Fee Structure

Free Fee Structure Policy

Pakistan Research Letter (PRL)

The Pakistan Research Letter (PRL) is committed to advancing high-quality, ethical, and globally accessible research across multiple disciplines, including social sciences, business, management, economics, and related fields. To promote equitable academic participation, the journal follows a completely free-of-cost publication model, ensuring that authors and readers face no financial barriers at any stage of the submission, review, or publication process.

1. Policy Overview

The journal operates under a zero-fee model, reflecting its dedication to supporting researchers from diverse academic and economic backgrounds. This policy aligns with international standards for inclusive publishing, encouraging submissions from early-career scholars, independent researchers, and academics from developing regions.

2. No Submission Fees

  • Fee: None

  • Authors may submit manuscripts—including original research, review articles, case studies, conceptual papers, and short communications—without any submission charges.

  • Initial editorial evaluations, such as scope assessment and compliance checks, are conducted at no cost, promoting equal access to publication opportunities.

3. No Article Processing Charges (APCs)

  • Fee: None

  • PRL does not levy any APCs on authors.

  • Editorial and peer-review processes conducted free of cost include:

    • Plagiarism and similarity checks

    • Double-blind peer review

    • Editorial assessment and handling of revisions

    • Final approval and acceptance procedures

  • All decisions are based solely on scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance.

4. No Publication, Formatting, or Hosting Fees

  • Fee: None

  • Accepted manuscripts are published free of cost, which includes:

    • Professional copyediting and language refinement

    • Typesetting, formatting, and layout

    • DOI registration and metadata assignment

    • Online hosting, digital archiving, and indexing

    • Publication of supplementary materials, appendices, figures, and tables

  • Inclusion in special or thematic issues is also provided at no charge.

5. Open Access at No Cost

  • Fee: None

  • All articles are freely accessible to readers worldwide without subscription fees or paywalls.

  • Open access enhances visibility, citation potential, and global scholarly impact.

6. DOI Assignment, Indexing, and Archiving

  • Fee: None

  • The journal provides free DOI registration, metadata indexing, and digital archiving to ensure discoverability, long-term accessibility, and preservation of published content.

7. Free Editorial Correspondence and Certification

  • Authors receive official documents at no cost, including:

    • Submission acknowledgment

    • Peer review reports (upon request)

    • Editorial decision letters

    • Acceptance letters

    • Publication certificates

These are suitable for academic, institutional, or professional documentation purposes.

8. No Hidden or Indirect Charges

  • The journal guarantees transparency in financial policies, ensuring no hidden costs or optional services affect publication decisions.

  • No fees are charged for:

    • Manuscript revisions

    • Resubmissions

    • Supplementary files

    • Copyright transfer or licensing

All processes remain fully cost-free for authors.

9. Funding and Sustainability

  • Operational costs—including editorial management, website hosting, DOI services, peer-review administration, and archiving—are supported by:

    • Institutional funding

    • Academic partnerships

    • Grants and sponsorships

  • This ensures the journal’s sustainability without imposing costs on authors or readers.

10. Summary Table of Free Fee Structure

Publication Stage Fee Status Description
Manuscript Submission Free Submission without any charges
Editorial & Peer Review Free Plagiarism checks, double-blind review, and revisions handled free of cost
Article Processing & Formatting Free Copyediting, typesetting, layout, and DOI assignment included
Online Hosting & Open Access Free Articles freely accessible worldwide
Supplementary Materials Free Appendices, datasets, tables, and figures published at no cost
Printed Copies Optional Free for institutional archives; personal copies may have nominal optional fees

11. Commitment to Equity, Ethics, and Accessibility

The Pakistan Research Letter promotes:

  • Equity: Supporting early-career researchers, scholars from underfunded institutions, and independent researchers.

  • Transparency: Ensuring all publication processes are cost-free with no hidden or optional fees.

  • Accessibility: Promoting global readership and open access dissemination.

  • Academic Integrity: Maintaining ethical standards with publication decisions based solely on scholarly quality.

This comprehensive Free Fee Structure guarantees that all stages of manuscript submission, peer review, and publication in PRL are fully free of cost, fostering equitable, ethical, and high-quality research dissemination.

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  • Free Submission, Review & Publication

  • Open Access Policy

  • Licensing & Author Rights

  • Editorial Transparency

This will give you one professional document applicable to multiple journals.