Transparency Report

At the Global Youth Science Journal (GYS Journal), we believe that trust is built through transparency. As a youth-led, non-profit scientific publishing initiative, we are committed to openly sharing how the journal operates, how decisions are made, and how any funds received are used.

This page provides an overview of our current organizational structure, operating costs, and financial principles.

Funding Sources & Operational Support

GYS Journal accepts voluntary donations through our contribution page. A $5 contribution helps us register an official DOI for one student's research paper and keep student research open to readers worldwide.

In addition to reader donations, GYSJ operates an optional Pay-What-You-Wish Fast-Track Review option for authors who face strict time constraints (such as college application deadlines or academic milestones). Funds received through the optional fast-track route are allocated directly to provide honorariums compensating peer reviewers for their expedited time commitment, with remaining proceeds supporting server hosting and platform maintenance.

Standard peer-reviewed publication remains 100% free with $0 APCs. All funding sources and uses are managed to preserve our non-profit, educational ethos.

Operating Expenses

GYS Journal is operated with minimal costs and relies heavily on volunteer contributions.

Current expenses primarily include:

Domain name registration and renewal
Website infrastructure and maintenance
Communication and administrative tools
Future platform improvements and expansion

The journal does not currently maintain physical offices or paid facilities.

Infrastructure Costs

To keep costs low and maximize accessibility, GYS Journal currently operates using:

Website Hosting & Infrastructure

Hosting Provider: Oracle VM
Storage: Cloudflare R2
Core Technologies: Cloudflare, GitHub

Mail Services

We utilize a diverse set of email delivery services to ensure reliable communication:

Brevo
Mailjet
Mailtrap
SMTP2GO
Mailgun
Ahasend
Maileroo

Domain Registration

Annual Domain Renewal Cost: Approximately $36 per year

As the journal grows, infrastructure requirements may increase, potentially resulting in additional hosting, storage, security, and software expenses.

Team Structure

GYS Journal is supported by a volunteer-based organizational structure.

Founder

Provides overall leadership, strategic direction, platform development, and organizational oversight.

Editorial Board

Responsible for editorial policies, publication standards, and manuscript evaluation processes.

Volunteers

Contribute to operations, outreach, communications, design, technical development, and community engagement.

At present, no members of the organization receive salaries or financial compensation.

Revenue and Donations

Current Revenue: $0
Current Donations Received: $0

If donations or revenue are received in the future, annual summaries may be published on this page to provide transparency regarding funding and expenditures.

How Funds Are Used

Any future funds received by GYS Journal will be used solely to support the journal's mission and operations.

Potential uses include:

Domain and hosting expenses
Website development and maintenance
Digital infrastructure and software services
Educational outreach initiatives
Research publication support programs
Platform security and reliability improvements

Funds will not be distributed as profits to founders, volunteers, editors, or board members.

Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions are made completely independently of financial considerations.

Acceptance, rejection, review, and publication decisions are based solely on academic merit, relevance, methodology, and adherence to journal policies.

Financial contributors, donors, sponsors, or authors utilizing optional fast-track services will not influence editorial decisions or peer review evaluations. Fast-tracking strictly coordinates turnaround speed under a service level agreement and never guarantees publication.

Conflict of Interest Policy

All editors, reviewers, volunteers, and contributors are expected to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could affect their judgment or decision-making.

Individuals with conflicts of interest may be recused from reviewing, evaluating, or making decisions regarding affected submissions.

The journal is committed to maintaining fairness, objectivity, and integrity throughout the publication process.

Commitment to Transparency

As GYS Journal evolves, this Transparency Report may be updated to reflect changes in funding, organizational structure, operating costs, and governance practices.

Funding Sources
Operating Expenses
Infrastructure Costs
Team Structure
Revenue and Donations
How Funds Are Used
Editorial Independence
Conflict of Interest Policy
Commitment to Transparency