Article Processing Charges (APCs) in the Journal of Healthcare Simulation (JoHS)

Introduction:

The Journal of Healthcare Simulation (JoHS) is committed to providing open access to its published research, ensuring widespread dissemination and knowledge sharing. To make all published articles immediately and freely available online, we utilize a model funded in part by Article Processing Charges (APCs). These charges cover the costs associated with peer review, copy editing, publication production, and ongoing archiving and preservation of scholarly content. We are committed to offering a transparent and ethical APC policy, with waivers and discounts available to authors facing financial hardship and those from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

APC Fees:

The APC for publication in JoHS is GBP £1,450. This fee applies to all original research articles, reviews, protocols, practice guidelines, essays, debates, perspectives, key concepts and letters.

Implementation:

This APC policy will be implemented for all submissions received by the journal on or after 1st April 2024. Submissions made before this date will be exempt of APCs. 

Payment Process:

Upon editorial acceptance of your article, you will receive an invoice with payment instructions. Payment must be made in full before publication. We accept online payments via credit card, debit card and BACS payment and are happy to consider other institutional/grant funding mechanisms upon pre-approval. Payments must be made within 30 days of invoicing. Late payments may incur interest at the rate of 8% above the Bank of England base rate.

Open Access License:

All articles published with APCs in JoHS are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. This allows for unrestricted reuse, distribution, and adaptation of the article, with proper attribution to the authors and original publication.

Waivers and Discounts:

Authors from LMICs and those facing financial hardship may apply for a full or partial APC waiver. A full APC waiver is offered to papers whose corresponding authors are based in countries classified by the World Bank as low-income economies.

A partial APC waiver of 50% is offered to papers whose corresponding authors are based in countries classified by the World Bank as lower-middle-income economies.

Applications for APC waiver must be made at the time of submission.

Additionally, members of certain professional societies dedicated to healthcare simulation may be eligible for a full or partial APC waiver up to certain limits (see Appendix 1).Please note that membership in these societies needs to be verified at the time of submission.

Requests from other authors for APC waivers and discounts will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and may be granted in cases of financial need. All applications for discretionary APC waivers should be made at the point of manuscript submission; requests made during the review process or after acceptance are unable to be considered. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by the editorial team. 

Authors whose waiver requests are denied may appeal the decision by contacting editor@JoHS.com.

Publication Timeline:

Payment of the APC does not affect the publication timeline for accepted articles. Once the APC is received and any potential edits are finalized, publication typically occurs within 28 days.

Transparency:

The collected APC funds are used to support the open access operations of JoHS, including peer review management, editorial services, technical infrastructure, and archiving. Detailed financial reports are available upon request.

Disclaimer and Amendments:

This APC policy is subject to change with prior notice. Any amendments will be displayed on the journal website (www.JoHS.org.uk).

Appendix 1

Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare (ASPiH): up to 12 articles per year, full APC waiver (submissions from 1st January–31st December); 50% APC waiver for all ASPiH members. 

Official Journal of
Society for Healthcare Simulation, India
Journal of Healthcare Simulation is the official journal of the Association for Simulated Practice in Healthcare
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