Membership FAQ

Yes. The system automatically saves your entered information in real time as you progress through the submission steps. To resume your submission, simply log back in and go to "My Manuscripts" > "New Submission" > "Incomplete Submissions". Locate your unfinished draft and click "Continue Submission" to proceed from your last saved step.

After logging into the IUASP submission system, go to "My Manuscripts". You will see the current status of each submission listed there. To view full details, click the corresponding Manuscript ID. To track how your manuscript is progressing, click "History", where you can see the timeline and timestamps for each stage of the workflow.

If you experience upload or submission issues, start by refreshing the page or logging out and back in, which resolves most temporary system errors.

Before resubmitting, make sure your internet connection is stable and that your files meet the system requirements: normal formats are .doc, .docx, or .pdf, and file size should generally not exceed 20 MB unless otherwise stated on the submission page.

If the problem persists, try switching to a different browser. Should the issue remain unresolved, contact your Dedicated Customer Service and provide a screenshot of the error, your browser information, and a detailed description to help us assist you as quickly as possible.

It depends on where your manuscript is in the submission process. Prior to peer review, the Editor-in-Chief or an Academic Editor may recommend transfer if the manuscript is not the best fit for the journal's scope or if its scientific contribution would be better suited elsewhere. Once the manuscript enters peer review, a reviewer may advise transfer to a more appropriate journal in their review comments.

The author retains full authority to accept or decline a transfer suggestion. Editors-in-Chief, Academic Editors, and reviewers may recommend transfer if they believe your manuscript would be better suited to another journal, as a suggestion for your consideration. You are free to decide whether to accept or decline the recommendation based on your research plans and priorities.

The platform supports one-click manuscript transfer. Manuscript files and existing review materials are migrated directly to the target Member Journal without the need to re-upload files or re-enter information, saving substantial time and effort. Any peer review reports already completed will be forwarded to the new journal, where the editorial team will consider and may incorporate them, avoiding duplicate review and shortening the time to acceptance. Transfer suggestions are made by Editors-in-Chief, Academic Editors or reviewers based on subject alignment and manuscript quality, improving chances of being sent for review and acceptance, and helping research outputs find the appropriate publication platform quickly and accurately.

The transfer process starts when the original journal's editorial team proposes a transfer suggestion based on manuscript's alignment with the journal's scope or review outcomes. If the author accepts the suggestion, the manuscript and all supporting materials will be transferred to the target Member Journal with one click. The receiving journal processes transferred manuscripts under two scenarios:

(1) Transfer without existing peer review comments: The manuscript is treated as a brand new submission and undergoes the full peer review workflow;

(2) Transfer with prior peer review comments: The receiving journal's editorial team assesses the original review reports. If the reports are deemed valuable, the comments may be adopted or consolidated, and the author asked to revise the manuscript and resubmit within the specified timeframe. If additional reviewer perspectives are needed or parts of the prior comments are considered inadequate, new reviewers will be invited and the peer review process will restart.

To safeguard academic fairness and operational sustainability, IUASP does not offer APC waivers or discounts of any kind. This policy applies uniformly to all authors. All APC revenue is used exclusively to support core publishing operations including peer review, platform maintenance, editorial services and long-term article preservation, to ensure the quality of the papers and the permanence of open access.

We encourage authors to consult their home institution or research project for available open access publishing support. Thank you for your understanding and support.

Once your APC payment is successfully processed, the system automatically activates your withdrawal access and adds 5 review slots to your account. You will receive an email notification once this is complete. To confirm, log in and go to the "Payout Center" to check that the withdrawal eligibility is enabled. You can also visit the "Summary page" and verify that Available Review Slots has increased by 5.

No. All authors may register and complete "My Preference" to apply for Certified Member status. Once approved, each Certified Member is granted 5 review slots. However, for each APC-paid manuscript, only one Certified Member may be designated to receive withdrawal eligibility activation and additional review slots.

During manuscript submission, the submitting author designates the beneficiary (either the corresponding author or any co-author). This designation is deemed to have been confirmed and authorized by all authors and is final. After the manuscript is accepted and the APC is successfully paid, the system activates withdrawal eligibility and adds 5 review slots for the designated author.

Reviewers are required to complete their review reports within the review period they selected. The system allows reviewers to choose a review period of 2, 4, 7, 10 or 14 days. Timely submission contributes to a higher review efficiency score, which serves as an important reference for editors when assessing reviewer performance. Higher scores improve your chances of being invited to review in the future.

If you are unable to complete the review within the selected period due to special circumstances, please contact the journal editor by email to request an extension. Please note that once a review invitation is accepted, the system-set deadline cannot be changed. Even if the editor approves an extension, your review efficiency score will still be calculated based on the original deadline. Reviewers are therefore encouraged to choose a realistic review period and submit on time whenever possible.

