Frequently Asked Questions
The International Center for Promoting Knowledge (ICPK) publishes open access academic journals and provides the infrastructure, policies, and administrative support behind them. This open access publishing FAQ answers common academic publishing questions from authors, reviewers, readers, librarians, and institutions—including direct questions about charges, editorial decisions, indexing, ethics, and long-term access. Authors preparing a manuscript should also consult For Authors.
ICPK was founded in 2019, operates from the USA and Bangladesh, and is a registered legal entity in Bangladesh. Each journal retains editorial authority through its Editor-in-Chief and editorial board; ICPK does not review manuscripts or decide whether they are accepted. For policy details beyond these short answers, visit Policies.
For Authors
Which ICPK journal should I submit my article to?
Choose a journal by comparing your manuscript’s subject with the title’s aims and scope on Our Journals. IJSPE covers interdisciplinary work in social policy and education and is currently accepting submissions. IJBED, IJSSH, and IJLLL are directory listings without an online submission workflow, so authors cannot submit to those three titles through the ICPK platform at present.
Is ICPK currently accepting submissions?
Only the International Journal of Social Policy and Education (IJSPE) currently has a live submission workflow and is accepting submissions. Its editorial office can be reached at editor@ijspe.com. A listing for another ICPK journal should not be read as an invitation to submit through the publisher’s platform.
Does ICPK charge a submission fee?
No. There is no charge to submit a manuscript. If a journal levies an article processing charge, it becomes payable only after acceptance and the amount is published in advance on that journal’s own charges page.
What is an article processing charge, and does every ICPK journal charge one?
An article processing charge, or APC, is a journal-level publication charge that may apply after a manuscript has been accepted. APC amounts are set by each journal rather than by ICPK, so there is no single publisher-wide price. Consult the relevant journal’s charges page before submitting.
How can an author pay an APC after acceptance?
Where a journal charges an APC, payment is by bank transfer only. SWIFT and Western Union are both supported.
Can payment, a waiver, or funding status affect acceptance?
No. Editorial assessment is separate from payment administration, and editors are not informed of an author’s payment, waiver, or funding status while evaluating a manuscript. Acceptance or rejection is decided by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief and editorial board, not by ICPK as publisher.
How long does peer review and publication take?
ICPK does not publish a publisher-wide review timeline because peer review is managed at journal level and timing depends on the manuscript and editorial process. Consult the relevant journal’s peer review and author information pages for any journal-specific guidance. ICPK does not publish an average review time that could be represented as a guarantee.
What happens after my manuscript is accepted?
The journal communicates the next editorial and production requirements by email, and any applicable APC becomes payable only after acceptance. Once published, the article is freely accessible without an embargo or reader-side fee, receives a Crossref-registered DOI, and has its metadata deposited at publication. Journal-specific licence terms and any further requirements are stated by the journal.
Who owns the copyright in an ICPK article?
Authors retain copyright; ICPK does not require a copyright transfer. Authors instead grant a licence to publish. Because licence terms are determined per journal, check the relevant journal’s copyright and licence page and read Open Access & Licensing for the publisher’s model.
Can I archive or share the published version of my article?
Yes. Authors may deposit the published version in any repository at any time without requesting permission. ICPK asks only that the repository record link to the version of record using the article’s DOI, supporting both access and accurate citation.
May authors use generative AI or other AI tools?
Authors must follow ICPK’s AI Use Policy, including its requirements for responsible use and disclosure. AI use does not remove an author’s responsibility for accuracy, originality, attribution, confidentiality, or compliance with research and publication ethics. Authors should review the policy before submission rather than assuming a tool is permitted in every context.
How does ICPK screen manuscripts for plagiarism or text similarity?
Similarity screening uses Turnitin, additional third-party similarity tools, and comparison with ICPK’s archive of published and submitted manuscripts. ICPK does not use iThenticate and does not currently use Crossref Similarity Check. A similarity result informs editorial examination; it is not, by itself, a final finding of misconduct.
