Why JAFES Is Shifting to a Fixed Submission Fee

To support the long-term sustainability of the Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies (JAFES), we are shifting from an Article Processing Charge (APC) model to a standard, fixed Submission Fee for all manuscripts. This change aims to respond to recurring confusion among authors regarding the previously implemented APC.

In reality, the bulk of costs in scholarly publishing arise not after acceptance, but during the entire editorial and peer-review process. The Submission Fee will be paid at the time a manuscript is submitted. It will cover the full cycle of editorial and production work: from initial screening, similarity checks, administrative processing, peer review management, technical editing, copyediting, layout and design, proofreading, publication and online hosting, up to long-term archiving. These processes require sustained investment in skilled editorial staff, digital infrastructure and high-quality publishing systems, regardless of the final editorial decision.

By adopting a fixed Submission Fee, JAFES aims to ensure fairness, transparency and financial stability. Every submission contributes to the journal’s operations, enabling us to uphold our commitment to rigorous peer review, ethical standards and open access dissemination of Southeast Asian endocrine research. This shift helps secure JAFES’ future as a trusted, regionally grounded and globally accessible scientific journal.