Refund Policy

1. Introduction
The Unique Journal of Artificial Intelligence (UJAI) is committed to providing high-quality academic publishing services to its authors, subscribers, and institutions. This Refund Policy outlines the conditions under which a refund may be issued, along with the procedures for requesting and processing refunds.

2. Types of Payments and Refund Eligibility
Refunds are applicable to the following types of payments made to the journal:

  • Article Processing Charges (APC): Fees paid by authors for processing their articles for publication.

  • Subscription Fees: Payments made for institutional or individual subscriptions to receive printed or digital copies of the journal.

  • Additional Printing Charges: Payments for additional printed copies beyond those provided to authors or subscribers.

Refunds are not applicable to other services not listed above.

3. Refund Conditions
Refunds may be requested under the following circumstances:

  • Author Withdrawal Before Acceptance: If the author requests to withdraw the manuscript before it has been accepted for publication, the Article Processing Charges (APC) may be refunded. A full refund will be issued if the withdrawal request is received before the manuscript undergoes peer review or editorial processing.

  • Duplicate Payment: If an author or subscriber accidentally makes a duplicate payment, the duplicate payment will be refunded once the issue is confirmed and verified by the editorial office.

  • Technical or System Errors: If payment was made due to a technical error or system malfunction, UJAI will refund the amount in full upon confirmation of the issue.

  • Subscription Cancellation: If a subscriber wishes to cancel their subscription before the journal issue has been sent or made available, they are eligible for a refund. However, if the journal issue has already been dispatched or made available online, no refund will be provided.

  • Payment for Non-Published Work: If the manuscript was accepted and payment was made, but the manuscript is later found to be unfit for publication due to ethical issues or rejection by the editorial board after final submission, a partial refund may be considered at the discretion of the editorial office.

4. Non-Refundable Fees
Refunds will not be issued in the following situations:

  • After Acceptance: Once an article has been accepted for publication and the production process has begun, the Article Processing Charge (APC) is non-refundable.

  • Post-Print or Digital Publication: If the article has been published (either in print or online), no refund will be issued for the APC or any related fees.

  • Subscription after Delivery: Once a subscription fee has been processed and the journal issue has been delivered (printed or digital), no refund will be issued, unless there is an error with the delivery or the issue was not available.

  • Withdrawal After Peer Review: If the manuscript has undergone peer review, and the author withdraws the manuscript after the peer review process has begun, the APC will not be refunded.

5. Refund Process
To request a refund, authors, subscribers, or institutions must:

  • Submit a formal refund request via email to the editorial office at [Insert contact email].

  • Include the payment receipt, details of the payment (date, amount, and method), and the reason for the refund request.

  • Ensure that the request is made within 30 days of the original payment date (for subscriptions and APCs).

Upon receipt of the refund request, UJAI will review the case and confirm eligibility for a refund within 7–10 business days. If the refund is approved, it will be processed and credited back to the original method of payment.

6. Processing Time
Refunds will be processed within 10–14 business days of the approval of the refund request. The exact processing time may vary depending on the payment method used and the financial institution involved.

7. Partial Refunds
In some cases, such as article withdrawal after peer review, a partial refund may be issued at the discretion of the editorial office. The amount of the refund will depend on the stage of the publishing process and the amount of work already undertaken.

8. Disputes
If there are any disputes or concerns regarding the refund request or its processing, the author or subscriber may contact the editorial office. A formal review of the dispute will be conducted, and a decision will be communicated within 14 business days.