Submission fee
A submission fee is paid up front, at the point of submitting, and is not refunded on rejection. It is distinct from an article processing charge, which normally falls due only after acceptance.
Reviewed 16 September 2026
In practice
Why the distinction matters
With an APC, a rejected paper costs nothing. With a submission fee, every attempt has a price. For an author paying personally and submitting to several journals in sequence, the difference compounds.
How common it is
Submission fees are rare compared with APCs and are concentrated in a few fields, notably parts of economics and finance.
Journals that charge a submission fee
| Journal | Fee | Refund | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Economic Review American Economic Association | AEA member, high-income: $200 AEA member, middle-income: $100 AEA member, low-income: free Non-member, high-income: $300 Non-member, middle-income: $200 Non-member, low-income: free | — | publisher |
| The Journal of Finance American Finance Association (Wiley) | AFA member, high-income: $400 Non-member, high-income: $525 AFA member, middle-income: $100 Non-member, middle-income: $150 Low-income: free | $200 returned for desk rejections (high-income, first submissions); full refund if decision takes >100 days (first submissions). | publisher |
| Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Elsevier | All new and unsolicited manuscripts: $175 | Non-refundable. | publisher |
| European Economic Review Elsevier | Standard: €125 Contact author is a PhD student: €100 Contact author in Research4Life Group B: €50 | Non-refundable. | publisher |
Read from each journal's own page on 16 September 2026. Several economics and finance journals scale the fee by country income or membership — check the source before submitting.
Common misconceptions
Paying a submission fee does not buy faster or more favourable review.