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

"Avoid falling prey to misleading claims by fake or questionable journals. Always verify journal credibility before submitting your work," says UGC Public Notice, July 16, 2025

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has discontinued its UGC-CARE (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics) journal list and introduced a new set of quality parameters for research publications. As part of this shift, the UGC has also cautioned researchers and faculty members to “avoid falling prey to misleading claims by fake or questionable journals.”

The decision, which was approved during UGC’s 584th Commission meeting held on October 3, 2024, is part of wider reforms under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aimed at improving academic integrity, research quality, and institutional autonomy in higher education.

End of Centralised Journal Listing

Introduced in 2019, the UGC-CARE list was intended to promote high-quality research by listing verified journals. However, the system drew criticism for outdated entries, lack of transparency, exclusion of reputed Indian-language and regional journals, and inclusion of predatory ones.

Acknowledging these concerns, UGC has now shifted to a decentralised model, empowering Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and individual researchers to apply standardised evaluation criteria while selecting journals for publication.

Key Quality Parameters Issued

Instead of a centrally curated list, UGC has issued suggestive quality benchmarks for researchers and institutions to evaluate journals. These include:

Valid ISSN and consistent publication schedule

Transparent peer review and editorial practices

Clear policies on plagiarism, ethics, and article processing charges (APCs)

Authentic indexing and proper website hosting (secured domains)

Accessibility to editorial board and journal scope

Institutions are encouraged to form internal committees or use Academic and Research Advisory Boards to guide publication decisions based on these norms.

Feedback Invited Until July 25

To ensure inclusive policymaking, UGC has invited feedback from stakeholders on the issued parameters. Suggestions and concerns can be emailed to journal@ugc.gov.in by July 25, 2025.

In Line with NEP 2020 Vision

In a related post on X (formerly Twitter), UGC reaffirmed that the past five years of NEP 2020 have brought substantial reforms across India’s higher education system, making it more inclusive, quality-driven, and innovation-led. The shift away from a centralised journal list is aligned with NEP’s emphasis on autonomy, academic freedom, and institutional accountability.

UGC's Advisory to Researchers

"Avoid falling prey to misleading claims by fake or questionable journals. Always verify journal credibility before submitting your work," says UGC Public Notice, July 16, 2025