Does the publication fee of the journal apply to all submitted articles?

Journal publication fees generally do not apply to all submitted articles. Payment is typically contingent upon an article's acceptance for publication after successful peer review. These fees, often termed Article Processing Charges (APCs), are commonly associated with Open Access (OA) models and some hybrid journals. Authors usually pay only when the manuscript passes editorial assessment and peer review, fulfilling all journal quality standards. Some journals extend fee waivers or discounts based on author affiliations, geographic location, or proven financial hardship. Waiver policies vary significantly between publishers and specific journals. The primary application of APCs is to cover the costs of peer review administration, editorial processes, platform maintenance, and long-term archiving for OA journals. The payment obligation arises only upon acceptance; rejected submissions incur no fee. Authors should verify the specific fee structure and waiver eligibility criteria detailed in the journal's author guidelines prior to submission.