Refund Policy

The Social Trends and Policy Review (STPR) is committed to fair, transparent, and ethical handling of all payments related to article processing charges (APCs) and other optional services. This policy outlines the conditions under which refunds will be issued and the procedures authors should follow to request one.

1. Applicability

This policy applies to:

  • Article Processing Charges (APCs) for accepted manuscripts under the open-access model.

  • Charges for optional publication services (e.g., expedited review, language editing, print-on-demand copies).

  • Fees for special issue participation or conference proceedings published in STPR.

2. General Principles

  • STPR begins editorial and technical work immediately after payment confirmation; therefore, full refunds are not always possible once processing has begun.

  • Refunds are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and approved only under the circumstances outlined below.

3. Refund Eligibility

a) Full Refund (100%) will be issued if:

  • The author withdraws the manuscript before peer review begins.

  • The payment was made in error (e.g., duplicate payment or incorrect amount).

  • STPR is unable to process or review the manuscript due to an internal administrative or technical issue.

b) Partial Refund (up to 50%) will be issued if:

  • The manuscript is withdrawn during peer review, and the withdrawal is approved by the editorial board.

  • Significant delays in the editorial process (beyond twice the stated timeline) occur, and the author chooses to withdraw.

c) No Refund will be issued if:

  • The manuscript has been accepted and entered production (copyediting, typesetting, or proofing).

  • The article has already been published online or in print.

  • The withdrawal is deemed unethical (e.g., to submit to another journal after acceptance).

4. Refunds Due to Journal Error

If an article is accepted but not published due to an error or failure on the part of STPR, the author will receive a full refund, regardless of the manuscript stage.

5. Refund Request Procedure

To request a refund, the corresponding author must:

  1. Send an email to the editorial office with “Refund Request – [Manuscript ID]” in the subject line.

  2. Include manuscript details, payment receipt, date of payment, and a clear explanation for the refund request.

  3. Await editorial confirmation — refund decisions are made within 10–14 business days.

6. Refund Method

  • Refunds will be processed via the original payment method used during the transaction.

  • Depending on the payment provider, refunds may take 15–20 business days to appear in the author’s account.

  • Transaction or bank fees may be deducted unless the refund is due to a journal error.