The Pakistan Journal of Health Solutions (PJHS) strives to provide high-quality publishing services for authors and readers. This Refund Policy outlines the circumstances under which refunds may be issued for Article Processing Charges (APCs) or other services related to the publication process.

1. Article Processing Charges (APC) Refunds

The Article Processing Charge (APC) is the fee that authors are required to pay upon acceptance of their manuscript for publication in PJHS. The fee covers the editorial, peer review, and publication processes. The following guidelines apply to APC refunds:

• Refund Eligibility:

  • Manuscript Withdrawal Before Acceptance: If an author withdraws their manuscript from PJHS before the manuscript has been accepted for publication, a full refund of the APC will be issued, minus any processing fees incurred.
  • Manuscript Rejection: If a manuscript is rejected at any stage of the review or editorial process, the APC will not be refunded, as the submission has already undergone editorial and review work.
  • Technical or Editorial Error: In cases where an article is accepted and subsequently retracted due to a technical or editorial error, authors may be eligible for a partial refund or credit toward future submissions, depending on the specific circumstances.
  • Publication Cancellation: In rare cases where PJHS is unable to publish an article after acceptance due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g., journal closure, systemic issues), authors may be eligible for a refund of the APC.

• Refund Process:

  • To request a refund, authors must contact the editorial office via email at [editor@pjhsjournal.com] with a detailed explanation of the reason for the refund request.
  • Refund requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and a decision will be made within 10-15 business days.
  • Refunds, if approved, will be processed through the original payment method used for the APC payment.

2. Payment for Paper Prints

• Refund Eligibility:

  • If a paper print request is canceled before the print order is processed and shipped, a full refund will be issued.
  • Once the paper prints have been processed and shipped, no refund will be issued.
  • In cases where there is an error in the printed material (e.g., incorrect content, printing errors), the journal will provide a replacement copy at no additional cost.

• Refund Process:

  • Authors or institutions wishing to cancel their paper print order must notify the editorial office via email at [editor@pakistanhealthsolutions.org] as soon as possible.
  • Refund requests for paper prints will be processed within 5-10 business days.

3. Non-Refundable Fees

The following fees are non-refundable:

• APCs for Rejected Manuscripts: Once a manuscript has been reviewed and rejected, no refund will be issued for the APC.
• Services Rendered: Any administrative or editorial work that has been carried out before the refund request will not be eligible for a refund.

4. Refund Processing Times

Refund requests, once approved, will be processed as follows:

• For APCs: Refunds will be issued within 10-15 business days after the refund request has been reviewed and approved.
• For Paper Prints: Refunds for cancellations of paper print orders will be issued within 5-10 business days after confirmation of cancellation.

5. Exceptions

While the guidelines outlined above cover the most common situations, PJHS reserves the right to evaluate and make exceptions to this policy based on individual cases. If you believe your case warrants an exception, please contact us directly, and we will assess the situation.