Exploration of Medicine publishes articles under the gold open access model. Once published, articles are immediately available for free without restrictions. After the five-year waiver period ends, starting from February 1, 2025, the journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) of $2,000 per article (excluding taxes). This charge is to cover the costs associated with the entire publication process, including peer review, editing, typesetting, archiving, and overall journal management, thereby ensuring the sustainability of an open access academic exchange platform. APC fees apply only to accepted articles, and authors are not required to pay any other additional fees.

The journal offers APC discounts to authors who have submitted manuscripts during the five-year waiver period, as well as to reviewers. Additionally, the journal provides APC waivers or discounts to authors from low- and lower-middle-income countries. All requests for APC waivers or discounts should be submitted prior to manuscript submission and indicated in the submission comments. It should be noted that requests for the waiver or discount of the APC will not exert any influence on the outcome of the submission. For articles that meet the eligibility criteria for an APC discount, the corresponding discount amount shall be deducted from the invoice, with the amount after discount serving as the final charge.

Contribution Rewards

★ For articles submitted during the waiver period (February 1, 2020 to January 31, 2025) and ultimately accepted for publication, the corresponding author will be granted a 50% APC discount.

★ For articles recognized with the Highly Cited Paper Award, the corresponding author will be granted a 100% APC waiver.

★ Individuals who undertake the review of manuscripts submitted to Open Exploration journals will be granted a 20% APC discount.

Authors who meet the above conditions are required to include the specific DOI of the published article or the manuscript number of the reviewed work in the comments section when submitting their manuscripts.

Discounts for Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries

★ If the corresponding author's country or region is classified as a low-income economy by the World Bank, a 100% APC waiver will be granted. See World Bank Income Classification.

★ If the corresponding author's country or region is classified as a lower-middle-income economy by the World Bank, a 50% APC discount will be granted. See World Bank Income Classification.

Manuscripts that meet the above conditions are required to indicate in the comments section when submitting their manuscripts that they qualify for the journal's APC discount criteria for low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Special Type Waivers

Editorials and corrections are exempt from APC fees. 

Manuscripts that meet the above conditions are required to indicate in the comments section when submitting that it is eligible for an APC waiver in accordance with the journal's criteria.

Case-by-Case Applications

Authors who do not meet the aforementioned conditions but are experiencing financial difficulties and need to apply for a discount should contact the editorial office prior to submission. Each case will be considered individually, and a discount may be granted if there is a genuine financial need. If an APC discount is approved by the journal, the author is requested to indicate in the comments section of the manuscript submission that the manuscript has been granted an APC discount by the journal.

Use of Discounts

APC discounts apply to all Open Exploration journals and can be used across journals.

Discounts cannot be combined; only the highest discount will be applied to a single submission.

Payment Process

Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, the author will be notified to confirm the invoice information and complete the payment. The author, their institution, or employer is responsible for arranging the payment, which should be completed within 10 days of receiving the payment notice. The article will be published only after the payment has been received. Once the APC is paid, it will not be refunded.

Payment Methods

Please transfer the payment to the bank account of Open Exploration. The bank account details are as follows:

Beneficiary's Name and Address: Open Exploration Publishing Inc., 8825 53 Ave, Elmhurst, NY 11373, USA 

Beneficiary's Bank Name and Address: East West Bank, 27421 Hawthorne Boulevard, Palos Verdes, CA 90274, USA

Beneficiary's A/C No.: 80-33014187

SWIFT Code (International): EWBKUS66XXX

Routing Number (Domestic): 322070381

Payment Notice

★ When making the payment, please include the manuscript number (e.g., EM-2024-0341) in the payment remarks to ensure proper processing.

★ The author should bear the payment processing fees to ensure that Open Exploration receives the full invoice amount. For example, if the processing fee is 5%, then a total of $2,100 ($2,000 + 5%) should be paid to ensure that Open Exploration receives $2,000.

★ Please note that we only recognize official invoices issued by Open Exploration (@explorationpub.com). We do not authorize any third parties to collect APCs and are not responsible for their actions.

Article Publishing

★ Publishing Platform & Manuscript Handling System: The journal develops and maintains its own journal website and management system for displaying journal information and publishing articles. Additionally, the journal adopts ScholarOne system as the journal's submission and review system, paying the corresponding service fee.

★ Peer Review: The journal has an internal manuscript handling editorial team responsible for liaising with authors, Editors-in-Chief, editorial board members, and reviewers throughout the peer review process, serving as a bridge to ensure a smooth flow of manuscript.

★ Formatting and Proofreading: The journal has a production editorial team that formats manuscripts to ensure they comply with the journal's specifications.

★ PDF Typesetting and XML Production: The journal provides professional PDF typesetting and XML production services to accommodate various reading and downloading format requirements.

★ Permanent Archiving: The journal provides electronic permanent archiving services. All articles published in the journal are archived at Portico.

Marketing and Dissemination

The journal allocates a portion of its income to promote, including the production and distribution of promotional materials, conference cooperation, sponsorship of academic conferences, organization of academic society activities, and other promotional activities.

Editorial Remuneration

The Editor-in-Chief plays an essential role in ensuring the quality and academic integrity of the journal's content. The journal provides remuneration to the Editor-in-Chief.

Article Awards

The journal establishes annual Highly Cited Paper Award, granting bonuses to authors who win this award to recognize those who publish high-impact articles in the journal.

Third-Party Service and Membership Fees

Fees for publishing services and membership in publishing associations, including Crossref, Portico, Ithenticate, Crossmark, ORCID, STM, COPE, OASPA.

Office and Administrative Expenses

These cover essential operational costs, including but not limited to staff salaries, the purchase of office supplies, office rental or maintenance costs, and other related administrative expenses.