If you are a PhD scholar, assistant professor, or postgraduate researcher in India looking to publish research paper work in a UGC approved journal, the rules in 2026 are different from what most older guides describe. The original “UGC Approved Journals List” was discontinued in 2019. What you actually need today is a journal on the UGC CARE Reference List — and you need to verify that status yourself before you submit, not after. This guide walks through the process end-to-end and explains where IJARST fits.
Understand What “UGC Approved” Actually Means in 2026
The phrase “UGC approved journal” persists in everyday usage, but the original list it referred to no longer exists. In June 2019, the University Grants Commission discontinued its centralized “UGC Approved Journals List” after a series of audits found that many entries were predatory or low-quality. The replacement is the UGC CARE Reference List of Quality Journals, maintained by the Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics.
The CARE list is split into two groups. Group I contains journals that have been independently evaluated through UGC CARE protocols. Group II contains journals indexed in international databases such as Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection. Both groups are recognised for academic appointments, PhD submissions, and API/CAS scoring at most Indian universities.
Two important shifts you should be aware of:
- The list is decentralised. Since 2023, individual Higher Education Institutions can apply UGC CARE’s “Suggestive Parameters” to evaluate journals their faculty want to publish in. So a journal that one university accepts may not be accepted at another — verify with your specific institution’s research cell.
- The list is dynamic. Journals are added and removed quarterly. A journal that was on the list when your supervisor published last year may not be on it today. Always check the current list — not a screenshot, not a cached PDF.
This is why the marketing claim “UGC approved” on its own is meaningless in 2026. What matters is whether the journal is currently on the UGC CARE Reference List and accepted by your institution.
How to Verify a Journal’s UGC CARE Status Before You Submit
Verifying a journal yourself takes about five minutes and prevents the most common mistake researchers make — submitting to a journal that turns out to be unrecognised when their thesis committee or appointment panel reviews it.
The verification steps:
- Go to the official UGC CARE portal at ugccare.unipune.ac.in. Bookmark this URL. Do not trust third-party “UGC list” websites that aggregate the data — many are out of date or include journals that have since been removed.
- Search by ISSN, not name. Predatory journals frequently clone the names of legitimate ones. The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is unique. For IJARST, the print ISSN is 2319-1783 and the online ISSN is 2320-1126.
- Cross-check Group I vs Group II. If the journal claims Scopus or Web of Science indexing, verify that claim directly at Scopus and the Master Journal List. Many journals list themselves as “Scopus indexed” without actually being indexed.
- Confirm with your institution. Email your university’s research cell or your supervisor with the journal name + ISSN + the screenshot from the official portal. Get explicit written confirmation before you submit. This protects you if the journal is later removed.
A journal’s own claim about UGC CARE status — including IJARST’s — is not enough on its own. IJARST’s About page explicitly directs authors to verify the current status at the UGC CARE portal rather than relying on the journal’s claim. That transparency is the standard you should hold any journal to.
Step-by-Step: How to Publish Research Paper Work in a UGC-Verified Journal
The submission process to publish research paper work in a verified journal is similar across most reputable publications. Below is the typical workflow, with IJARST-specific details where relevant.
Step 1 — Prepare the manuscript to journal specifications
The single most common reason for desk rejection is formatting that doesn’t match the journal’s template. Before writing a single word, download the journal’s paper template. For IJARST, this is available on the Authors Guidelines page.
Standard requirements for IJARST (and similar journals):
- Length: 4–8 pages for original research, 8–15 pages for review papers
- Format: MS Word (.docx) or PDF; Times New Roman 12pt, double-column, A4 with 1-inch margins
- Sections: Title → Abstract → Keywords → Introduction → Literature Review → Methodology → Results → Conclusion → References (the IMRAD structure)
- Abstract: 150–250 words
- Keywords: 4–6 keywords reflecting the paper’s domain
- Citation style: IEEE preferred; APA acceptable if used consistently throughout
- Plagiarism: Similarity index below 20% verified through iThenticate, Turnitin, or Grammarly
- Language: English only — British or American, but consistent
Run your manuscript through a plagiarism checker before submission, not after. Desk rejections for plagiarism above 20% are unrecoverable for the same paper at most journals.