The system automatically matches manuscript keywords with the review interests filled in your profile, generating a list of potential reviewers ranked by relevance. Editors may also perform manual searches using keywords or names, with results similarly sorted by relevance. This dual matching mechanism helps ensure you receive review invitations that closely align with your expertise.

Not receiving invitations is usually related to how reviewers are matched and the volume of submissions in your research area.

The system identifies potential reviewers by matching manuscript keywords with the Review Interests filled in your "My Preference" profile. When inviting reviewers, editors also consider match relevance, the reviewer's current availability status (which must be set to "Available"), and past review performance (quality and efficiency scores). Please note that if your research focuses on a highly specialized or emerging topic, the number of relevant submissions may be limited, which can also result in fewer invitations.

To improve your chances of being invited:

(1) Complete your Review Interests as comprehensively and descriptively as possible to expand the range of manuscripts you may be matched with;

(2) Make sure your reviewer status is set to "Available";

(3) Maintain a record of high-quality, timely reviews to increase your priority in editors' invitation lists.

Once the editorial team has received enough review reports to make a decision on a manuscript, the corresponding review channel will close automatically. The system notifies reviewers who have not yet submitted reports that further submission is no longer required. This helps prevent unnecessary delays in the editorial process due to overdue reports.

We therefore encourage reviewers to plan their review work and submit reports on time after accepting an invitation. Timely submissions ensure that your expert review input can inform editorial decisions and that your reviewing contributions receive proper recognition.

Once your review report has been submitted and a final decision has been made on the manuscript, you may download your Reviewer Certificate. Simply log in, go to "My Review" > "All Manuscripts" > "Archived", find the corresponding manuscript and download your certificate from the detail page.

If you are not receiving system emails, please try the following:

(1) Check your spam or junk folder to see if the message was misclassified;

(2) Add our system email address admin@iuasp.org, to your safe senders list (whitelist);

(3) If the issue persists, contact your Dedicated Customer Service for assistance.

Once a manuscript submitted to a Member Journal is accepted and the APC is fully paid, the system activates withdrawal eligibility for the pre-designated beneficiary (corresponding author or one co-author) and adds 5 additional review slots to their account.

If you have used up your available review slots, you can earn additional ones by submitting a manuscript to a Member Journal. Once your manuscript is accepted and the APC has been successfully paid, 5 additional review slots will be credited to your account. If your withdrawal eligibility has not yet been activated, it will be enabled at the same time.

No, they will not. All review slots granted to you remain permanently valid.

Yes. All review slots accumulate in your account. This includes slots granted when you become a Certified Member and those earned by publishing a manuscript once the APC has been successfully paid. You can view your total available review slots in the "Reviewer Zone" on your "Summary" page.

Review rewards are issued only when both of the following conditions are met:

(1) Your review has been adopted by the Academic Editor;

(2) A final decision has been made on the manuscript.

Once these conditions are satisfied, the reward will be automatically credited to your account in the pending withdrawal state. If you already have withdrawal eligibility, you may withdraw the rewards at any time. If the withdrawal eligibility has not yet been activated, you will need to activate it before requesting a withdrawal.

Review slots deduction is an automatic system trigger upon review report submission and operates independently of whether your review comments are adopted. Once deducted, slots cannot be reinstated.

If your slots were deducted but no reward was issued, it is usually because the manuscript is still under review and a final decision has not yet been made, or because your review comments were not adopted. Review comments that meet academic and ethical standards are generally adopted in editorial decisions. However, review comments involving academic misconduct or severe violations of review guidelines will not be considered, and no reward will be issued. You can check the manuscript's current status and reward status at any time on the "My Review" > "All Manuscripts" page.

No. Only one review slot is deducted per manuscript, and only upon submission of the first round review report. If you're invited to review revised versions of the same manuscript, no further slots will be deducted. This is designed to protect your reviewing resources and avoid unnecessary consumption of your review slots.

Yes. If the original journal editorial team adopts your reviewer's comments, the review is considered valid. Once the original journal has reached a final decision, the review reward will be automatically issued. If the manuscript is successfully transferred to another Member Journal, you will receive an email notification with the new manuscript ID, so you are aware you may be invited to review it again.

Whether you receive a reward depends on the manuscript's status at the time of withdrawal.

(1) If your review was adopted: If the Academic Editor has reviewed and adopted your review report before manuscript withdrawal, your review is deemed a valid contribution and the review reward will be issued;

(2) If your review was not yet adopted: If the manuscript is withdrawn before the academic editor has reviewed and adopted your report, the review process will be discontinued. Your review slot will be automatically reinstated, and no reward will be issued for that review.