How can I appeal an editorial decision or make a complaint?
Follow Complaints & Appeals, which explains the publisher’s process and the distinction between a procedural complaint and an appeal against an editorial decision. The dedicated contact address is complaints@theicpk.org. Appeals are handled by email; ICPK does not operate an automated appeals system.
Can I withdraw a submitted manuscript?
Authors should contact the relevant journal’s editorial office promptly, identify the manuscript clearly, and request withdrawal in writing. The journal will handle the request according to the stage of editorial consideration and its applicable procedures. For IJSPE, contact editor@ijspe.com.
What ethical standards apply to authors and published research?
ICPK’s Publication Ethics and related Policies address authorship, contributorship, research integrity, misconduct, research data, ethics approval, corrections, and retractions. ICPK follows widely used principles of transparency and best practice as a matter of practice, but it is not a COPE member. Authors remain responsible for meeting the applicable ethical and legal requirements for their work.
For Reviewers
How can I volunteer to review for an ICPK journal?
Read For Reviewers and contact the relevant journal to express your interest, describing the subject areas you are qualified to assess. Reviewer selection remains an editorial decision based on the manuscript and the expertise required. Volunteering does not guarantee an invitation.
Do reviewers have an online account or dashboard?
No. ICPK has no reviewer login, dashboard, review-round tracker, or self-service reviewer interface. Reviewer and editor coordination takes place off-platform by email.
Are ICPK reviewers paid?
No. Reviewers receive no fee, honorarium, voucher, APC discount, or other benefit with monetary value. ICPK offers only non-monetary recognition: an on-request certificate after three completed reviews for the same journal and, with advance opt-in consent, possible naming in that journal’s annual reviewer acknowledgement list after at least one completed review that year.
When can a reviewer request a certificate?
A reviewer may request a certificate after completing three reviews for the same journal. A review counts as completed only when the editor accepts the report as usable; submitting a report that the editor cannot use does not count toward the three. Eligibility is tracked manually, and certificates are neither automatic nor available for self-service download.
How does the annual reviewer acknowledgement list work?
A journal may name reviewers who completed at least one review during the year and explicitly opted in beforehand. There is no three-review threshold for the annual list; that threshold applies only to certificates. The list does not connect any reviewer with a particular manuscript, author, recommendation, or outcome.
Does reviewer recognition compromise confidentiality?
No. A certificate identifies no manuscript, author, or editorial outcome, and an annual acknowledgement does not associate a reviewer with a specific paper. The underlying duty of confidentiality remains fully in force.
What information must a reviewer keep confidential?
Reviewers must treat the manuscript, supporting material, author information made available for review, editorial correspondence, and their assessment as confidential. Material received through peer review must not be shared or used for personal advantage. Reviewers should raise any uncertainty with the journal by email before disclosing information to anyone else.
May a reviewer use an AI tool to assess or summarize a manuscript?
Reviewers must follow the AI Use Policy and protect manuscript confidentiality. They should not upload confidential manuscript content to an AI service where doing so would disclose, retain, or otherwise expose that material. A reviewer remains personally responsible for the accuracy, independence, reasoning, and confidentiality of the submitted report.
What should a reviewer do about a conflict of interest or suspected misconduct?
The reviewer should inform the journal promptly by email and provide enough information for the editor to decide how to proceed. A reviewer should not continue where a conflict prevents an impartial assessment. Concerns about plagiarism, fabricated material, unethical research, or other potential misconduct should be reported confidentially rather than investigated independently.
Who makes the final decision on a manuscript?
The journal’s Editor-in-Chief and editorial board hold editorial authority and make accept-or-reject decisions. Reviewers provide expert advice; they do not make the final decision. ICPK supplies publishing infrastructure, policy, and administrative support but does not assess manuscripts or participate in acceptance decisions.
