Penelitian Gizi dan Makanan (The Journal of Nutrition and Food Research) is committed to transparent and fair publication practices. This policy explains the article processing charges applicable to manuscripts accepted for publication and the procedures governing payment, refunds, and editorial independence.

The journal provides immediate open access to its published articles. Article Processing Charges (APCs) are intended to support the journal's editorial and publishing operations and the continued availability of scholarly content.

1. Article Processing Charge (APC)

The journal applies an Article Processing Charge (APC) of IDR 500,000 (five hundred thousand Indonesian rupiah) per accepted article.

The APC supports the journal's publication operations, including editorial administration, peer-review management, manuscript preparation and production, online publication, and the maintenance and preservation of published content, as applicable to the journal's publishing arrangements.

The applicable APC is charged per accepted article and is not calculated according to the number of authors or their institutional affiliations, unless otherwise explicitly stated by the journal.

2. Submission and Peer-Review Fees

The journal does not charge a submission fee or a separate peer-review fee.

Authors are not required to pay any fee when submitting a manuscript or while the manuscript is undergoing editorial assessment and peer review.

The APC becomes payable only after the manuscript has been formally accepted for publication.

Payment of an APC does not guarantee acceptance. All manuscripts are evaluated according to their scientific merit, originality, relevance to the journal's scope, and compliance with the journal's editorial and ethical requirements.

3. When the APC Is Charged

The APC is charged only after the journal has formally accepted the manuscript for publication.

Following acceptance, the Editorial Office or authorized administrative representative will issue an official invoice to the corresponding author or the designated paying party.

Payment must be completed before the manuscript proceeds to the relevant production stage, as specified in the invoice and the journal's instructions.

Failure to complete payment may delay copyediting, typesetting, or publication. Any payment-related delay will be handled separately from the scientific assessment and editorial decision.

4. Responsibility for Payment

The APC is normally the responsibility of the corresponding author. However, payment may also be made by the author's institution, research sponsor, funding body, or another authorized supporting party.

Authors are encouraged to confirm the availability of funds and the identity of the responsible paying party before submitting a manuscript.

The corresponding author is responsible for coordinating payment arrangements and communicating any relevant administrative requirements to the Editorial Office.

5. Payment Procedure

An official invoice will be issued only after formal manuscript acceptance.

The invoice will specify the APC amount, payment instructions, applicable payment deadline, and any other information necessary to complete the transaction.

Authors must use the payment details provided through the journal's authorized communication channels. Any questions concerning invoices, payment status, or administrative arrangements should be directed to the Editorial Office.

Authors should retain payment documentation for verification when necessary.

6. Waivers and Discounts

Any waiver or discount must be explicitly approved by the journal in writing before the payment deadline.

Requests for waivers or discounts, where permitted, must be submitted to the Editorial Office with an explanation and relevant supporting documentation. The journal will assess such requests according to its applicable administrative arrangements.

Unless a waiver or discount has been formally approved, the standard APC of IDR 500,000 remains applicable.

Requests for waivers or discounts must not influence the scientific assessment, peer-review process, or editorial decision concerning a manuscript.

7. Refund Policy

APC payments are generally non-refundable once copyediting, typesetting, or another substantive production process has begun.

Refunds may be considered in cases involving duplicate payments, erroneous payments, or circumstances in which the journal is unable to proceed with publication for reasons attributable to the journal.

Author-initiated withdrawal after production has begun does not normally qualify for a refund.

All refund requests must be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office, accompanied by relevant supporting documentation. Requests will be assessed individually, taking into account the circumstances of the case, the stage of production, and any applicable legal or institutional requirements.

The journal will communicate its decision to the requesting party.

8. Editorial Independence

Payment of the APC has no influence on editorial decisions.

All manuscripts are assessed solely on the basis of their scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, relevance to the journal's scope, and compliance with applicable ethical and editorial requirements.

Editorial decisions are made independently of financial considerations. Editors and reviewers must not accept, reject, prioritize, or otherwise assess a manuscript on the basis of payment status, an author's financial capacity, or the availability of publication funding.

The administration of APC payments is kept separate from scientific evaluation and peer review to the extent practicable within the journal's operating arrangements.

9. Transparency and Contact

The journal makes this policy publicly available so that authors, institutions, funders, and other stakeholders can understand the costs associated with publication.

The APC policy should be read together with the journal's Open Access Policy, Copyright and Licensing Policy, Peer Review Process, and Publication Ethics Policy.

For questions concerning APCs, invoices, payment procedures, waivers, or refunds, please contact:

Editorial Office: pgmpersagi@gmail.com

The journal will periodically review this policy to maintain transparency, consistency, and responsible publication practices.