Open Access Policy

At Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences, we are committed to ensuring that the latest research in sociology and political science is accessible to scholars, policymakers, and the general public, free of cost and without barriers. Our Open Access policy aligns with our mission to promote knowledge dissemination and academic engagement on a global scale.

What is Open Access?

Open Access (OA) refers to the practice of providing unrestricted, free online access to scholarly research. Articles published in Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences are made freely available to anyone with an internet connection, allowing for greater visibility, wider readership, and higher impact. This policy supports the democratization of knowledge by removing paywalls and subscription fees that traditionally limit access to academic content.

Our Open Access Commitment

  • No Subscription Fees: All content published in Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences is free to access and download, ensuring that everyone—regardless of location or institutional affiliation—can engage with the research we publish.
  • Immediate Availability: Upon publication, articles are immediately accessible to anyone with internet access. This ensures that the research is available in real-time to inform policy debates, academic discussions, and societal challenges.
  • Creative Commons Licensing: All articles published in our journal are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License. This allows others to share, distribute, and adapt the work, as long as they provide proper attribution to the original author(s). This encourages further collaboration and dissemination of knowledge.

Benefits of Open Access

  • Global Reach: By removing access barriers, our open access policy ensures that research reaches a broader, more diverse audience, including policymakers, practitioners, students, and the general public.
  • Increased Citation Impact: Studies have shown that open access articles tend to be cited more often due to their widespread availability. Publishing with us ensures your research gets the visibility it deserves.
  • Promoting Knowledge Sharing: Open access fosters greater collaboration between scholars, institutions, and industries, which is especially crucial for interdisciplinary fields like sociology and political science. It allows for the rapid exchange of ideas and findings across geographic and institutional boundaries.
  • Enhancing Academic and Societal Impact: Research that is freely accessible can influence public discourse, inform policymaking, and contribute to societal progress. Open access ensures that knowledge is not confined to those with access to expensive academic journals or subscriptions.

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

To support our open access model, Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences applies Article Processing Charges (APCs) to cover the costs of publishing and maintaining the journal. These fees contribute to the peer review process, article formatting, hosting, and other publishing services.

  • APC for Accepted Articles: $150 per article
  • Waivers and Discounts: We offer waivers and discounts for authors from low-income countries or in special circumstances. If you require a waiver or discount, please contact us at prithivraj@scientificforefront.org for further details.

Archiving and Accessibility

  • All articles published in Forefront in Sociology & Political Sciences are archived in open repositories to ensure long-term availability and accessibility.
  • We deposit all articles in DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) and other relevant open access archives, ensuring that the research is indexed and can be found easily by scholars worldwide.

Self-Archiving and Preprints

We support authors in sharing their research widely and early. Authors are encouraged to upload their articles to their institutional repositories or preprint servers prior to submission or after publication. This is in line with the journal’s open access principles and enhances the reach and visibility of the research.

  • Authors can also share their articles on personal websites, institutional repositories, or academic social networks like ResearchGate or Academia.edu, as long as they comply with the Creative Commons license.

Sustainability of Our Open Access Model

Our journal strives to maintain financial sustainability while keeping research freely accessible. We are committed to ensuring that all our publication costs are met without compromising our open access mission. We actively seek funding from external sources, including grants, sponsorships, and partnerships, to support the ongoing development of our open access model.

Access to Supplementary Materials

In addition to full-text articles, we encourage authors to upload supplementary materials such as datasets, additional figures, or multimedia files to ensure that all aspects of the research are accessible. These materials are also made available under the same open access terms.

For any questions regarding inquiries about Article Processing Charges (APCs), please contact us at prithivraj@scientificforefront.org.