Fee Structure

Fee Structure Policy 

Research Studies of Business

The Research Studies of Business (RSB) journal is committed to promoting high-quality, accessible, and globally inclusive research in business, management, finance, and related fields. Recognizing that financial constraints can limit scholarly participation—particularly for early-career researchers, students, independent scholars, and academics from under-resourced institutions—the journal maintains a comprehensive Free-of-Cost Policy. This policy ensures that neither authors nor readers face financial barriers throughout the submission, peer review, and publication processes.

1. No Submission Fees

RSB does not charge any submission fees. Authors may submit original research articles, review papers, case studies, conceptual frameworks, or applied research without any financial obligation. This policy encourages broad participation and ensures equitable access for researchers from diverse socioeconomic and institutional backgrounds.

2. No Article Processing Charges (APCs)

The journal strictly follows a zero Article Processing Charge (APC) policy. All editorial and publication-related activities—including:

  • Initial manuscript screening,

  • Plagiarism and similarity checks,

  • Double-blind peer review,

  • Revision management, and

  • Final acceptance and preparation—

are provided free of charge. Authors are never required to pay fees, and publication decisions are based exclusively on scholarly merit, originality, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal’s scope.

3. No Publication, Formatting, or Hosting Fees

RSB ensures a fully cost-free publication process. Authors incur no charges for:

  • Copyediting and language refinement

  • Typesetting, formatting, and layout

  • DOI registration and metadata management

  • Online hosting, indexing, and archiving

  • Publication of supplementary materials, datasets, or appendices

  • Inclusion in special issues or thematic editions

If printed copies are produced for institutional distribution or archival purposes, authors are not charged unless additional personal copies are requested.

4. Full Open Access for Readers

The journal follows a full Open Access model, making all published content freely accessible worldwide. Readers can download, cite, and share articles without subscription fees or paywalls. This approach enhances visibility, reach, and scholarly impact, ensuring that business research contributes to academic, professional, and policy-making communities globally.

5. Transparent Institutional and Grant Funding

The operational costs of the journal—including editorial management systems, website hosting, DOI services, digital archiving, and administrative support—are fully funded by the journal’s supporting institution, academic partners, or external grants. This transparent and ethical funding model guarantees that neither authors nor readers bear any financial burden.

6. Promoting Equity and Global Inclusion

The free-of-cost policy ensures that RSB actively supports:

  • Early-career researchers and graduate students

  • Scholars from low-income and developing regions

  • Independent researchers and practitioners

  • Academics from underfunded or emerging institutions

By eliminating economic barriers, the journal fosters a globally inclusive and diverse scholarly community.

7. Long-Term Archiving and Free Access

RSB employs secure digital preservation systems to guarantee permanent, cost-free access to all published content. Past and current issues remain freely accessible to readers worldwide, supporting sustainable dissemination of knowledge and facilitating research, teaching, and professional practice.

8. Licensing, Reuse, and Author Rights

All articles are published under a Creative Commons Open Access License (typically CC BY), allowing users to:

  • Download, reproduce, and distribute content,

  • Use articles for academic, teaching, research, and professional purposes,

  • Adapt, translate, or build upon the work with proper attribution.

Authors retain copyright and may self-archive their work in institutional repositories, professional networks, or personal websites, enhancing visibility and scholarly impact.

9. No Hidden or Optional Fees

The journal maintains full transparency:

  • No hidden charges at any stage

  • No optional paid services

  • No fees for expedited review or special issue inclusion

Editorial and peer-review decisions are based solely on academic quality, independent of financial considerations.

10. Commitment to Ethical, Inclusive, and Accessible Publishing

The free-of-cost policy reflects RSB’s core values: academic integrity, ethical publishing, global accessibility, and inclusive knowledge dissemination. By removing financial barriers for authors and readers, the journal ensures that high-quality business research reaches a wide and diverse audience, contributing to knowledge advancement, professional practice, and policy development.