Open Access Policy

Researchers Journal of Science and Technology

Researchers Journal of Science and Technology, published by the Faculty of Physical Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, Nigeria, is committed to making scholarly research freely and widely available to researchers, students, educators, professionals, policymakers, and the general public.

The journal believes that knowledge generated through research should not be unnecessarily restricted by financial or institutional barriers. Accordingly, all scholarly articles published by the journal are made available online immediately and without subscription, registration, or access fees.

Free and Immediate Access

All published articles are freely accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Readers may read, download, save, print, search, and share the published articles without paying subscription or access charges.

The journal does not impose an embargo period on the availability of published articles. Access to the full text is provided immediately upon publication.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain the copyright to their published work, unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Unless a different licence is clearly indicated for a particular article, articles published in the journal are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. This licence permits others to read, download, copy, distribute, share, adapt, and build upon the published work, including for commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s), the article is properly cited, and any changes made to the original work are clearly indicated.

The use of third-party materials, including photographs, figures, tables, datasets, or other copyrighted materials, remains subject to the rights and permissions associated with those materials. Where such materials are not covered by the article’s Creative Commons licence, the relevant restrictions will be clearly identified.

Author Rights

Authors are encouraged to share and promote their published work responsibly. Subject to the applicable licence and the integrity of the published record, authors may:

1. share the published article with colleagues and students;
2. deposit the article in institutional or subject repositories;

• use the article for teaching, research, and academic presentations;

1. include the article in a thesis or dissertation;
2. share the article through personal or institutional websites and other lawful academic platforms; and
3. reuse portions of the work in future scholarly publications, provided that the original publication is appropriately acknowledged.

Publication Charges

The journal supports equitable access to scholarly communication. Any article processing charge, submission fee, or other publication-related charge applicable to authors shall be clearly stated by the journal before manuscript submission or at the appropriate stage of the publication process.

The ability or inability of an author to pay a publication charge shall not determine the scholarly decision on a manuscript. Editorial decisions are based primarily on the quality, originality, relevance, methodological soundness, and scholarly contribution of the submitted work.

Where applicable, the journal may consider waivers or reductions for authors who face genuine financial constraints, subject to the journal's available resources and established procedures.

Quality and Peer Review

Open access does not mean that articles are published without academic scrutiny. All research articles undergo the journal's established peer-review and editorial processes before publication. Open access and scholarly quality are therefore treated as complementary commitments.

The journal is committed to maintaining responsible editorial practices, research integrity, transparency, and fairness in the evaluation and publication of scholarly work.

Long-Term Accessibility

The journal will make reasonable efforts to preserve the accessibility and integrity of its published content. Published articles are intended to remain permanently available through the journal's official online platform and, where possible, through appropriate institutional or scholarly repositories and indexing services.

Any substantial correction, retraction, or other change to the published record will be handled transparently in accordance with the journal's publication-ethics and editorial policies.

Commitment to Open Knowledge

The Researchers Journal of Science and Technology views open access as more than simply removing a paywall. It is a commitment to ensuring that research produced within the Faculty of Physical Sciences, Akwa Ibom State University, and the wider scientific community can be discovered, read, shared, and used to advance knowledge.

By making research openly available, the journal seeks to support scientific communication, strengthen collaboration, promote education, increase the visibility of research from Nigeria and other parts of the world, and ensure that valuable scientific knowledge reaches the widest possible audience.

Effective date: February, 2021

Policy review: This policy may be reviewed periodically to ensure continued alignment with evolving standards of open-access publishing, scholarly communication, and research integrity.