UGC panel to make list of journals for academic points

Suggestions are being sought from all universities for the list, which the Commision will vet

In its bid to prepare an exhaustive list of journals in which academics must publish to earn points for publication in the Academic Performance Indicators (API) system, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is planing to set up small sub-committees of experts for each subject.

A high-level committee under V.S. Chauhan of the UGC is already in place to finalise the draft list.

“There are far too many subjects for a single team to be able to come up with a comprehensive list of journals in each. We are looking at setting up sub-committees of two-three experts for each subject to suggest a list to the higher committee,” said a senior official.

The API system awards points — counted for promotion as well as while applying for teaching jobs — for publications, which are seen as a sign of seriousness in research. The UGC decided to draw up a list of publications after a widespread perception that many academics in colleges and universities were earning points for research published in sub-standard journals.

Subject-specific panels

As per the plan, suggestions are being sought from all universities for the list, and the UGC will vet the lists coming from all these institutions. These lists will first pass through the smaller, subject-specific committees and then be taken up by the higher committee.

As per the UGC’s recent notification, a person gets 30 points for publishing a book brought out by an international publisher, 20 for a book brought out by a national publisher, 15 points for publishing an article in a refereed journal and 10 points for an article in other reputed journals.