If you have not yet activated withdrawal eligibility, you can view and accumulate your rewards, but you cannot withdraw them. To activate withdrawal eligibility, you need to submit a manuscript to a Member Journal. Once the manuscript is accepted and the APC has been successfully paid, withdrawal eligibility will be activated automatically. For further details, please refer to the Membership Guide.

Withdrawals are initiated via the "Payout Center" page. After logging in, you can view your pending and completed withdrawals. Available withdrawal methods currently include bank transfer, PayPal, Alipay and American Express. After selecting a method and entering the required account information, you may submit your withdrawal request.

The minimum withdrawal amount is USD 100, and all amounts must be in multiples of USD 100. Once submitted, a withdrawal request becomes final and cannot be modified or cancelled, so you should verify your information carefully before confirming. Payments are normally processed within 10 working days after your application.

No. Review rewards remain in your account as pending withdrawal permanently and will not expire. Once withdrawal eligibility has been activated, you may withdraw your accumulated rewards at any time.

In addition to review rewards, you will receive a digital electronic reviewer certificate, earn review points, and become eligible for annual awards. Over time, these points contribute to formal recognition of your reviewing contributions. In addition, if you invite a new member who submits a manuscript to a IUASP Member Journal and completes APC payment, you will receive a USD  500 referral reward. Also, you will have the opportunity to take part in community voting and governance, and to speak within the scholarly community on behalf of IUASP. We deeply value reviewer's work and aim to ensure it receives lasting recognition. For full details, please refer to the Membership Benefits.

Review points are calculated based on the quality and timeliness of each review you complete, and they accumulate as you review more manuscripts. Higher points generally reflect greater consistency, efficiency, and scholarly contribution. These points serve not only as a record of your work but also as a basis for tangible benefits and formal recognition.

(1) First, points help editors identify suitable reviewers. Higher point totals signal consistent, high‑quality contributions, making you more likely to be invited;

(2) Second, points determine eligibility for annual recognition. Each year, the platform selects recipients of the Outstanding Reviewer Award based partly on accumulated points. Winners receive an official certificate acknowledging their valuable service. This recognition highlights their role in strengthening the scholarly community;

(3) Third, points enhance your visibility within the IUASP community. Point rankings are displayed on a public reviewer leaderboard, showcasing review activity across the platform. This promotes peer recognition and encourages ongoing participation in high‑quality peer review

If you identify any potential conflict of interest, you must disclose it promptly and truthfully to the journal editorial team. Please specify the nature of the conflict, such as shared institutional affiliation, ongoing collaboration, or a supervisor-student relationship. If you believe you cannot be impartial, you should decline the invitation. If you believe you can remain impartial, you still need to notify the journal editorial team, who will decide whether you may proceed. Our guiding principle is to uphold review fairness through transparent disclosure rather than excluding all experts with relevant associations.

No. Manuscript content must remain confidential. You should not share it or invite others to review unless explicit permission is granted by the journal. If you need support, you must first obtain the editor's approval, and any co-reviewer must be officially invited by the journal editorial team. Also, all review reports must be submitted through the IUASP platform. Under no circumstances should they be sent directly to the authors.

If you suspect a potential breach of research or publication ethics, such as duplicate publication, plagiarism, or other forms of misconduct, you should describe your concerns in detail in the comments to the editor. The editorial team will review the case and inform you of the outcome once the matter has been investigated. Identifying such issues before publication supports the collective effort to prevent academic misconduct and helps uphold the integrity and rigour of scholarly publishing.

Ethical and impartial review comments are intended to support editorial decisions and help authors improve their manuscripts. To meet this standard, your review should adhere to the following principles.

(1) Your comments must be objective and based on scholarly merit. They should focus on the manuscript's content, clearly identifying its strengths and weaknesses, and avoid personal remarks or vague criticism;

(2) Your feedback should also be constructive. Even if you believe the manuscript is not yet suitable for publication, you can provide specific, actionable suggestions to guide the authors in revising their work;

(3) All comments must remain within the academic scope of the manuscript. References you suggest should be directly relevant and genuinely useful. You should not recommend citations solely for self-citation or coercive citation purposes;

(4) Finally, respect the author's scholarly voice and autonomy. You should not rewrite the text to match your own stylistic preferences. Instead, note any language or formatting issues so that the authors or editors can address them.

Yes. IUASP welcomes researchers across all disciplines and seeks to collaborate with scholars and journals from diverse fields to support the ongoing enhancement of scholarly publishing. You are encouraged to invite eligible colleagues to join the platform. You will receive a USD 500 referral reward when the colleague you invite registers, submits manuscript to an IUASP Member Journal, and that manuscript is accepted and the APC is paid.

