Article Processing Charges

All SSG journals are open access. Any fee is listed below, and is charged only after acceptance. Editorial decisions never depend on whether a fee is paid or waived.

APCs are the only charges for publishing in SSG journals. Optional SSG services (Author Services, StepSphere) are separate, are never required, and have no effect on editorial decisions. See Editorial Independence and Separation of Commercial Services.

• There is no submission fee, page charge, colour charge, or other hidden fee. Rejected manuscripts are never charged.
• If a fee is introduced or changed, it is announced on the journal page at least 3 months in advance. The new fee applies only to manuscripts submitted after the change.

• Full waiver: if every author is affiliated with an institution in a country the World Bank classifies as low-income.
• 50% discount: if the corresponding author is affiliated with an institution in a lower-middle-income country (World Bank classification).
• Case-by-case: authors in financial hardship who are not covered above may apply.
• How to apply: email apcsupport@scientificstepsgroup-ssg.com at submission. Requests made after acceptance are considered, but cannot be guaranteed. Waiver requests are answered within 10 working days.
• Separation from editorial decisions: requests are decided by the publishing administration. Editors and reviewers are not told whether a fee will be paid, waived, or discounted. Payment status never affects editorial decisions.

SSG also earns income from conferences and from optional services: Author Services and StepSphere. These are kept separate from editorial decisions (see Editorial Independence).