UGC CARE Approved Journal & Low Cost Publication Guide

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UGC CARE Approved Journal • Low Cost Publication

Navigating Quality Journals: A UGC CARE Guide

Understand what the former UGC CARE system was, what changed after October 2024, and how to evaluate peer review, ISSN, Scopus-standard indexing, CrossRef DOI, low cost publication charges and publishing ethics before you submit a single page.

JMVRAJournal

2984-8911ISSN

11.25Impact Factor

₹971 INRIndian Author APC

Updated 3 September 2026 28-minute read Students, scholars & faculty

Check a Journal Low Cost Publication Submit to JMVRA

Updated 3 Sep 2026
About 15 min read
Facts read from the JMVRA journal record

Key takeaways

UGC discontinued the UGC-CARE journal listing in October 2024; there is no live list to search, so a journal is judged on evidence you can check yourself.
Low cost publication is a legitimate requirement: judge the total fee (authors covered, DOI, certificates, tax) against what it buys, not the headline number.
The ten checks and the 100-point scorecard on this page work for any journal, including JMVRA.
JMVRA charges ₹971 INR for Indian authors and $41 USD for international authors, due only after acceptance. A Crossref DOI is an optional add-on priced on the DOI page.

Choosing where to publish is an academic decision, not simply a search for an “approved” badge. A journal becomes suitable through evidence: a genuine publisher, appropriate scope, qualified editors, meaningful peer review, clear ethics, accurate metadata, accessible archives, an honest and affordable fee, and acceptance by the institution that will evaluate your work.

UGC created the Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics—commonly called UGC CARE—to improve research integrity and help curb dubious and predatory publishing. For years, its list became a familiar reference for students, researchers and universities, and the phrase “UGC CARE Approved Journal” became the single most common search an Indian author typed before submitting. That system later changed, making it essential to separate historical information from the process authors should follow today.

The second question authors ask, almost always in the same breath, is about money: where can I find low cost publication that is still genuine? Both questions have the same answer, and it is not a badge. It is evidence you can check yourself in an afternoon.

This expanded guide preserves the earlier Group I, Group II and Groups A–D information from the original article for reference. It adds the current position, a full section on low cost publication charges and hidden costs, practical due diligence, a weighted quality scorecard, CrossRef DOI and Scopus-standard indexing explanations, clone detection, a glossary, popular search terms, an extended FAQ and primary-source links.

Important update

What Does “UGC CARE Approved Journal” Mean Today?

Old list terminology should not be presented as a current individual endorsement.

UGC discontinued the CARE listing framework in October 2024

Following its 584th meeting, UGC announced discontinuation of the UGC CARE journal listing and moved toward suggestive parameters for selecting peer-reviewed journals. An old appearance in a CARE list should therefore be described with its historical period, not used as proof of continuing approval in 2026.

For authors, the practical rule is simple: assess the journal’s evidence and ask your university, department, research cell, employer or funder for the latest written criteria applicable to your publication.

That does not make the phrase meaningless. When a supervisor, a research cell or a promotion committee says “publish in a UGC CARE Approved Journal”, what they are really asking for is a journal that behaves the way the CARE framework wanted journals to behave: a real editorial board, a documented peer-review process, published ethics, a registered ISSN, working CrossRef DOIs, honest indexing claims and a transparent fee. Every one of those is checkable. None of them requires a list.

Earlier list-based approach	Current evidence-based approach
Search for a title in a CARE group	Evaluate the journal against transparent, verifiable quality indicators
Rely heavily on list status	Check ISSN, publisher identity, editorial board, peer review and ethics
Assume one label satisfies every institution	Confirm the current rule of the authority assessing your work
Trust badges and screenshots	Verify claims through official databases and persistent records
Treat the fee as a secondary detail	Read the complete cost — base charge, add-ons, taxes and refund terms — before submitting

Seven years in one picture

How the UGC CARE Approved Journal Idea Evolved

From a curated list to an evidence-based judgement authors make themselves.

