence

  • Funding status

  • Academic position

  • Personal or professional relationships

  • Commercial interests

Editors and reviewers do not receive instructions to favour manuscripts based on financial considerations.

Future Introduction of Charges

The Academy of Decision and Data Sciences reserves the right to introduce article processing charges in the future if required to support editorial management, digital publishing, preservation, infrastructure, or other publication services.

Any future charge will not apply without prior public notice.

Before introducing an APC, IRFBM will clearly publish:

  • The exact fee amount.

  • The currency in which payment is required.

  • The services covered by the fee.

  • The date from which the policy becomes effective.

  • The stage at which payment becomes due.

  • Available waiver or discount arrangements.

  • Any exemptions that may apply.

The revised fee information will be displayed clearly on the journal website, author guidelines, and submission system before authors submit their manuscripts.

Notification of Fees

Authors will never be informed of a new or previously undisclosed publication fee after an article has been accepted or published.

Where a fee applies in the future:

  • Authors will be informed before or at the time of submission.

  • The fee will be stated clearly in the journal's published policies.

  • No hidden or unexpected charges will be imposed.

  • Payment will not guarantee acceptance.

  • Non-payment will not affect the academic evaluation of a manuscript before a final publication decision.

Waivers and Discounts

If article processing charges are introduced, IRFBM may establish waiver or discount arrangements for eligible authors.

Possible eligibility categories may include:

  • Authors from low-income countries.

  • Authors from lower-middle-income countries.

  • Students.

  • Early-career researchers.

  • Unfunded researchers.

  • Authors facing exceptional financial hardship.

  • Invited contributions, where approved by the journal.

The eligibility criteria, application process, level of support, and decision-making procedure will be stated clearly in the relevant policy.

Requests for waivers or discounts will be handled confidentially and separately from the editorial decision-making process.

Payment and Acceptance

Payment of an article processing charge, where applicable in the future, will not influence:

  • Reviewer selection.

  • Reviewer recommendations.

  • Editorial decisions.

  • Acceptance or rejection.

  • Publication priority.

  • The handling of appeals or complaints.

A manuscript may only be accepted after completing the journal's editorial and peer review requirements.

Payment will not provide any guarantee of acceptance, accelerated review, favourable treatment, or publication.

Refunds

As IRFBM currently does not charge any fees, no refund procedure is presently required.

If charges are introduced in the future, the journal will publish a clear refund policy explaining:

  • Circumstances in which refunds may be issued.

  • Circumstances in which fees are non-refundable.

  • Procedures for requesting a refund.

  • The expected review and decision process.

Third-Party Payments

Where an APC is paid by a university, funding body, employer, sponsor, or another third party, the payment will not affect the author's rights, editorial independence, or publication decision.

The journal will not disclose an author's financial circumstances to reviewers.

Fraudulent Payment Requests

Authors should make payments only through official payment methods announced by IRFBM or ADDS.

The journal is not responsible for unauthorised requests made through unofficial email addresses, personal accounts, third-party agents, or unapproved payment channels.

Any suspicious payment request should be reported immediately to the editorial office.

Policy Changes

Any change to the APC policy will be published clearly and in advance.

The policy applicable on the date of manuscript submission will normally remain applicable to that manuscript unless the change benefits the author or is required by law.

Previously accepted manuscripts will not be subjected to newly introduced fees without prior agreement from the authors.

Contact

Questions concerning article processing charges, publication fees, waivers, discounts, or payment matters may be directed to:

International Review of FinTech Business and Management (IRFBM)
Academy of Decision and Data Sciences (ADDS)
Email: editor.irfbm@addsacademy.com