Global Research & Publishing Database (GRPD) maintains a transparent and fair refund policy regarding publication fees, including Article Processing Charges (APCs). This policy explains the circumstances under which payments may or may not be eligible for refund.

GRPD carefully evaluates each refund request to ensure fair treatment of authors while covering the administrative and editorial services already provided during the publication process.

1. General Refund Policy

Publication fees are charged only after a manuscript has completed the required editorial evaluation and has been accepted for publication.

Authors should review the publication fee structure and payment policies before completing payment.

2. Eligible Refund Situations

A refund may be considered under the following circumstances:

• Duplicate Payment: When an author accidentally makes the same payment more than once for the same manuscript.
• Payment Error: When a payment is received incorrectly due to a technical or processing error.
• Publication Failure Caused by GRPD: When publication cannot proceed due to an error or issue caused solely by GRPD.

All refund requests are subject to review and approval by the GRPD editorial and administrative team.

3. Non-Refundable Situations

Publication fees are generally non-refundable in the following circumstances:

• The article has already been published.
• The author requests withdrawal after final acceptance and completion of publication processing.
• The author changes their decision after editorial services have been provided.
• The author fails to provide required documents, revisions, or final publication materials.
• The author does not respond to editorial communication within the required timeframe.
• The manuscript is withdrawn due to author-related reasons after processing has started.

4. Manuscript Rejection and Refunds

GRPD does not require payment before editorial acceptance. Therefore, if a manuscript is rejected during the review process, no publication fee refund is applicable because no APC payment is requested before acceptance.

5. Withdrawal After Acceptance

If an author requests withdrawal after acceptance and payment, the refund eligibility will depend on the stage of publication processing.

Where editorial, formatting, production, or publication services have already been completed, fees may not be refundable.

6. Refund Request Process

Authors requesting a refund must submit a written request to the GRPD editorial office.

The request should include:

• Manuscript title.
• Manuscript ID (if available).
• Corresponding author's name and contact information.
• Payment receipt or transaction details.
• Reason for requesting a refund.

Refund requests should normally be submitted within 30 days of the payment date.

7. Refund Processing

Approved refunds will be processed through the original payment method where possible.

Processing time may vary depending on the payment provider, banking system, and administrative procedures.

Any transaction charges or fees imposed by payment providers may be deducted from the refunded amount where applicable.

8. Editorial Independence

Payment of publication fees does not influence editorial decisions. Manuscripts are evaluated based on scientific quality, originality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal scope.

By submitting a manuscript and completing payment, authors acknowledge that they have read, understood, and agreed to the GRPD Refund Policy.