2018CARE established
UGC set up the Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics to raise research quality and curb dubious publishing.
2019Group I & Group II
The reference list was organised into groups, and the phrase “UGC CARE Approved Journal” entered everyday use among Indian authors.
20231,456 Group I titles
The list-era snapshot reported across Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities, Multidisciplinary and Indian Languages.
Oct 2024Listing discontinued
After its 584th meeting UGC announced discontinuation of the CARE journal listing and moved to suggestive parameters.
2026Evidence-based choice
Authors now verify ISSN, editors, peer review, ethics, CrossRef DOI, indexing and cost — then confirm their own institution’s rule.

The list is gone; the standards it was trying to enforce are not. Everything below is how you check those standards yourself.

Historical reference

What the UGC CARE List Was Designed to Do

The original article’s list-era information is retained with an explicit historical label.

Archived CARE-list information

The following groups, counts and login procedure describe earlier versions of the system. They are not a current 2026 list or certification process.

Why UGC established CARE

UGC emphasized high-quality research and knowledge creation by faculty members, researchers and students. To support those aims and prevent academic misconduct, CARE sought to:

Promote quality research, academic integrity and publication ethics in Indian universities.
Encourage publication in credible journals and improve Indian research visibility.
Discourage publication in dubious, predatory or substandard journals.
Maintain a reference list of quality journals during the list era.
Develop methods for identifying and evaluating journals.

Historical Group I and Group II arrangement

Group I: journals assessed and found qualified through UGC CARE protocols.
Group II: journals associated with globally recognised indexing databases under the framework then in use.

Historical 2023 Group I subject counts

The original article reported 1,456 Group I journals across five categories. These figures are preserved only as a period snapshot.

Subject	Reported total in 2023
Sciences	422
Social Sciences	347
Arts & Humanities	383
Multidisciplinary	56
Indian Languages	248

Earlier Groups A, B, C and D

Group A: research journals indexed in the then-referenced Scopus or Web of Science source collections.
Group B: journals carried from an earlier UGC list and qualified under then-current analysis protocols.
Group C: journals recommended by UGC CARE Council members and qualified under those protocols.
Group D: journals submitted by UGC CARE Universities and qualified under those protocols.

How authors searched during the list era

Visit the official CARE portal operated through the UGC Cell at SPPU.
Register and create an account where required.
Sign in using registered credentials.
Search the journal title or ISSN within the groups then available.

This workflow explains the original system. Authors should now follow current UGC guidance and their institution’s current rules.

Why the history still matters

Two reasons. First, a great deal of advice circulating in WhatsApp groups, coaching material and older university handbooks still assumes a live list, so you need to recognise list-era language when you meet it. Second, journals that were genuinely doing the work during the list era did not stop doing it when the list ended — the editorial board, the review process and the archive are all still there to inspect. The evidence outlives the label.

The other half of the question

Low Cost Publication in India: What It Should and Should Not Mean

Affordability is a legitimate requirement. It is not, by itself, a warning sign — and a large fee is not a guarantee.

Most Indian authors are not funded. A research scholar paying from a stipend, an assistant professor meeting a promotion requirement, a postgraduate student publishing from a dissertation — for all of them, low cost publication is not a preference, it is the condition that decides whether the paper gets published at all. Pretending otherwise helps nobody, and it pushes authors toward the exact operations this guide warns about, because those operations are the ones openly advertising a price.

So treat cost as a normal, first-class criterion, alongside peer review and ethics — and evaluate it the same way: by asking what you get, in writing, before you pay.

What a publication charge actually funds

An article processing charge in an open-access journal replaces the subscription a reader would otherwise pay. It is buying editorial labour and infrastructure, not paper. Understanding the six things below is what lets you judge whether a number is plausible.

Editorial handling

Desk screening, scope assessment, correspondence and record-keeping for every submission.

Peer review coordination

Finding qualified reviewers, chasing reports, managing revisions and recording decisions.

Production & typesetting

Formatting, proofing, figure handling and building the final published PDF.

CrossRef DOI & metadata

Registering a persistent identifier and depositing accurate metadata so the paper stays findable.

Hosting & preservation

Keeping the full archive online, backed up and readable for the long term.

