Waiver Policy

Overview

The Journal of Addiction Therapy and Research (JATR) is committed to ensuring that inability to pay does not prevent authors from publishing their high-quality research. Waivers and discounts are provided on the basis of financial need, country classification, or contribution to the academic community.

Eligibility for Waivers and Discounts

Waivers are assessed under the following categories:

• Full Waiver: 100% reduction of APC for authors from low-income countries.
• Partial Waiver: 25–75% discount based on specific financial circumstances or early-career researcher status.
• Reviewer/Editorial Waiver: Authors who have contributed to JATR as reviewers or editorial board members may receive partial waivers.
• Special Issue Waiver: Invited articles for thematic issues may qualify for partial or complete waiver.

Eligibility follows World Bank country classifications and COPE ethical publishing practices.

Application Process

Authors requesting a waiver must follow these steps:

1. Indicate waiver request during online submission under the “APC Waiver Request” section.
2. Provide a brief justification (≤150 words) explaining financial constraints or funding limitations.
3. Attach institutional endorsement (if applicable).
4. Await waiver confirmation from the journal’s finance office prior to invoicing.

Requests submitted after payment cannot be processed.

Evaluation Criteria

All waiver requests are evaluated by the editorial management team based on the following factors:

• Author affiliation and funding background.
• Country of residence and World Bank income classification.
• Previous publication or review contribution to JATR.
• Overall submission quality and relevance to the journal scope.

Decisions are made impartially and communicated within five working days.

Transparency and Compliance

This policy aligns with DOAJ Principles of Transparency and Plan S funding mandates. Waivers are documented and audited annually to ensure fairness and accountability.

No author is required to disclose waiver status in the published article, preserving academic impartiality.

Limitations and Exclusions

• Waivers cannot be combined with other discounts or grants.
• Requests must be received before invoice payment.
• Refunds are not applicable once publication and DOI assignment are complete.
• Group submissions or consortium-funded studies are generally ineligible for waivers.

Funder and Institutional Support

Authors are encouraged to explore institutional or funding body agreements that may cover APCs. JATR is compatible with open-access mandates of major funders, including:

• NIH Public Access Policy
• European Research Council (ERC)
• Wellcome Trust Open Research Framework
• Plan S and cOAlition S Compliant Repositories

Authors should specify funder details during submission to facilitate billing coordination.

Example Waiver Scenarios

Editorial and Ethical Independence

Editorial decisions remain independent of financial considerations. Reviewers and editors are blinded to authors’ waiver status throughout the peer-review process.

Financial discussions are handled exclusively by the journal’s administrative office post-acceptance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)