ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES (APC)

Forum Paedagogik

Article Publication Fee

As part of its commitment to providing open access to high-quality scholarly research, Forum Paedagogik, published by the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training, Universitas Islam Negeri Syekh Ali Hasan Ahmad Addary Padangsidimpuan, Indonesia, proposes an Article Processing Charge (APC) of IDR 1,500,000 (One Million Five Hundred Thousand Indonesian Rupiah) per article.

The APC is intended to support the journal's publishing operations, including peer-review administration, editorial management, copyediting, proofreading, article formatting, online publication, and digital archiving.

Through this publication fee, authors contribute to the sustainability of scholarly publishing and the dissemination of research findings in educational sciences and related disciplines.

All published articles remain freely accessible to readers worldwide without subscription fees or other access charges.

Payment of the APC does not guarantee manuscript acceptance or influence editorial decisions. All submissions are evaluated independently based on academic quality, originality, methodological rigor, and compliance with publication ethics.

Payment Procedures and Stages

The Article Processing Charge (APC) is divided into two payment stages:

1. First Stage: Peer-Review Process (40%)

Authors are required to pay 40% of the total APC, equivalent to IDR 600,000, when their manuscripts have passed the initial editorial screening and are formally assigned to the peer-review stage.

This payment covers administrative and editorial services associated with manuscript evaluation and peer-review coordination.

If the manuscript is rejected following the peer-review process, the first-stage payment is generally non-refundable because the relevant editorial and administrative services have already been provided.

Payment does not guarantee acceptance, and reviewers' recommendations remain independent of the author's payment status.

2. Second Stage: Article Acceptance (60%)

Authors are required to pay the remaining 60% of the total APC, equivalent to IDR 900,000, after the manuscript has been formally accepted for publication following the peer-review and editorial evaluation processes.

This payment covers the remaining publication services, including copyediting, proofreading, layout formatting, online publication, and digital archiving.

The Letter of Acceptance (LoA) will be issued after the manuscript has been academically accepted and the required administrative and payment procedures have been completed.

The accepted manuscript will be scheduled for publication after the remaining APC payment has been confirmed.

APC Payment Summary

Payment Stage	Percentage	Amount
First Stage: Peer Review	40%	IDR 600,000
Second Stage: Acceptance	60%	IDR 900,000
Total APC	100%	IDR 1,500,000

Payment Instructions

Authors must complete APC payments through the official bank account specified in the invoice issued by the Editorial Office of Forum Paedagogik.

The payment procedure is as follows:

The Editorial Office sends an official invoice to the corresponding author's registered email address.
The author completes the payment according to the amount and instructions specified in the invoice.
After making the payment, the author submits payment confirmation and proof of transfer through the official communication channel or payment confirmation form provided by the Editorial Office.
The Editorial Office verifies the payment and confirms its receipt.
Authors are encouraged to retain payment receipts and official correspondence for administrative purposes.

Authors should not transfer any payment to personal bank accounts or unauthorized third parties.

Refund and Withdrawal Policy

Article Processing Charges are generally non-refundable once the corresponding editorial, peer-review administration, or publication services have commenced.

If a manuscript is rejected after peer review, the first-stage payment of IDR 600,000 will not ordinarily be refunded.

If an author voluntarily withdraws a manuscript after the relevant editorial services have commenced, payments already used to cover those services are generally non-refundable.

However, refund requests may be considered in exceptional circumstances, including duplicate payments, incorrect charges, or documented administrative errors attributable to the journal or publisher.

Refund requests must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office, accompanied by relevant supporting documents.

The Editorial Board and publisher will assess such requests fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the applicable financial and publication policies.

Publication Ethics and Editorial Independence

Forum Paedagogik is committed to maintaining academic integrity, editorial independence, and transparency in all publication-related financial transactions.

The payment of APCs does not influence peer-review outcomes, editorial recommendations, or decisions regarding manuscript acceptance or rejection.

All manuscripts undergo the journal's established editorial screening and double-blind peer-review procedures.

Editorial decisions are based exclusively on scholarly merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's scope, and compliance with publication ethics.