Author Policies
- Open Access Policy
- Licensing Policy
- Copyright Policy
- Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
- Data Sharing Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
- Plagiarism Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Human and Animal Rights Policy
- Check List
- Manuscript Preparation
- Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
- Article Processing Charge (APC)
- Sample Paper
- Article Processing Charge Waiver Policy
- English Language Editing
- Rights and Grants to the Author
- Submission of Manuscript
- Author’s Agreement Form
- Withdrawal Policy
1. Open Access Policy
The African Journal of Chemistry operates under an Open Access model, ensuring that all articles published are freely available to researchers, practitioners, and academics worldwide. This allows for increased visibility and impact of your work while retaining copyright under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). Authors are encouraged to share their findings to facilitate global knowledge exchange.
2. Licensing Policy
Upon publication, articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 International License. This grants permission for others to share, reuse, and remix the work as long as the original author is properly credited. This licensing model promotes the dissemination of research globally, empowering others to build upon your findings.
3. Copyright Policy
Authors retain copyright to their work even after publication, but grant the journal the right to distribute and publish the article under an open-access license. This ensures that authors maintain control over their intellectual property while making their work freely accessible to the global community.
4. Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
If significant errors are found in a published article, or if unethical practices are identified, the African Journal of Chemistry will issue Errata, Corrigenda, or Retractions. These actions ensure that the scientific record is accurate, reliable, and up-to-date, maintaining the integrity of academic publishing.
5. Data Sharing Policy
The journal encourages open sharing of underlying research data. Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit their datasets in publicly accessible repositories. This supports transparency, enhances reproducibility, and allows others to verify or build upon your work, fostering a more open and collaborative research environment.
6. Withdrawal Policy
A manuscript may only be withdrawn from submission under exceptional circumstances, such as significant errors or ethical concerns. Once accepted for publication, withdrawal is generally not permitted unless there are major ethical issues that compromise the integrity of the study.
7. Plagiarism Policy
The African Journal of Chemistry has a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism. All manuscripts undergo plagiarism detection before publication, and any work found to be plagiarized will be immediately rejected. Authors are required to properly cite sources and ensure that their work is original and free from academic misconduct.
8. Complaints Policy
The journal provides a transparent process for addressing complaints regarding the editorial process, peer review, or other aspects of publication. Authors, reviewers, and readers can file complaints, which will be investigated promptly by the editorial board. This policy ensures that any concerns are addressed with fairness and transparency.
9. Human and Animal Rights Policy
Research involving human participants or animals must comply with ethical guidelines, and the study must have been approved by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board. Authors are required to confirm informed consent from participants and ensure the humane treatment of animals in their research.
10. Check List
To help streamline the submission process, the African Journal of Chemistry provides a submission checklist. This checklist includes all required sections of a manuscript—such as abstract, introduction, methods, results, and references—to ensure that submissions are complete and adhere to the journal’s formatting guidelines. Completing this checklist helps avoid delays during the review process.
11. Manuscript Preparation
Authors must adhere to the journal's submission guidelines for manuscript preparation. The article should be formatted according to the journal’s style, including clear structure, correct referencing, and high-quality figures and tables. Failure to follow these guidelines may result in a delay or rejection of the manuscript.
12. Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
For studies involving human participants, informed consent must be obtained from all individuals involved, and their privacy must be protected. Ethical approval from a recognized ethics committee is required, and authors must ensure that participant confidentiality is maintained throughout the research process.
13. Article Processing Charge (APC)
Accepted articles incur an Article Processing Charge (APC), which covers the costs of peer review, editing, and publication. Information on APC fees can be found on the journal’s website. However, APC waivers are available for authors from low-income countries or those facing financial difficulties.
14. Sample Paper
The African Journal of Chemistry provides a sample paper to help authors properly format their manuscripts. The sample demonstrates the correct structure, formatting, and organization of the title page, abstract, headings, references, figures, and tables. Authors are encouraged to follow this example closely to ensure that their submission meets all necessary standards.
15. Article Processing Charge Waiver Policy
Authors from low-income countries or those facing financial hardship may be eligible for an APC waiver. Authors who wish to apply for a waiver should request it during the submission process by providing justification. Each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the editorial team.
16. English Language Editing
To ensure clarity and readability, English language editing services are available for authors whose first language is not English. These services help improve the manuscript’s language quality, ensuring it meets the journal's editorial standards and increases the likelihood of acceptance.
17. Rights and Grants to the Author
Authors retain full copyright to their work but grant the African Journal of Chemistry a non-exclusive license to publish the article. Authors are free to reuse the work in future publications, provided proper citation to the journal is made. This grants authors the flexibility to repurpose their research while maximizing its dissemination.
18. Submission of Manuscript
All manuscripts must be submitted via the African Journal of Chemistry's online submission system. Authors must ensure that their manuscript is properly formatted and that all required documentation is uploaded. The system allows for efficient submission, tracking, and peer review.
19. Author’s Agreement Form
Before publication, authors are required to sign an Author’s Agreement Form, which affirms that the manuscript is original, has not been published elsewhere, and complies with all ethical guidelines. The form also grants the journal the right to publish and distribute the article under an open-access model.
20. Withdrawal Policy
As mentioned earlier, the African Journal of Chemistry has a strict withdrawal policy. Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript after submission must provide a valid reason. Withdrawals are allowed in exceptional circumstances, but authors are discouraged from withdrawing once their manuscript is in the peer review or publication stages.
