Open Access Policy

Purpose

Impact Compass Journals is committed to the free and universal dissemination of scholarly research. This Open Access Policy ensures that all published articles are immediately and permanently available online, without subscription or access barriers, to maximise the visibility, accessibility, and impact of the research.

  1. Open Access Model
  • All research articles published in Impact Compass Journals are fully open access and are made freely available to read, download, and share immediately upon publication.
  • The journal follows the “Gold” Open Access model, meaning the final published version of all articles is accessible without restrictions on the journal’s website.
  1. Licensing and Copyright
  • Articles are published under an open license, typically the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
  • Authors retain the copyright of their work, granting Impact Compass Journals a license to publish and distribute the article.
  • Licensing terms are clearly indicated in each published article and on the journal website.
  1. Author Responsibilities and Rights
  • Authors are encouraged to deposit their published articles in institutional or subject repositories (self-archiving, “Green” Open Access) in addition to publication on the journal website.
  • Authors must ensure that their submissions do not infringe on copyright and that all co-authors have agreed to the publication and open-access terms.
  1. Article Processing Charges (APCs)
  • To support open access, an Article Processing Charge (APC) may be required. APC that will be charged will be 60USD for African Authors and 150USD for Non African Authors.
  • Authors are encouraged to include publication costs in funding applications, and Impact Compass Journals may offer support or waivers in cases of financial need.
  1. Data Sharing and Research Transparency
  • Authors are encouraged to make the underlying data, materials, and protocols openly available in recognized repositories to enhance the transparency and reproducibility of research findings.
  • Any restrictions on data availability must be disclosed at the time of submission and noted in the published article.
  1. Compliance and Advocacy
  • Impact Compass Journals supports compliance with funder and institutional open-access mandates, including requirements for repository deposit and embargo periods, as applicable.
  • The journal advocates open access and provides guidance to authors on meeting open-access requirements.
  1. Policy Review
  • This policy is regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with evolving best practices, funder requirements, and international standards in open access publishing.

Impact Compass Journals is dedicated to advancing open science and ensuring that research outputs are freely accessible to the global scholarly community, fostering innovation and collaboration, and the widest possible dissemination of knowledge.