Billing & Invoices

Academic Stack embeds manuscript billing directly into the peer review and publication lifecycle. Instead of using separate spreadsheets, editors can create, review, and complete invoices directly from the manuscript context.

Core Concept

A manuscript can have a one-to-many relationship with invoices. This allows splitting charges between different co-authors or funding institutions:

Manuscript (Accepted / In Production)
  ├── Invoice 001 (Article Processing Charge to Institution)
  └── Invoice 002 (Color Page / Extra Surcharge to Corresponding Author)

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Managing Invoices at the Manuscript Level

Editors can manage all invoices connected to a single manuscript from the Invoice List dashboard, accessible via the action menu in the top-right corner of the manuscript details page.

Accessing the invoicing dashboard from the manuscript action menu.

• Timing: Invoices are typically created immediately after formal acceptance (Accept Decision).
• Draft Adjustments: Before sending the invoice to the author, billing details, fee items, and payer information can be freely edited.
• Quick Actions: From the list, editors can view, download, update, or void invoices.

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Invoice Fields and Structure

The invoice creation form captures standard billing details required for institutional payments:

• Header & Metadata: Invoice number (auto-generated or manual), issue date, and payment due date.
• Payer Information: Name, institution, billing address, email, and optional VAT/Tax ID.
• Line Items: Custom fee types (e.g., APC, page charges), unit price, quantity, tax/VAT rates, and discounts.

Creating a new invoice with customized line items.

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Billing Workflow and Life Cycle

Invoices progress through the following statuses during their lifecycle:

  [ Draft ] ──► [ Sent / Unpaid ] ─── (Overdue) ───► [ Overdue ]
                     │                                    │
                     ├─────────────────◄──────────────────┘
                     ▼ (Offline Proof Uploaded)
               [ Under Review ] ──► [ Paid & Completed ] (Receipt Sent)

• Draft: Private to editors; details can be adjusted.
• Sent / Unpaid: Emailed to the author and visible in their dashboard.
• Overdue: Payment deadline has passed.
• Under Review: Author has uploaded bank transfer proof; awaiting manager approval.
• Paid & Completed: Payment received (auto-synced online or manually confirmed). The system automatically emails a PDF receipt to the author.

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Role & Permission Matrix

Action	Editor	Billing Manager (Enterprise)	Publisher (Cloud)	Author
Create Draft	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Edit Draft	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Send Invoice	No	Yes	Yes	No
Upload Proof	No	No	No	Yes
Mark Paid	No	Yes	Yes	No
Void / Delete	No	Yes	Yes	No
Download PDF	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

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Global Invoicing Dashboard

The global invoicing dashboard provides a centralized interface to monitor, filter, and manage billing across the entire journal or publisher group.

• Academic Stack Enterprise: Accessed via the Billing Office menu (managed by the Billing Manager role).
• Academic Stack Cloud: Located under the Editorial Office menu (accessible to the Publisher and authorized editors).

Centralized global invoicing dashboard.

Managers can filter invoices, export spreadsheet records for accounting, and send automated email payment reminders.

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Author View and Payment Methods

When an invoice is marked as Sent, the author receives an email notification with a secure link to download, print, or pay the invoice.

Author's secure invoice payment interface.

Academic Stack supports two primary payment methods:

1. Online Payment (Automated): Integrates with services like Antom and SocoPay. Once payment succeeds, the gateway automatically marks the invoice as Paid & Completed and sends the receipt.
2. Offline Wire Transfer (Manual): Details are printed on the invoice. Authors upload payment receipts to the system, and billing staff manually verify and click Mark as Paid.