Publication Fees Policy (Article Processing Charges – APC)

General Principles

Revista Alergia México is a fully open access scientific journal that provides immediate, permanent, and free access to all published content without subscription or access fees for readers.

To ensure the long-term sustainability of its editorial operations and maintain international publishing standards, the journal applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) only to manuscripts that have successfully completed peer review and have been formally accepted for publication.

The APC is not a fee for publication, but a contribution intended exclusively to cover the essential editorial and production services required to publish high-quality scientific articles in open access.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are entirely independent of any financial considerations.

Accordingly:

• Payment of an APC does not guarantee acceptance of a manuscript.
• An author's ability or inability to pay the APC does not influence the peer-review process, editorial evaluation, or final publication decision.
• Editors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members do not have access to information regarding payments, discounts, or waiver requests while the manuscript is under editorial evaluation.

Acceptance decisions are based solely on the manuscript's scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, originality, and relevance to the journal.

APC Structure

The current publication fees are:

*The final APC is determined according to the editorial complexity of the manuscript and is communicated to the corresponding author before payment instructions are issued.

What the APC Covers

The APC is strictly limited to recovering the costs of essential editorial and publishing services, including:

• Editorial management through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform.
• Administrative management of the peer-review process.
• Editorial quality control.
• Scientific and technical copyediting.
• Professional language editing and proofreading.
• Professional translation into English or Spanish, as applicable, to ensure publication in the journal's official language and compliance with international scientific publishing standards.
• Typesetting and page layout.
• Production of publication-ready PDF and XML-JATS files.
• DOI registration through Crossref.
• Metadata preparation and indexing in bibliographic databases.
• Long-term digital preservation and archiving.
• Website hosting, platform maintenance, and technological infrastructure.
• General editorial and administrative support necessary for publication.

The APC is not intended to generate commercial profit but solely to recover the operational costs required to maintain a high-quality, sustainable open-access journal.

A portion of the APC revenue is allocated to the journal's waiver and discount program to support authors with limited financial resources.

Transparency of Publication Fees

Revista Alergia México is committed to complete transparency regarding publication fees.

The journal publicly discloses:

• APC amounts.
• Services included in the APC.
• Available discounts and waivers.
• Payment procedures.
• Accepted payment methods.

Authors are informed of the applicable APC before payment is requested.

No hidden or mandatory additional publication charges apply after manuscript acceptance, except for optional editorial services specifically requested by the authors.

When Payment Is Requested

The APC is requested only after:

1. Completion of the peer-review process.
2. Formal acceptance of the manuscript by the Editorial Committee.

The journal does not charge any fees for:

• manuscript submission;
• initial editorial screening;
• peer review;
• editorial rejection.

Payment Process

Following acceptance, the corresponding author receives an official notification including:

• the applicable APC;
• payment instructions;
• a secure payment link through Stripe;
• information for requesting an invoice;
• alternative payment options such as bank transfer or other authorized payment methods.

All payments are processed through secure payment systems that comply with international financial security standards.

Publication proceeds once payment has been confirmed or, where applicable, after an approved waiver or discount has been granted.

Discounts and Waivers

To promote equitable access to scientific publishing, Revista Alergia México maintains a permanent APC support program.

CMICA Members

Active members of the Colegio Mexicano de Inmunología Clínica y Alergia (CMICA) may request a 10% APC discount, subject to verification of current membership.

Authors from Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries

Corresponding authors whose primary institutional affiliation is located in countries classified by the World Bank as low-income or lower-middle-income are automatically eligible for a 50% APC discount.

Authors experiencing significant financial hardship may also request a full APC waiver.

APC Waivers

Authors without institutional funding or sufficient financial resources may request a full or partial APC waiver during manuscript submission.

Waiver requests are evaluated confidentially based on:

• availability of the journal's waiver fund;
• absence of external research funding;
• documented financial need.

Waiver requests must be submitted before the final editorial decision.

Confidentiality

Information concerning APC payments, discounts, and waiver requests is treated as confidential.

Only administrative staff responsible for financial management have access to this information.

Editors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members are not involved in financial decisions related to authors.

Sponsored Publications

Supplements, clinical guidelines, consensus statements, and publications supported by academic institutions, scientific societies, governmental agencies, or industry sponsors are subject to specific publication agreements approved by the Administrative Council of Revista Alergia México and the Colegio Mexicano de Inmunología Clínica y Alergia.

External financial support does not influence editorial decisions, peer review, or publication standards.

Optional Editorial Services

The following services are available upon request and are not included in the APC unless otherwise specified:

• Advanced scientific editing.
• Additional post-acceptance language editing.
• Graphic design and infographic development.
• Specialized production services for supplements.

Fees for optional services are quoted separately and are entirely voluntary.

APC Updates

Publication fees are periodically reviewed to reflect the actual costs associated with editorial production, technological infrastructure, digital preservation, and publishing services.

Any modification to the APC schedule will be announced on the journal's official website before taking effect and will not apply retroactively to manuscripts already under editorial consideration.

For more information about these services, please contact: [email protected].