Open Access Policy

  1. Open Access
  2. Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) Open Access Guidelines
  3. Repository Policy
  4. Gold Open Access and Fee Waivers
  5. Refund of Article Processing Charges
  6. Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) Open Access Journals

Open Access
Open access (OA) is the practice of making peer-reviewed scientific material freely available online without access restrictions. Journals offering "gold" open access ensure that all articles are immediately accessible on the publisher's website. The cost of this access is typically covered by an article-processing charge (APC), which is paid by authors, institutions, funding agencies, or sponsors upon acceptance of the paper.

Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) Open Access Guidelines
The Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) adheres to the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) standards. Journals under this framework use open licenses, such as Creative Commons licenses, which allow copyright holders to grant usage rights to third parties.

Benefits of Open Access Publishing
Publishing in open access:

  • Enhances visibility and discoverability of research.
  • Increases readership and citations.
  • Ensures compliance with institutional, sponsor, and open access requirements.

Authors with specific funder open-access requirements, including CC BY mandates, should check whether the journal’s licensing terms meet their funder’s policy before submission.

Open Access Licenses and Copyright
CRI journals follow the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license, which:

  • Permits downloading and sharing of the work with proper attribution.
  • Prohibits commercial use, derivative works, or modifications.

Authors retain copyright in their work and grant the publisher a non-exclusive license to publish, distribute, and archive the article. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Repository Policy
Authors can freely deposit all versions of their articles (submitted, accepted, and published versions) in institutional or other repositories without any embargo period. The Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) journals are archived in the PKP Preservation Network for long-term preservation services.

Gold Open Access and Fee Waivers
Publishing under gold open access requires an Article Processing Charge (APC), ensuring the article remains permanently free for everyone.

  • CRI charges an APC of Rs. 3000 for authors from India and $50 for authors from other countries.
  • CRI offers partial discounts on APCs for authors from low-income economies. Eligibility is based on Research4Life criteria, with Group A countries receiving a discount. For more details, visit the Research4Life eligibility page.
  • Discounts are automatically applied based on the Corresponding Author’s country information.
    CRI has no additional charges, such as editorial processing charges, language editing fees, color charges, submission fees, page charges, membership fees, print subscription costs, or other supplementary charges.

Refund of Article Processing Charges

Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) grants refunds only in the following cases:

  • An error by the publisher prevents manuscript publication.
  • Multiple APC payments are mistakenly made for the same manuscript.

Refunds are not issued if:

  • The author withdraws the manuscript after APC payment.
  • The manuscript is retracted for plagiarism or copyright infringement.

Refunds, if applicable, will be processed within 14 days.

Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) Open Access Journals

  • CRI Publications offers its journals as gold open access and supports an efficient publishing process.
  • Authors are presented with the applicable APC for their chosen journal, with any eligible discounts automatically applied.

Publishing Support
CRI provides a smooth and author-friendly publishing process from submission to final publication. Clear communication and editorial assistance help authors at every stage of the publication journey.

Rigorous Peer Review
All manuscripts undergo a structured peer-review process to ensure academic quality, originality, and relevance. Expert editors and reviewers help maintain the scholarly standards of the journal.

Article Visibility
Open access publishing ensures that articles are freely available to readers worldwide without subscription barriers. This increases the visibility, accessibility, and potential impact of published research.

Journal Portfolio
CRI offers a diverse portfolio of journals covering a wide range of academic disciplines and research areas. This gives authors suitable publication opportunities aligned with their field of study.

Competitive APCs
CRI maintains affordable article processing charges to support wider participation in scholarly publishing. The journal also offers eligible discounts and waivers to make open access more inclusive.