Open Access Publication, Fee Waivers for Invited Authors

The Asia-Pacific Journal of Lifestyle Medicine's article processing charge is US$1500, well below the typical open-access fee, and authors invited to contribute qualify for a full waiver. Here's why this matters for your research career.

3.4x Open Access articles receive 3.4 times more citations than paywalled articles, according to a 2023 meta-analysis in PLOS ONE.

Most Open Access journals charge $2,000 to $5,000 in Article Processing Charges. Many researchers, especially those in Asia-Pacific institutions with limited funding, cannot afford that. APJLM charges $1500, and if that would stop you from submitting, write to the editorial office first and ask about a waiver.

For our founding issue, APJLM is offering:

✓ Fee waivers for invited authors. Full Open Access. Invited authors publish free of charge, and discounted charges may be granted in other cases. Contact the editorial office before you submit.
✓ Publication in days, not months. Continuous publication model. Accepted papers go online immediately. No waiting for the next issue.
✓ World Scientific credibility. Singapore-based publisher with 40+ years in academic publishing. Your paper lives on infrastructure that lasts.
✓ Founding Author recognition. First 30 authors permanently listed as Founding Contributors. A distinction that grows more valuable as the journal grows.
✓ Reviewer network invitation. Published authors are invited to join our reviewer pool. ORCID-verified recognition for every review.

Why We're Doing This

New journals face a cold-start problem: researchers hesitate to submit because the journal isn't indexed yet, and the journal can't get indexed without papers.

We're breaking that cycle by making our founding issue genuinely attractive. A below-market APC, full waivers for invited authors, fast turnaround, real recognition. In exchange, you help us reach the 30-paper threshold for Web of Science and PubMed indexing.

This isn't charity, it's alignment. You get an open-access publication for $1500, well under the usual $3,000+, and free of charge if you're an invited author. We get closer to indexing. Both sides win.

Limited to 30 Papers

This offer exists because we can only process a limited number of founding-issue papers with the quality and speed we've promised. Founding Author recognition ends once we reach 30 accepted papers.

We're not creating artificial urgency. This is the actual constraint. Our editorial team is small. Our standards are high. 30 papers is what we can handle well.

What We're Looking For

APJLM focuses on lifestyle medicine in the Asia-Pacific context. We're particularly interested in:

→ Digital health & AI interventions for NCD management
→ Implementation science in primary care settings
→ Cost-effectiveness studies of lifestyle interventions
→ mHealth and telehealth for patient follow-up
→ Systematic reviews on the six pillars (nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, substance, social connection)

Review papers and meta-analyses are especially welcome. They tend to attract more citations, which helps everyone.

Editorial Board

Samuel Wong (CUHK, h-index 74) Labros Sidossis (Rutgers, h-index 61) Carmen Wong (CUHK, h-index 23) Komal Shah (IIPH India, h-index 19) Sitong Luo (Tsinghua, h-index 13) + 8 more from Johns Hopkins, NUS, Loma Linda, AIIMS

Submit Your Paper

Send your manuscript to our editorial team. We'll respond within 5 business days with initial feedback.

Email Your Manuscript

Or contact: apjlm@worldscientific.com

Not ready to submit yet?

Register your interest. We'll notify you when the submission portal opens and send you the full author guidelines.

Questions

Do I have to pay an APC?

Our article processing charge is US$1500, below what most open-access journals charge. If you're invited to contribute, that charge is waived in full, and we grant discounted charges in other cases too. Write to the editorial office before you submit and you'll get a clear answer on where you stand before you prepare the manuscript.

How long until publication?

We practice continuous publication. Once your paper is accepted and proofs are approved, it goes online within days. No waiting for quarterly issues.

The journal isn't indexed yet. Will this hurt my career?

Fair concern. Here's the counter-argument: Open Access papers get 3.4x more citations regardless of journal indexing. Your paper will be readable, downloadable, and citable immediately. And as a Founding Author, you'll be recognized as the journal climbs the ladder. Some of today's top journals started exactly this way.

What's the review process?

Standard peer review via Editorial Manager, with reviewer matching through Scopus. Authors can suggest reviewers. Our target: decision within 4-6 weeks of submission.

Can I submit work already on a preprint server?

Yes. We accept submissions that have been posted as preprints.