CPRT recognises that the financial circumstances of researchers and academic institutions vary across countries, disciplines, and professional career stages. The journal therefore combines a publicly disclosed publication fee with arrangements for full or partial APC waivers, subject to eligibility assessment and available resources.

This policy explains the journal's publication charges, payment requirements, waiver and discount arrangements, editorial independence, fee transparency, and commitment to responsible open access publishing. Authors are encouraged to review the policy before submitting their manuscripts.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

The standard Article Processing Charge for publication in CPRT is USD 500 per accepted article. The charge becomes applicable only after the manuscript has completed the editorial and assessment procedures appropriate to its article category and has received formal acceptance for publication.

Authors are not required to pay a fee when initially submitting a manuscript or while it is undergoing editorial screening and peer review. Manuscripts that are rejected during editorial screening or after peer review do not incur an APC.

APC revenue supports the journal's scholarly publishing operations, including:

• Editorial administration: Manuscript handling, preliminary editorial assessment, correspondence, and management of the publication workflow.
• Peer-review coordination: Identification and invitation of reviewers, management of review reports, and administration of revision and editorial decision procedures.
• Copyediting and typesetting: Preparation of accepted manuscripts for publication, including linguistic, technical, and editorial production activities.
• Publication identification and metadata: Preparation and maintenance of bibliographic records, including DOI registration and associated metadata services where applicable.
• Online publication infrastructure: Hosting, maintenance, accessibility, and technical administration of the journal's publishing platform.
• Scholarly record management: Activities supporting the integrity, continuity, availability, and appropriate preservation of published scholarly content.

These activities describe the publishing functions supported by the journal's APC model. The specific registration agency used for an article identifier, and the availability or completion of any independent digital preservation service, are determined by the journal's actual publication and preservation arrangements.

Payment of an APC does not influence editorial decisions or guarantee acceptance. Manuscripts are evaluated on their scholarly quality, originality, methodological rigour, and relevance to the journal's academic scope.

Payment Policy

APC invoices are issued only after an article has received formal acceptance for publication. Authors are not asked to pay publication charges as a condition of manuscript submission, reviewer assignment, or the continuation of ordinary peer review.

The payment process follows these principles:

• Formal acceptance: The article must first receive a final acceptance decision from the responsible editor.
• Invoice issuance: Following acceptance, the publisher issues the applicable invoice in accordance with its billing procedures.
• Approved reductions: Any confirmed waiver or discount is reflected in the amount payable, as communicated through the relevant billing arrangements.
• Payment confirmation: Where an APC is payable, payment must be completed and confirmed before the article is published.
• Publication: The accepted article proceeds to publication following completion of the necessary production procedures and applicable payment requirements.

Articles subject to an APC will not be published until the required payment has been confirmed. Where a full waiver has been formally approved, no APC payment is required. Where a partial discount has been approved, the remaining balance must be settled before publication.

Invoices are issued by the publisher and should clearly identify the applicable publication charge and payment instructions. Authors should refer to the official invoice for the amount due and the authorised payment arrangements.

Acceptance for publication and completion of APC payment are distinct stages. An editorial acceptance decision confirms that the manuscript has met the journal's scholarly requirements; publication takes place after the remaining administrative and production conditions have been satisfied.

Waiver and Discount Policy

CPRT recognises that publication charges may create barriers for researchers with limited financial resources, particularly in humanities disciplines where dedicated publication funding may be unavailable. The journal therefore provides opportunities for authors to request a full APC waiver or a partial discount, subject to the journal's eligibility assessment and available resources.

Waivers and discounts are intended to support equitable participation in scholarly publishing while maintaining the financial sustainability of the journal's editorial and publication activities.

Eligibility for Financial Assistance

Applications for full or partial APC assistance may be considered from:

• Researchers from low-income countries: Authors whose research and institutional circumstances reflect significant financial limitations associated with low-income economic settings.
• Researchers from lower-middle-income countries: Authors who lack adequate institutional or external funding to meet the applicable publication charge.
• Early-career researchers: Scholars at an early stage of their academic careers who do not have access to institutional, departmental, or research-grant funding for publication costs.
• Authors experiencing financial hardship: Researchers who can demonstrate circumstances that substantially limit their ability to pay the standard APC.

Eligibility does not automatically guarantee a waiver or discount. Applications are considered according to the circumstances presented, the availability of funding, and the journal's capacity to provide financial assistance.

A limited number of full or partial APC waivers are available each year. The amount of assistance granted may vary according to demonstrated need and available resources. The journal does not guarantee a particular waiver percentage or level of financial support solely on the basis of an applicant's country, employment status, or career stage.