For Readers & Institutions
Is ICPK a fully open access publisher?
Yes. Every published article is free to read from publication, without an embargo or reader-side charge. The model is explained in Open Access & Licensing, while the exact reuse licence is stated by each journal.
Do libraries or institutions need a subscription?
No. ICPK sells no institutional subscriptions, memberships, or access packages, because its published articles are freely accessible. A library may link to articles, journal archives, and DOI records without purchasing access.
Is ICPK indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, DOAJ, or other databases?
No. ICPK is not listed in DOAJ and its journals are not indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCO, Index Copernicus, Ulrich’s, or a comparable database. Readers and authors should rely on the indexing information published by each journal and should not interpret an ISSN or DOI as proof of database indexing.
Is ICPK a COPE member?
No. ICPK is not a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). It follows widely used principles of transparency and best practice as a matter of practice and publishes its editorial, ethical, and legal Policies for public scrutiny.
Is ICPK a predatory publisher?
ICPK’s published facts do not support hiding behind a label: it identifies its journals and editorial boards, publishes affiliations and peer review processes, states charges before submission, separates payment from editorial decisions, gives every published article a Crossref-registered DOI, and makes its policies and archives public. It also states plainly that it has no COPE membership, DOAJ listing, major database indexing, impact factor, or external preservation-network enrolment. Readers should evaluate those disclosed strengths and limitations directly rather than relying on unsupported claims from either the publisher or its critics.
Why trust a publisher that has no impact factor?
ICPK has no impact factor, publisher citation metric, acceptance-rate figure, or comparable performance statistic. What it provides instead is a checkable publishing record: registered ISSNs, direct Crossref membership, article-level DOIs with deposited metadata, public editorial and advisory boards, documented peer review, public policies, similarity screening, and free archives. These features do not substitute for an impact factor; they are the appropriate evidence on which ICPK currently invites evaluation.
Is ICPK a direct Crossref member, and does every article receive a DOI?
Yes. ICPK is a direct Crossref member rather than registering through a sponsoring organization or agent. Every published article receives a Crossref-registered DOI, and its metadata is deposited at publication; see Preservation & DOI.
What happens to published articles if ICPK shuts down?
ICPK is not currently enrolled in CLOCKSS, LOCKSS, Portico, the PKP Preservation Network, or another external preservation network. Its present retention measures are managed hosting with routine backups, with published PDFs held alongside the online record. Preservation & DOI describes the current position; ICPK should not be represented as offering the additional continuity guarantee that an external preservation network could provide.
Can readers reuse, translate, or republish material from an ICPK article?
Reuse depends on the licence attached to the specific journal and article, not on a single ICPK-wide licence. Check the article’s stated licence and follow its conditions, including any attribution, commercial-use, or adaptation restrictions. Open Access & Licensing explains the model, but the journal’s copyright and licence page provides the controlling terms.
How can I report an error in a published article?
Contact the relevant journal and identify the article, DOI, passage, and evidence supporting the concern. The journal will assess whether the record requires a correction, retraction, or another response under Corrections & Retractions. For IJSPE, contact editor@ijspe.com; general publisher enquiries may be sent to info@theicpk.org.
Does ICPK accept advertising, sponsored content, or paid placement?
No. ICPK sites carry no advertising, sponsored content, or paid placement. This separation is part of its approach to editorial independence; further details are available through Policies.
Where is ICPK legally based, and which law governs its terms?
ICPK is a registered legal entity in Bangladesh and operates from the USA and Bangladesh. The Bangladesh entity is the contracting party and data controller. ICPK’s legal terms and data protection are governed by Bangladesh, and disputes are subject to the courts of Bangladesh.
How long does ICPK retain personal data?
Personal data associated with closed accounts and unsuccessful submissions is retained for 365 days. Additional information about processing, rights, and governance appears in the Privacy Policy. ICPK is the data controller.