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Refund Policy

The Historian maintains a transparent and fair refund policy to ensure clarity in all financial transactions related to article processing and publication fees. This policy outlines the conditions under which refunds may be granted.

1. Article Processing Charges (APC)

Open Access Model

The Historian follows an open-access publishing model where all published articles are freely accessible. To support editorial operations, peer review management, and digital hosting, authors are required to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) only after acceptance.

Non-Refundable APC

Once the APC has been paid after acceptance, it is strictly non-refundable, as the fee covers services already rendered, including editorial handling, peer review coordination, typesetting, and online publication.

2. Refund Conditions

Refunds may be considered only under specific and exceptional circumstances:

a. Pre-Payment Refund

If an author withdraws their manuscript before it enters peer review, and payment has already been made due to administrative oversight, a partial refund may be considered depending on the processing stage.

b. Duplicate Payment

If an author accidentally makes the APC payment twice, the journal will issue a full refund of the duplicate payment upon receiving proof of the transaction.

c. Article Rejection Before Acceptance

If a manuscript is rejected before acceptance and APC was mistakenly paid beforehand, a partial refund may be issued. This is applicable only when payment was made prior to receiving an editorial decision.

d. Ethical Violations (Non-Refundable)

No refund will be issued if a manuscript is withdrawn or rejected due to:

  • Plagiarism

  • Fabricated data

  • Unethical research practices

  • Undisclosed conflicts of interest

APC in such cases remains non-refundable.

e. Failure to Publish Due to Journal-Related Issues

If The Historian is unable to publish an accepted article due to factors such as:

  • Technical failures

  • Operational disruptions

  • Institutional decisions

then a full refund will be provided.

3. Refund Request Procedure

Authors requesting a refund must submit a formal written request to the editorial office including:

  • Full name and email address

  • Manuscript title and tracking ID (if applicable)

  • Reason for the refund request

  • Proof of payment (receipt, transaction ID, screenshot, etc.)

Processing Time

Refund requests are evaluated individually. Authors will receive an initial response within 10–15 working days.
If approved, the refund will be processed promptly via the original mode of payment.

4. Non-Refundable Services

The following fees and services are strictly non-refundable:

  • Peer review charges, once the manuscript has been assigned for review

  • APC after acceptance, regardless of subsequent withdrawal or disputes

  • Editing or typesetting fees, if already completed

5. Special Circumstances

In cases of emergencies or exceptional hardships, the editorial board may consider refund requests at its discretion. Such cases are reviewed individually and are not guaranteed.

6. Refund Processing

  • Refunds are processed through the same payment method used for the original transaction.

  • If the original method is unavailable, an alternative secure payment method may be arranged.

  • Approved refunds typically take 15–30 business days to be completed.