How to Apply for a Waiver or Discount

Authors wishing to request financial assistance should contact the editorial office at the time of manuscript submission or before formal acceptance. Early requests are encouraged so that any approved reduction can be addressed before the publication invoice is issued.

A waiver or discount request should provide:

• The author's name, institutional affiliation where applicable, and contact information.
• The manuscript title and submission reference, where available.
• A clear statement indicating whether a full waiver or a partial discount is requested.
• A concise explanation of the financial circumstances or funding limitations supporting the request.
• Information concerning available institutional, departmental, grant-based, or other publication funding, where relevant.

The editorial office may request additional clarification or reasonable supporting documentation where necessary to assess eligibility. Authors should provide accurate information and notify the office if relevant funding circumstances change before a decision is communicated.

Assessment and Notification

Waiver and discount applications are reviewed confidentially and separately from the scholarly assessment of manuscripts. Applications are considered according to the eligibility criteria, the financial circumstances presented, and the availability of resources.

The editorial office communicates the outcome of the request to the author. Where financial assistance is approved, the notification should specify whether a full waiver or partial discount has been granted and identify the applicable publication charge after the approved reduction.

A waiver decision concerns publication charges only. It does not constitute an editorial decision on the manuscript, an assurance of acceptance, or an exemption from the journal's scholarly and ethical requirements.

Independence of Editorial Decisions

CPRT maintains a clear distinction between scholarly evaluation and financial administration. Editorial decisions are based on the academic quality, originality, methodological soundness, intellectual contribution, and relevance of submitted manuscripts.

An author's ability to pay an APC, source of publication funding, or decision to request a waiver or discount must not influence manuscript assessment, reviewer selection, or acceptance decisions.

Financial considerations must not determine:

• Whether a manuscript is considered suitable for external peer review.
• The appointment or selection of independent reviewers.
• The substance of editorial or peer-review assessments.
• Whether a manuscript receives a decision of acceptance, revision, or rejection.
• The academic standards applied to a submission or the handling of relevant publication-ethics concerns.

Editors and reviewers are expected to evaluate submissions independently of the journal's financial arrangements. Payment information and waiver requests should be handled through appropriate administrative procedures and should not be used to exert pressure on editorial decision-making.

This separation supports the credibility of the journal's peer-review process and ensures that the standards applied to submitted research remain consistent regardless of the financial circumstances of individual authors.

Transparency Commitment

CPRT is committed to clear and accessible disclosure of its publication charges. Authors should be able to identify the standard APC, the stage at which the charge becomes applicable, the availability of financial assistance, and the principal payment conditions before submitting their manuscripts.

The journal's fee transparency commitments include:

• Public disclosure of the standard APC on the journal website.
• Clear confirmation that no manuscript submission or peer-review fee is charged.
• Public availability of the journal's waiver and discount eligibility arrangements.
• Communication of the applicable amount due following acceptance and any approved reduction.
• Advance public notification of changes to the journal's standard publication fee structure.
• Consistent publication-charge information across relevant author instructions and journal policy pages.

CPRT does not impose undisclosed submission, review, or additional publication charges under its stated APC policy. Any changes to applicable journal charges should be communicated clearly before they take effect.

Authors should rely on the published APC policy and the official invoice issued following acceptance. Questions concerning the amount payable, waiver decisions, or payment procedures may be directed to the editorial office.

Commitment to Responsible Open Access

CPRT regards responsible open access publishing as an important means of supporting scholarly communication, academic participation, and the circulation of research across geographical and institutional boundaries. The journal seeks to balance the financial requirements of scholarly publishing with the need to reduce unnecessary barriers to participation.

The APC framework contributes to the operation of the journal's editorial and publication services, while the waiver and discount arrangements provide a mechanism for considering the needs of authors who lack sufficient financial support.

Through this policy, CPRT seeks to:

• Support rigorous editorial practice: Maintain responsible manuscript administration, independent scholarly assessment, and appropriate production standards.
• Promote financial transparency: Communicate publication charges and relevant payment conditions clearly to prospective authors.
• Encourage equitable participation: Consider financial assistance for eligible researchers facing significant publication-funding limitations.
• Maintain open access to published research: Make scholarly articles freely available to readers worldwide without subscription or reader access charges.
• Advance intercultural scholarship: Facilitate research exchange among philosophical and religious traditions, academic institutions, and intellectual communities.
• Respect author rights: Support author copyright retention and the responsible reuse of published research under the journal's open access licence.

Articles published in CPRT are made openly available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), subject to separately identified third-party rights. Authors retain copyright in their original scholarly contributions in accordance with the journal's Copyright & Licensing Policy.

The journal's commitments to open access, editorial independence, responsible scholarly communication, and appropriate preservation of the academic record are further described in its Open Access Policy, Publication Ethics Policy, and Archiving & Digital Preservation Policy.