Yes. IUASP respects reviewer preferences in this matter and provides flexible disclosure options. Before submitting your review, the system will ask whether you wish to publish your comments anonymously or with attribution. Whichever option you choose, your review comments will be published alongside the article and serve as a valuable resource for the scholarly community.

IUASP protects personal data through a combination of administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to prevent loss, unauthorised access, or misuse. All data processing is carried out in accordance with the purposes set out in the Privacy Policy, and we regularly monitor compliance with applicable regulations.

We may share necessary information with trusted third-party service providers who support platform operations. These providers are contractually obligated to follow our Privacy Policy and maintain strict confidentiality. When data must be transferred across borders, we implement appropriate safeguards to ensure continued compliance with relevant data protection laws.

For financial information, IUASP processes payment-related account details securely but does not collect or store passwords or other sensitive authentication credentials. All payment activities are handled through encrypted channels operated by certified third-party payment providers.

For further details, please refer to the Privacy Policy.

Journals that share the IUASP's mission and core values may submit a "Partnership Application" via the "Partner with Us" page. After submission, IUASP staff will contact the journal representative within 1-3 working days to explain platform governance policies and APC allocation model. Once the journal confirms its commitment to the relevant requirements, both parties will sign a formal partnership agreement. Upon the agreement taking effect, the journal will be formally designated as an IUASP Member Journal.

Joining IUASP provides journals access to an intelligent publishing-support ecosystem built on efficiency, transparency and co-construction, with concrete benefits across three areas:

(1) Improved operational and decision-making efficiency

• Intelligent reviewer matching: The system recommends suitable reviewers while automatically identifying conflicts of interest. Metrics of reviewer quality and efficiency provide editors with objective, evidence-driven decision support;

• End-to-end workflow automation: Automated tracking and milestone notifications keep submissions on track, significantly reducing manuscript handling times;

• Reduced review burden: Manuscripts can be transferred with their peer review history, avoiding redundant review work and conserving limited peer review resources.

(2) Enhanced academic reputation and credibility

• Access to the global reviewer network and membership recognition: Member Journals gain access to IUASP's global reviewer pool and an exclusive official-partner badge to strengthen academic influence and brand recognition;

• Improved review transparency: Journals publish review reports as part of the scholarly record, making the review process traceable and reinforcing trust among authors, readers, and the broader research community.

(3) Co-building an open scholarly ecosystem

• Open scholarly communication: In-platform open discussion fosters scholarly dialogue and potential new research collaborations;

• Shared platform governance: Member Journals participate in key platform decision-making processes and jointly shape an open, collaborative and sustainable scholarly-publishing ecosystem.

IUASP Member Journals undertake the following obligations:

(1) Brand and platform compliance

• Use the exclusive IUASP membership badge appropriately in promotional and publication materials;

• Manage all submissions through the IUASP submission and review system.

(2) Reviewer recognition and manuscript transfer

• Allocate a portion of APC revenue to recognize and incentivize reviewer contributions, in accordance with IUASP's approved allocation model;

• Participate in the cross-journal manuscript transfer mechanism among IUASP Member Journals.

(3) Transparency and open practices

• Publish review reports alongside articles;

• Include a reviewer compensation statement on each article's publication page;

• Enable public commenting on published articles and share substantive comments with authors and reviewers.

(4) Governance and collective responsibility

• Authorize IUASP to publish annual financial and operational reports covering the platform and its Member Journals;

• Nominate representatives to participate in IUASP meetings, policy discussions, elections, and platform governance decisions.

Once an article is formally published, an open comment section is enabled on the article page, allowing readers including research peers and subject matter experts to raise questions, offer insights, and provide constructive feedback.

All comments are reviewed by the journal editorial office in accordance with the Comment Guidelines, ensuring that contributions are relevant, courteous, and focused on scholarly content. Approved comments are made publicly visible.

The journal editorial office also shares substantive comments with the article's authors and reviewers, enabling them to engage in ongoing discussion after publication.

This process fosters continuous scholarly dialogue among readers, authors, and reviewers, creating a sustained feedback loop that advances research transparency and scholarly impact.

A publisher automatically qualifies for Publisher Member status once at least five of its journals have become IUASP Member Journals.

Becoming an IUASP Publisher Member means joining an alliance dedicated to advancing open and transparent scholarly publishing. The rights and obligations are as follows:

(1) Display the exclusive IUASP Publisher Member badge on the publisher's official website;

(2) Nominate a representative to attend IUASP meetings, participate in policy discussions, voting, and elections, and contribute to platform governance decisions;

(3) Provide internal coordination and support to ensure that all affiliated IUASP Member Journals fulfil their membership obligations;

(4) Collaborate with IUASP to promote open and transparent publishing across the publisher's journal portfolio and jointly organize related scholarly events.