Article processing charges (APC)

Why an APC exists

Lumora journals are fully open access: no reader, library, or institution ever pays to access an article. Instead of subscriptions, publication is funded by a one-time article processing charge that covers the real costs of publishing — editorial coordination and peer-review management, professional production and formatting, scholarly metadata preparation, DOI registration once the Crossref production workflow is authorized, permanent open-access hosting, and managed backups of the published record (see our Archiving & Preservation Policy).

Launch waivers and promotions

Any temporary launch waiver or promotion will be announced separately with exact dates, eligibility rules, capacity, and written terms. Unless an active announcement says otherwise, the pricing above applies after acceptance. A waiver request or payment status never influences peer review or the editorial decision. See the FAQ for the current position.

What is never charged

• No submission fees — submitting a manuscript for consideration is always free.
• No surcharges — there are no additional charges for figures, tables, colour, supplementary files, or article length.
• No reader fees — access to published articles is free, immediately and permanently.
• No rejection fees — manuscripts that are rejected, or withdrawn before acceptance, incur no charge.

Strict separation from editorial decisions

Editorial decisions at Lumora are based solely on scholarly merit, rigour, and fit with the journal's scope. Ability or willingness to pay plays no role at any stage:

• Handling editors and reviewers do not see payment status, waiver requests, or any billing information.
• The APC invoice is issued only after the editorial decision to accept has been made and communicated.
• Waiver and discount decisions are made by administrative staff, independently of the editorial process.

This separation is consistent with the transparency and best-practice principles of COPE and DOAJ.

Waivers and discounts

Lumora is committed to ensuring that ability to pay never determines the ability to publish. Authors facing genuine financial hardship — including researchers without APC funding, early-career researchers, and authors from low- and middle-income settings — may request a full waiver or a discount by writing to Support@lumora.sa, preferably at the time of submission. Please include a brief explanation of circumstances. Waiver decisions:

• Are made case by case, promptly, and confidentially.
• Are decided independently of the editorial process — editors are not informed of waiver requests or outcomes.
• Have no effect on peer review, editorial handling, or the final decision.

Membership benefits and discount codes

Eligible active Premium memberships receive a 20% APC reduction, and eligible active Pro memberships receive a 50% reduction. Your verified membership class, validity and approved terms are checked when billing is prepared. Custom, Institutional / Enterprise, recognition and earlier memberships follow their recorded terms.

A code entered during submission is checked again before invoicing; a preview alone does not reserve a discount. The accepted invoice records the financial adjustment actually applied. A membership reduction, discount code, waiver and referral credit cannot be combined on one invoice. A full waiver must have a recorded reason; acceptance alone does not make the APC zero. Review your invoice in your account and contact billing if the terms differ from the written agreement.

Invoicing and payment

When your manuscript is accepted, you will receive an APC invoice by email from Support@lumora.sa containing:

• The invoice number and details of the accepted article.
• The full APC, any approved reduction or waiver, its reason, and the final amount in SAR.
• For an applied membership benefit, the membership class and reduction; for an applied discount code, the code itself.
• The charge before VAT, the included VAT at 15%, and the total payable after any approved reduction.
• Bank transfer instructions (IBAN), with a copy of the official IBAN certificate attached for verification.

Payment is due within 72 hours (3 days) of the acceptance invoice, by bank transfer. To proceed to production and publication, reply to the acceptance email with your transfer receipt (screenshot or bank confirmation). Production begins once payment is confirmed. If you anticipate a delay — for example, institutional payment processing — write to us and we will work with you.

Bank details

• Account holder: ABJAD COMPANY FOR RESEARCH AND STUDIES
• Bank: Al Rajhi Bank
• IBAN: SA8080000597608015641615
• Reference: include your invoice number in the transfer reference.

Send payment confirmation and any billing questions to Support@lumora.sa.

Refunds and special cases

• If an accepted article cannot be published for reasons attributable to Lumora, the APC is refunded in full.
• If an article is retracted after publication for research-integrity reasons, the APC is not refunded, consistent with standard practice — see our Corrections & Retractions Policy.
• Corrections to published articles (errata and corrigenda) are always free of charge.

Transparency

Lumora does not levy hidden or surprise charges. The APC amount is published on this page and communicated before acceptance is finalized; the price that applies is the one in force on the date of submission. Any future change to APC levels will be announced on this page in advance and will not apply retroactively to manuscripts already under review.

Last updated: 13 October 2026 · Related: Open Access Policy, Peer Review Policy, Publication Ethics, All Policies