Refund Policy

1. Purpose The Eco AgriTech Frontiers Journal (EATFJ) aims to provide high-quality academic publishing services for authors, readers, and other stakeholders. This Refund Policy outlines the conditions under which refunds may be requested for services provided by the journal, such as article processing charges (APCs) or other fees.

2. Article Processing Charges (APCs) EATFJ is an open-access journal, and authors may be required to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) for articles that are accepted for publication. This fee covers the costs associated with editing, peer review, formatting, and hosting the content on the journal’s platform.

3. Conditions for Refunds Refunds for APCs will only be considered under the following circumstances:

  • Rejection of Manuscript Before Peer Review: If an author’s manuscript is rejected during the initial screening or before the peer review process begins, the APC will be refunded in full.
  • Rejection After Peer Review: If the manuscript is rejected after the peer review process, no refund will be issued. Authors are encouraged to revise and resubmit if possible.
  • Duplicate Submission: If a manuscript is found to have been submitted to multiple journals simultaneously or if it has been previously published elsewhere, the APC may be refunded, provided the authors notify the journal promptly and before publication.
  • Technical or System Errors: If the journal experiences technical issues or system errors that prevent a manuscript from being processed, the journal will issue a full refund for any paid APCs.
  • Retraction of Published Article: If an article is retracted after publication due to errors or ethical issues (such as plagiarism, falsified data, or unethical conduct), the APC will not be refunded. However, if the retraction occurs before the article is formally published (e.g., during the pre-print stage), a full refund may be considered.

4. Non-Refundable Fees The following fees are non-refundable:

  • Fees for services that have been rendered, such as editing or formatting.
  • Fees for manuscripts that have been published or are in the final stages of publication.
  • Any costs incurred due to external services or partnerships (e.g., payment processing fees).
  • Fees paid for supplementary services (e.g., promotion or indexing) unless otherwise specified in the terms of service.

5. Refund Request Process To request a refund, authors must submit a written request to the editorial team at [editor@agritechfrontiers.com] within 30 days of the payment. The request must include the following information:

  • Author’s name and manuscript title
  • Proof of payment (receipt or transaction ID)
  • A clear explanation of the reason for the refund request

Once the request is received, the editorial team will review the claim and determine if the conditions for a refund have been met. The decision will be communicated to the author within 14 business days.

6. Refund Method Approved refunds will be issued to the original method of payment. Refunds may take 7–10 business days to process, depending on the payment provider and the method of transaction.

7. Final Decision The editorial team has the final decision regarding all refund requests. The decision will be based on the circumstances outlined in this policy and will be communicated to the author promptly.

8. Changes to the Refund Policy EATFJ reserves the right to update or modify this Refund Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on the journal’s website and will apply to future transactions.