UGC Scraps CARE Journal List, Issues New Guidelines; Warns Researchers Against Fake Journals

UGC warns researchers “Do not get fooled by fake or doubtful journals. Always check if a journal is genuine before sending your research,” says UGC in its notice on July 16, 2025.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has stopped using the UGC-CARE journal list and introduced new quality rules for research publications. This change was approved in UGC’s 584th meeting on October 3, 2024. It is part of National Education Policy reforms to improve research quality, honesty, and give more freedom to universities.

Why UGC-CARE list ended?

The UGC-CARE list started in 2019 to promote good research by listing verified journals. But it had problems:

• Old and outdated entries
• Lack of transparency
• Ignored many good Indian-language journals
• Included some fake (predatory) journals

So now UGC has moved to a decentralised system. Universities and researchers will choose journals themselves using standard quality checks.

New Quality Rules for Journals

Instead of one central list, UGC has given suggested benchmarks to check journals:

• Valid ISSN and regular publishing schedule
• Clear peer review and editorial process
• Policies on plagiarism, ethics, and article charges (APCs)
• Proper indexing and secure website
• Easy access to editorial board and journal details

Universities should make internal committees or use Academic and Research Advisory Boards to guide these decisions.

Why this change?

UGC says this supports NEP 2020 goals that include more academic freedom, and accountability. In a post on X (Twitter), UGC said NEP reforms in the last 5 years have made higher education more inclusive, quality-driven, and innovative.