Author Policies
- Open Access Policy
- Copyright Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
- Data Sharing Policy
- Plagiarism Policy
- Rights and Grants to the Author
- Human and Animal Rights Policy
- Submission of Manuscript
- Licensing Policy
- Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
- Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
- Manuscript Preparation
- APC Waiver Policy
- Check List
- Digital Preservation
- Sample Paper
- Article Processing Charge
- Author’s Agreement Form
- English Language Editing
- Complaints Policy
1. Open Access Policy
The African Journal of Physics provides immediate open access to its content, ensuring that all published articles are freely available to the global research community without subscription fees. Authors retain the right to share, distribute, and reuse their work under the specified licensing agreements.
2. Copyright Policy
Authors publishing in AJP transfer copyright of the article to the journal while retaining moral rights to their work. The copyright allows the journal to manage distribution, reuse, and archiving, ensuring that the research remains widely accessible.
3. Withdrawal Policy
A submitted manuscript may only be withdrawn before the review process begins. Authors must provide a written request stating valid reasons for withdrawal. Unauthorized or unethical withdrawal during the review or publication stages may result in sanctions, including a ban on future submissions.
4. Data Sharing Policy
AJP encourages authors to make their research data publicly available whenever possible, promoting transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration. Authors may include data availability statements and provide links to repositories where supplementary material is hosted.
5. Plagiarism Policy
All submissions undergo plagiarism detection software to ensure originality. AJP has a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism, including self-plagiarism. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized material are rejected immediately, and authors may be barred from submitting to the journal in the future.
6. Rights and Grants to the Author
Authors retain significant rights, including the ability to reuse their published work for educational, research, and non-commercial purposes. AJP provides authors with grants for certain permissions while ensuring the published content adheres to ethical and licensing policies.
7. Human and Animal Rights Policy
For studies involving human participants or animals, authors must include ethical approval details and comply with relevant institutional and international guidelines. Manuscripts that fail to demonstrate adherence to these standards will not be considered for publication.
8. Submission of Manuscript
Manuscripts must be submitted electronically via the journal’s online submission portal. Authors are required to follow submission guidelines meticulously to ensure compatibility with the journal's review and formatting processes.
9. Licensing Policy
All content published in AJP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), allowing unrestricted reuse with proper attribution to the original work. Authors are required to agree to the terms during the submission process.
10. Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
Manuscripts involving human participants must include a statement affirming that informed consent was obtained, and participants' privacy was respected. Identifying details must be anonymized unless explicit permission is provided by the participants.
11. Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
AJP is committed to maintaining accuracy and transparency. Errata are issued for minor corrections, corrigenda for author errors, and retractions for significant issues that invalidate research findings. The editorial board reviews all cases to ensure proper resolution.
12. Manuscript Preparation
Authors must prepare their manuscripts following the journal's formatting guidelines, including font, citation styles, and figure standards. Manuscripts not meeting these requirements may be returned for revisions before review.
13. APC Waiver Policy
To support equitable access to publishing opportunities, AJP provides fee waivers or discounts for authors from low-income countries or in cases of financial hardship. Authors can apply for a waiver during the submission process.
14. Check List
Authors are required to complete a submission checklist to ensure that their manuscript adheres to the journal’s guidelines. This checklist includes formatting, ethical compliance, proper citations, and necessary declarations.
15. Digital Preservation
AJP employs digital preservation systems to ensure the long-term availability and accessibility of its published content. Backup systems and archiving processes are in place to protect against data loss.
16. Sample Paper
Authors are encouraged to refer to the journal's sample paper, available on the website, for guidance on formatting and structuring their submissions. The sample paper serves as a model to ensure consistency in published articles.
17. Article Processing Charge
AJP charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) to cover the cost of peer review, editing, and open access publication. The APC ensures that research is freely available to readers worldwide. Authors will receive an invoice upon acceptance of their manuscript.
18. Author’s Agreement Form
Authors must sign an agreement form confirming their adherence to the journal's policies, including originality, ethical standards, and licensing terms. The form is required before a manuscript can proceed to publication.
19. English Language Editing
Authors whose primary language is not English are encouraged to use professional editing services to enhance the clarity and grammatical quality of their manuscripts. The journal may recommend services but does not provide editing assistance.
20. Complaints Policy
The journal welcomes feedback and handles complaints promptly and transparently. Authors, reviewers, or readers can submit complaints about editorial decisions, ethical issues, or procedural errors to the editorial office. Complaints are resolved in accordance with COPE guidelines.