Step 2 — Submit the paper
Most journals offer two submission paths: an online portal or email. IJARST accepts manuscripts through the submit article manuscripts page — fill the form, attach the .docx, and submit. You will receive an acknowledgement email with a manuscript reference number within one to two days.
Two things to attach in addition to the manuscript:
- A short cover letter (one paragraph) stating the paper is original, has not been submitted elsewhere, and lists all authors with affiliations
- The plagiarism report if the journal asks for it (IJARST does not require this with submission, but having it ready speeds up review if requested)
Step 3 — Peer review
This is where research papers either improve or get rejected. Reputable journals use double-blind peer review, meaning neither the author nor the reviewer knows the other’s identity. IJARST routes each manuscript to two to five independent subject-matter experts. Reviewers evaluate the paper against the COPE peer review ethics guidelines: is the work original, is the methodology sound, are the conclusions supported by the data, are citations appropriate.
Possible outcomes:
- Accept as-is — rare for a first submission
- Minor revisions — most common; you’ll address comments and resubmit within a stated window
- Major revisions — the paper has merit but requires substantial rework, often a fresh round of review after resubmission
- Reject — the paper is outside scope, has fundamental methodology issues, or fails plagiarism
Address every reviewer comment in your response letter, even ones you disagree with. Disagreement is fine; silence is not.
Step 4 — Pay the article processing charge (only after acceptance)
Reputable journals do not charge a submission fee. They charge an Article Processing Charge (APC) only after your paper is accepted. The APC covers DOI registration, indexing, editorial workload, and hosting.
For IJARST, the APC is ₹1,600 for Indian authors and USD $50 for international authors. There is no submission fee. Compare this with Springer or Elsevier open-access APCs, which typically range from USD $1,500 to $3,500 — different price tier, different audience.
If a journal asks for payment before peer review, that is a strong predatory signal. Walk away.
Step 5 — Publication and DOI assignment
Once payment is confirmed and proofs are approved, the journal publishes the paper with a Crossref Digital Object Identifier (DOI). The DOI is your permanent citation handle. For IJARST, full publication occurs within 6 days of acceptance, with the paper available on the journal’s website and indexed in the journal’s listed indexing services (Crossref, Google Scholar, SJIF, Index Copernicus, EuroPub, Academia.edu).
Avoiding Predatory Journals — Red Flags to Check
Predatory journals are publications that take APC payment but provide no real peer review or editorial oversight. They are particularly dangerous because a paper published in one is often unusable for academic appointments and can damage your scholarly reputation.
Red flags to check before submitting:
- Submission fee charged before review. Legitimate journals charge APC after acceptance only.
- Acceptance promised in 24–48 hours. Real peer review takes a minimum of one to two weeks — usually longer.
- No editorial board listed, or board members who haven’t responded to inquiries.
- Cloned ISSN. The journal’s name on its website doesn’t match the ISSN registry entry.
- No DOI assignment or DOIs that don’t resolve to the paper.
- Spam invitations to submit — legitimate journals do not cold-email authors asking for submissions.
- No transparency about review process or refusal to share peer review feedback to the author.
Beall’s List (now archived) and the more current Cabells Predatory Reports are useful starting points, but neither is comprehensive. Your most reliable defence is the verification process described above.
Why IJARST Works to Publish Research Paper Work for Indian Academic Recognition
IJARST is published monthly by Pearl Media Publications Pvt. Ltd. and has been operating since 2011. The journal accepts original research, review papers, and survey papers across applied sciences and technology. Three operational claims that matter to most researchers, all verifiable:
- 6-day publication after acceptance, with Crossref DOI. Faster than most international journals (which can take 8–12 weeks for production) but achieved through monthly issue scheduling, not by cutting corners on review.
- Double-blind peer review with 2–5 reviewers per submission. Higher reviewer count than most fast-track journals.
- Affordable APC (₹1,600 / USD $50) charged only after acceptance. Compare with predatory journals (no real review, similar fees) or Western open-access (real review, 30× the fee).
What IJARST does not claim, by deliberate transparency: it does not list itself as UGC CARE on its own marketing pages. The journal’s About page directs authors to verify current UGC CARE status at the official portal. That same standard applies to every journal you consider — verify before you submit.
If your university accepts IJARST under its institutional research-cell guidelines, the workflow is straightforward. If you are unsure, the five-minute verification process described in the second section of this guide will tell you.
