UGC Discontinues UGC-CARE Journal Listing: New parameters for peer-reviewed journals introduced

The University Grants Commission (UGC), under the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has taken a significant step in reshaping the evaluation of research journals. In its 584th meeting held on October 3, 2024, the Commission decided to discontinue the UGC-CARE listing of journals. Instead, it has proposed suggestive parameters for faculty members and students to select peer-reviewed journals for their academic and research work. A panel of academicians and subject matter experts has formulated a set of suggestive parameters to help faculty members and students choose credible peer-reviewed journals. The parameters suggested by UGC are now open for public feedback until February 25, 2025, via the email journal@ugc.gov.in . Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs), faculty members, researchers, and students are encouraged to provide their input on the proposed guidelines.

UGC-CARE (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics) was introduced in 2018 to ensure quality in research publications by listing approved journals. The new decision revokes this listing system, emphasising self-regulation and expert-driven selection of journals. Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC), recently took to Twitter to share an important public notice regarding the UGC-CARE list of journals. These parameters cover multiple aspects, including preliminary journal criteria, editorial board standards, editorial policies, quality criteria, standards, research ethics, journal visibility, and impact criteria.

HEIs are now responsible for establishing credible mechanisms to evaluate journals and ensure they meet high ethical and scholarly standards. If HEIs fail to create efficient mechanisms, they risk damaging their institutional reputation by endorsing faculty members who publish in dubious journals.

Source: https://organiser.org/2025/02/12/277820/bharat/ugc-discontinues-ugc-care-journal-listing-new-parameters-for-peer-reviewed-journals-introduced/