Open Access Policy

ACADEMIA Health Sphere Journal (AHSJ)
???? https://academia.edu.pk/index.php/hsj

???? Promoting Free and Equitable Access to Health Research

AHSJ is dedicated to advancing public health knowledge by ensuring unrestricted and permanent access to peer-reviewed research in the medical, clinical, pharmaceutical, and health sciences. Our open access model supports global equity in education, healthcare, and scientific development.

???? Free and Immediate Access

All articles published in AHSJ are:

  • ✅ Freely accessible online immediately upon publication

  • ✅ Open to all readers without the need for subscription, registration, or institutional login

  • ✅ Published in accordance with the principles of knowledge equity, global visibility, and open collaboration

⚖️ Licensing Terms

AHSJ operates under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). This license allows users to:

✔️ Share — Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
❌ Not use for commercial purposes
❌ Not modify or build upon the material

Usage conditions include:

  • Attribution — Users must provide appropriate credit to the original author(s).

  • NonCommercial — Commercial use of the content is not permitted.

  • NoDerivatives — The content must not be altered or transformed.

✍️ Author Rights and Copyright

  • Authors retain full copyright of their work.

  • A non-exclusive license is granted to AHSJ to publish and disseminate the manuscript.

  • Authors are free to archive, share, and reuse their work elsewhere with proper citation to AHSJ.

⏱️ Zero Embargo Policy

  • AHSJ supports immediate open access upon publication.

  • There is no embargo period, ensuring instant availability for research use, education, and public reference.

???? Benefits for Authors

Publishing with AHSJ provides:

  • ???? Global Reach — Unrestricted access to readers worldwide, including underserved regions

  • ???? Higher Visibility and Citations — Increased academic and professional impact

  • ???? Policy and Practice Relevance — Enables health practitioners, educators, and policymakers to apply findings effectively

???? Article Processing Charges (APC)

To support the journal's operations, editorial services, and open access hosting, a one-time APC is applicable only upon acceptance of the manuscript.

The APC supports:

  • Peer review and editorial coordination

  • Professional copyediting and layout

  • DOI registration via CrossRef

  • Long-term digital preservation and indexing

???? For detailed APC structure, see our Charges Policy.

???? Waiver and Discount Options

  • Authors from low-income countries or with financial hardships may request an APC waiver or discount.

  • Waivers are granted at the discretion of the editorial board.

  • All waiver requests must be made before or immediately after acceptance.

???? Email your request to: editorial@academia.edu.pk

✅ Compliance with Funder Mandates

AHSJ’s open access policy aligns with requirements from major funding organizations and global health bodies. Authors publishing with AHSJ meet open access mandates from government agencies, research councils, and NGOs.

???? Long-Term Digital Preservation

AHSJ partners with digital preservation networks such as:

  • LOCKSS & CLOCKSS

  • PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN)

  • Institutional and Subject Repositories

This ensures permanent accessibility, even if journal hosting technologies evolve.

???? Our Mission

Open access at AHSJ is not just a publishing model—
It is our commitment to equitable, ethical, and evidence-based health research dissemination.