At Power of Knowledge, we are committed to transparency and fairness in all our operations. This Refund and Cancellation Policy has been designed to protect both authors and the journal while maintaining the integrity of the peer-review and publication process. These guidelines outline the terms and conditions governing Article Processing Charges (APC), payment refunds, and manuscript cancellations. We encourage all authors to review these terms carefully before submitting their work.
The Article Processing Charge (APC) is a one-time fee paid by authors to cover peer review, editorial management, website infrastructure, digital archiving, DOI assignment, and long-term preservation. Our payment terms are designed to balance author interests with operational costs incurred during the publication process.
Non-Refundable Nature: Once an article has been accepted and the APC has been paid, no refunds will be granted. This applies even if the author decides to withdraw the manuscript later or if the manuscript is retracted due to academic misconduct, plagiarism, or ethical violations.
Prior to Publication: If an author wishes to withdraw their paper after paying the APC but before the article is officially published online, the payment remains non-refundable. This is because the fee covers administrative, editorial, and technical work already completed.
Rejection: If a manuscript is rejected by the editorial board during the review process, no APC is requested or charged. If a submission fee was paid for the initial review, it is non-refundable regardless of the editorial decision.
Once payment is made, it covers the entire editorial and publication process. The fee is non-refundable as it compensates for work already performed, including peer review coordination, editorial assessment, technical formatting, and administrative processing.
While our standard terms stipulate that APCs are non-refundable, we recognize that exceptional circumstances may warrant special consideration. Refunds will only be considered under these specific circumstances:
Double Payment: If an author accidentally makes a duplicate payment for the same invoice or article, the duplicate amount will be refunded in full. Please contact our finance team immediately with proof of both transactions.
Journal Error: If Power of Knowledge Journal fails to publish the article after acceptance and payment due to a technical error, system failure, or internal issue on our end, a full refund will be processed promptly.
Payment Processing Error: If there is a verified error where the amount charged exceeds the stated APC amount, the excess will be refunded immediately upon verification.
Unauthorized Charges: If you identify unauthorized or fraudulent charges on your account related to our services, please report them immediately for investigation and potential refund.
If you fall under any of these categories, you are eligible for a complete refund. Please contact our finance team at team@powerofknowledge.co.in immediately with your payment proof, transaction ID, and invoice details for prompt processing.
📝 Author Withdrawal
Authors are free to withdraw their manuscript at any stage before the payment of the APC. Once payment is made and the publication process (formatting, proofreading, metadata creation, DOI assignment) begins, the fee is non-refundable even if the author later decides to withdraw the article.
⚖️ Retraction due to Misconduct
If a published paper is retracted or removed due to plagiarism, copyright infringement, unethical research practices, data fabrication, or any form of academic misconduct, no refund will be issued as per our Refund and Cancellation Policy. All submissions are published under Creative Commons licenses, which authors agree to upon submission.
Articles retracted due to academic misconduct are not eligible for any refund. The APC covers peer review, editorial work, and publication infrastructure already utilized, which cannot be reversed or reclaimed.
If you have purchased physical items such as printed hard copies of the journal or hard-copy certificates, the following guidelines apply:
Returns: We do not accept returns of printed materials unless they arrive damaged, defective, or contain printing errors due to our fault.
Damaged Goods: If you receive a damaged or incorrect item, you must report it to us within 7 days of receipt with photographic proof. We will send a replacement copy at no extra cost.
Incorrect Information: If a certificate contains incorrect author information due to an error on our part, we will provide a corrected replacement free of charge upon verification.
Shipping Issues: For lost or undelivered items, contact us within 30 days of the expected delivery date for investigation and resolution.
Monetary refunds for physical goods are generally not provided; only replacements are issued for damaged or defective items within 7 days of receipt with proper documentation and photographic evidence.
If a refund is approved under the exceptions outlined in our Refund and Cancellation Policy (e.g., double payment or journal error), the following timeline applies:
Step 1: Submit Request (0-1 Business Day)
The refund request must be sent via email to team@powerofknowledge.co.in with payment proof, transaction ID, invoice details, and detailed reason for the request.
Step 2: Review & Approval (3-5 Business Days)
Our finance team will review your request and verify all details. Once approved, you will receive a confirmation email, and the refund will be initiated within 5-7 business days.
Step 3: Credit to Account (7-14 Business Days)
The amount will be credited back to the original method of payment (Bank Transfer/Credit Card/Debit Card/UPI). Your bank or payment provider may take additional time (3-7 business days) to reflect the transaction.
Total refund processing may take 7-14 business days from approval to the amount appearing in your account, depending on your bank's processing time. International transactions may require additional time (up to 21 business days).
Authors can cancel their submission at various stages of the publication process. The following guidelines outline the cancellation procedures:
Before Review: Authors can withdraw their manuscript before peer review begins at no charge. Simply notify us via email with your manuscript ID.
During Review: Withdrawal during the peer review process is allowed but may result in a processing fee if significant editorial work has been completed.
After Payment: Once the APC is paid and the article is in production (editing, formatting, DOI assignment), cancellation is not eligible for refund per our stated terms.
After Publication: Once an article is published online with a DOI assigned, it cannot be cancelled or unpublished except through formal retraction procedures as per COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.
To cancel your submission, please send an official email from the corresponding author's registered email address to team@powerofknowledge.co.in with your manuscript ID and detailed reason for cancellation.
