IJSMT operates under a publication model in which Article Processing Charges are applied to support the costs associated with editorial management and scholarly dissemination. The APC enables the journal to maintain peer review integrity, digital publication infrastructure, long-term archiving, and open access availability of published research.

The APC is a processing and publication charge applied per accepted manuscript. The fee is assessed for editorial handling, peer review coordination, plagiarism screening, technical formatting, DOI registration, online hosting, indexing preparation, and administrative operations. The APC is not a subscription fee and is not linked to journal access, as all published articles are made available openly.

Authors are required to remit the APC only after formal acceptance of the manuscript. Payment instructions are communicated by the editorial office upon acceptance. Manuscripts are not scheduled for publication until the APC payment is successfully received and verified.

Payment of the APC does not influence editorial decisions. All manuscripts submitted to IJSMT undergo independent editorial screening and peer review based solely on academic merit, originality, relevance, and ethical compliance. Acceptance or rejection decisions are made prior to and independently of any financial transaction.

Once paid, the APC is treated as final and applies to the services already rendered and administrative processes initiated by the journal. APC payments are not subject to refund or transfer, irrespective of subsequent author decisions, withdrawal requests, or disagreements arising after acceptance.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that APC payments are made accurately and in accordance with the instructions provided by IJSMT. The journal is not liable for errors arising from incorrect payment amounts, duplicate transactions, or payments made without completing the required acceptance formalities.

IJSMT does not provide automatic APC waivers or discounts. Any fee adjustments, if applicable, are determined solely at the discretion of the journal and must be formally communicated in writing by the editorial office prior to payment. Informal requests or assumptions of waiver are not recognized.

APC payments may be made by authors, institutions, funding agencies, or sponsoring bodies. Regardless of the payer, the responsibility for compliance with journal policies and ethical standards remains with the author(s).

Submission of a manuscript to IJSMT constitutes acknowledgment that the author(s) have reviewed and accepted the APC structure and payment conditions. Completion of APC payment confirms agreement with this policy and related publication terms.

IJSMT reserves the right to revise the APC structure or policy at any time to reflect operational or regulatory changes. The version published on the official journal website shall be considered authoritative and applicable.