Article Processing Charges and Fee-Reduction Policy

Article Processing Charge (APC)

NJMCS charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) only for manuscripts that have been formally accepted for publication.

The ₦50,000 APC is a local publication rate available to authors affiliated with institutions in Nigeria and is payable in Nigerian Naira.

The Nigerian local rate is determined independently by the journal and should not be regarded as a direct currency conversion of the international APC.

Fee Reduction for Nigerian Authors

NJMCS recognizes that some researchers may have limited access to institutional research funding or publication support.

Nigerian authors who are unable to meet the full ₦50,000 APC may apply for a partial fee reduction.

Priority consideration may be given to:

• Postgraduate students;
• Early-career researchers;
• Self-funded researchers;
• Authors without institutional publication support;
• Researchers without external research grants or sponsorship; and
• Authors experiencing genuine financial constraints.

All fee-reduction requests are considered individually. The amount approved will depend on the circumstances of the applicant and the journal's available publication support.

How to Apply for a Fee Reduction

A request for a fee reduction should be submitted to the Editorial Office before payment of the APC.

The request should include:

• Manuscript title;
• Submission ID, where available;
• Name and institutional affiliation of the corresponding author;
• Reason for requesting a fee reduction; and
• Information regarding available research funding, sponsorship, or institutional publication support.

Additional information or supporting evidence may be requested where necessary.

Editorial Independence

An author's financial circumstances have no influence on the editorial assessment of a manuscript.

Requests for fee reductions will not affect peer review or editorial decisions. Manuscripts are assessed according to their academic quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and compliance with the journal's editorial requirements.

Payment of an APC does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Authors should not make any APC payment until their manuscript has been formally accepted for publication.

Important Conditions

Fee reductions are not automatic and must be approved by the Editorial Office.

Approved reductions apply only to the manuscript for which they were granted and cannot normally be transferred to another manuscript or author.

Fee-reduction requests should be made before payment. Reductions will not normally be applied retrospectively after the APC has been paid.

Review of Publication Charges

NJMCS may periodically review its publication charges and fee-reduction arrangements to reflect changes in publication and operational costs.

Any changes to the standard APC will be communicated through the official NJMCS website.