Open Access Publishing Model
The International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research (IJCER) is a fully open-access journal. All articles published in the journal are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication, without subscription fees or access restrictions for readers, institutions, or libraries.
This open-access model aims to support the broad dissemination of scholarly knowledge, increase the visibility of academic research, and contribute to international scholarly communication in the field of education. IJCER operates as a not-for-profit academic journal. The primary aim of the journal is to support the dissemination of high-quality scholarly research and to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field of education.
APC Amount and Application
To support the sustainable operation of the journal and the provision of post-acceptance publication services, IJCER applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) only to manuscripts that have been formally accepted for publication. The APC is 800 EUR per accepted article (excluding VAT or local taxes, where applicable).
No fees are charged at the time of submission, during editorial screening, during the peer-review process, or for manuscripts that are rejected. The APC is requested only after the completion of the peer-review process and the issuance of a final acceptance decision. The journal does not charge any additional or hidden fees beyond the stated APC.
The APC applies to manuscripts submitted after the implementation of this policy. Manuscripts that are already under editorial evaluation at the time of implementation are not subject to the APC.
The introduction of the APC is intended solely to support the sustainable operation of the journal, maintain high editorial standards, and ensure the continued quality and integrity of the publication process.
Editorial Independence and Peer Review Integrity
The payment of the APC has no influence on editorial decisions. All manuscripts submitted to IJCER are evaluated solely on the basis of academic merit, originality, methodological rigor, theoretical and empirical contribution, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal’s scope.
All submissions undergo editorial screening and, where appropriate, double-blind peer review. Editorial decisions are made independently of any financial considerations and are guided by internationally recognized standards of scholarly publishing and publication ethics.
The APC is requested only after a manuscript has been accepted for publication. Therefore, the ability or willingness of authors to pay the APC does not influence the editorial evaluation or peer-review process. The journal is committed to maintaining rigorous academic standards and does not compromise on the quality of published research under any circumstances.
Services Covered by the APC
The APC supports post-acceptance publication and dissemination services, including:
• DOI registration and metadata management
• Copyediting and technical preparation
• Typesetting and layout preparation
• Online hosting and platform maintenance
• Long-term digital preservation and archiving
• Open-access dissemination of the final published article
• Journal website maintenance and editorial infrastructure
• Indexing, metadata transfer, and publication workflow management
The APC does not cover editorial evaluation or peer review. These processes are conducted independently as part of the journal’s academic and editorial responsibilities.
No Submission or Review Fees
IJCER does not charge:
• Submission fees
• Editorial screening fees
• Peer-review fees
• Rejection fees
• Proofreading fees
• Fast-track publication fees
The only publication-related fee is the APC, and it applies only after formal acceptance. There are no additional or hidden charges at any stage of the publication process.
Waiver and Discount Policy
IJCER is committed to supporting equitable access to scholarly publishing.
Authors who experience financial constraints may apply for a full or partial APC waiver after receiving a final acceptance decision.
Waiver requests are assessed through an administrative process that is fully independent of editorial and peer-review decisions. The outcome of a waiver request does not affect the editorial decision, peer-review process, or publication decision.
The journal may consider waiver or discount requests in cases such as:
• Authors from low-income countries may be eligible for partial or full APC waivers based on internationally recognized country classifications (e.g., World Bank, United Nations, and major international publishers’ waiver lists),
• Authors who can demonstrate financial constraints or lack of funding support (may be considered for a full or partial APC waiver or discount),
• Invited articles or invited scholarly contributions
• exceptional financial hardship
Waiver requests must be submitted after acceptance and before publication. The ability to pay the APC does not influence editorial decisions.
Payment, Invoicing, and Policy Updates
The APC is payable only after a manuscript has been formally accepted for publication. Authors will receive detailed payment instructions together with the acceptance notification. Payments can be made via the methods specified by the journal at the time of acceptance. The journal will provide the necessary payment details and instructions to the corresponding author.
An invoice or receipt can be issued upon request, in accordance with applicable financial regulations. Any applicable VAT or local taxes are determined based on the country of the author or institution and are applied in accordance with relevant regulations.
The journal reserves the right to revise the APC amount or related policies when necessary. Any such changes will apply only to newly submitted manuscripts and will not affect manuscripts already under editorial evaluation.
Withdrawal and Ethical Considerations
If an author requests withdrawal of a manuscript after acceptance or after publication for reasons not related to ethical concerns, the APC may still be applicable, as the editorial, peer-review, and production processes have been completed.
However, if a manuscript is withdrawn, rejected, or retracted after acceptance due to ethical issues, misconduct, or significant errors identified by the journal, no APC will be charged or any paid APC will be refunded.
The journal reserves the right to evaluate each case individually in accordance with publication ethics and best practices.
Language Editing and Proofreading
IJCER does not require authors to use any paid proofreading or language editing service.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscripts are written in clear, accurate, and academically appropriate English. Where necessary, language editing may be recommended to improve clarity and readability; however, authors are free to make such improvements independently or through any service provider of their choice.
The journal has no mandatory proofreading requirement and does not charge any language editing or proofreading fee.
Copyright and Licensing
The International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research (IJCER) publishes all articles under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Under this license, users are free to read, download, copy, distribute, and adapt the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the source.
Authors retain the copyright of their work. By submitting and publishing in IJCER, authors grant the journal the right to publish, archive, and disseminate the article as part of the journal’s open-access content. The APC supports the editorial and publication processes that enable open-access dissemination; it does not alter the licensing terms of the published work.
Key Points:
• The license allows free and open access to all published content.
• Commercial use of the content is not permitted without additional permission from the copyright holder.
• Proper attribution to the original work is required in all cases.
Transparency Statement
IJCER is committed to transparency in publication charges and editorial procedures.
All publication charges are clearly stated on this page. There are no hidden or additional fees. Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scholarly quality and are never influenced by financial considerations. The journal adheres to internationally recognized principles of publication ethics and best practices in scholarly publishing. The journal operates with a strong commitment to academic integrity, transparency, and the long-term sustainability of scholarly publishing, without prioritizing financial gain.
Update: 10.04.2026