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The UGC has discontinued its UGC-CARE list due to subjectivity and lack of transparency.
UGC unveiled new journal selection guidelines for better transparency and flexibility. (Image: UGC)
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to stop using its UGC-CARE list of journals. They said the list was too subjective and lacked transparency. Instead, UGC has provided new guidelines to help faculty and students choose good peer-reviewed journals for their research. Faculty and students are encouraged to share their feedback on these new guidelines by February 25.
Why Researchers Criticised The UGC-CARE List?
The UGC-CARE list, which was used for faculty promotions and research funding, faced a lot of criticism from researchers. Many felt the process was too centralized, slow, and unclear. Some journals included on the list were seen as unreliable, and the list didn’t cover enough journals in Indian languages. Researchers also found it stressful to publish only in listed journals, especially when journals were suddenly removed from the list without warning. This limited their options for publishing important work.
UGC’s New Decentralized Approach To Journal Evaluation
In response to these concerns, the UGC formed an expert committee to review the list and its impact on academic publishing. The committee’s findings revealed significant flaws in the system, particularly with the way non-STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines were handled. The committee noted that the UGC-CARE model led to varying levels of subjectivity in the assessment of journals, which undermined the authenticity of the process.
UGC Chairman Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar explained that the UGC-CARE list’s approach to journal assessment was seen as inadequate, especially for non-STEM fields. The discontinuation of the list and the introduction of a decentralized evaluation model is expected to address these issues.
“The expert committee found that the UGC-CARE model introduced varying levels of subjectivity in the assessment process. It was particularly criticized for its approach to handling journals in non-STEM disciplines, which led to questionable authenticity claims for UGC-CARE listed publications,” he said.
Public Notice on the UGC-CARE list of journals and suggestive parameters as general guidelines to ensure the choice of peer-reviewed journals for their quality, transparency, and relevance. pic.twitter.com/zkAbojkhu5— Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar (@mamidala90) February 11, 2025
With the new changes, universities will be encouraged to create their own systems for choosing journals, based on the guidelines set by the UGC. This will give them more flexibility to meet the needs of different subjects and keep up with new fields of study. The UGC hopes this will allow for more academic freedom and reduce the pressure of following a centralized list.
However, there is a concern that without proper systems in place, universities could unknowingly support research published in low-quality or fake journals, which could harm their reputation. To avoid this, the UGC is asking experienced professors to help younger researchers make better choices when selecting journals, especially to avoid predatory publishers.
The new guidelines also encourage universities to create strong systems for evaluating journals and raise awareness about high publishing standards. The goal is to move away from the old list and build a more transparent, flexible system that reflects the diversity of research today.