Indexing & discovery

Feeding databases and discovery services so readers can actually reach the paper.

Where the price bands sit, and what each one is buying

Band	Typical model	What to check
No charge at all	Subscription journals, society journals and some funded platforms. Readers or sponsors pay instead of authors.	Check who funds it and whether reader access is restricted.
Low cost publication	Lean open-access operations. Real peer review, CrossRef DOI and archiving are affordable at this level when the publisher is efficient and transparent.	Confirm review, ethics, archive and identifier quality — price alone proves nothing.
Mid-range APC	Larger commercial publishers with heavier production, marketing and platform costs.	A higher fee buys scale, not automatically better review.
Premium APC	Selective international titles and hybrid open access in subscription journals.	Verify that the spend matches your actual purpose and funding rules.

The bands above describe what authors commonly encounter in the Indian market. They are orientation, not a tariff — every journal publishes its own charges, and those are the only numbers that bind anyone.

Six things authors are told that are not true

Low Cost Publication: Myth and Fact

Myth: Low cost publication means low quality

Cost reflects a publisher’s operating model, not the rigour of its review. A lean, honest, open-access journal can run genuine peer review at a low fee; an expensive journal can still review badly.

Myth: A high fee guarantees a good journal

Some of the most aggressive predatory operations charge premium prices precisely because a high number reads as prestige.

Myth: “UGC CARE Approved Journal” is a certificate a journal can show you

The CARE listing framework was discontinued in October 2024. Any current claim should be read as a description of quality practice, and checked against your institution’s own rule.

Myth: A CrossRef DOI proves the journal is indexed in Scopus

A DOI is a persistent identifier. It makes a paper citable and linkable. It says nothing about selective database coverage.

Myth: Google Scholar visibility equals Scopus indexing

Google Scholar is a broad discovery crawler. Scopus and Web of Science run separate, curated source-selection processes.

Myth: Free publication is always safer than paid publication

“Free” can mean subscription-funded, sponsor-funded, or a fee that appears later. Read the full policy either way.

Ask before you pay

Eight Costs That Are Easy to Miss

A genuinely low cost publication is low in total. Get every one of these in writing.

Per-author charges

Ask how many authors the base fee covers and what each additional author costs.

Extra-page charges

Some journals bill beyond a page or word threshold. Check the threshold before formatting.

DOI billed separately

Confirm whether a CrossRef DOI is included in the base charge or priced as an add-on.

Certificate charges

Softcopy certificates are commonly included; printed certificates usually are not.

Hard copy & courier

Printed journal issues and delivery are almost always priced separately.

Similarity report

A plagiarism/similarity report may be an optional paid service with its own page limit.

Fast-track fees

Any charge that promises speed deserves close reading of what it actually accelerates.

Withdrawal charges

Find out what happens — and what is owed — if you withdraw after acceptance.

Our own numbers, in the open

JMVRA Publication Charges

Apply the same scrutiny here that this guide asks you to apply anywhere else.

Item	Indian authors	International authors
Publication charge — full paper online, up to 5 authors	₹971 INR	$41 USD
Hard copy of certificate (optional)	₹500	$100
CrossRef DOI registration (optional)	₹300	$20
Bundle: printed journal + certificates + DOI (optional)	₹1100	$170
Each additional author beyond five	₹500	₹500

What the base charge includes

Online publication of the complete paper, for up to five authors.
An individual softcopy Certificate of Publication for every author.
A softcopy confirmation letter of publication.
Author and paper details handling, plus basic formatting for publication.
A unique paper identification number and typesetting.
Listing in the JMVRA SEARCH digital library and major indexing databases including Google Scholar and academia.edu.
An automated citation generator for your published paper.
Lifetime availability in our digital repository and on the journal website.

When you pay, and what happens after

Registration for publication begins after your paper is accepted — the charge is not a submission fee. Once an article has been accepted the processing charge is due, and under the published refund policy payments are non-refundable. Read the Payment Terms and Publication Charges pages in full before paying, and never pay an account or contact that is not listed on those pages.

Current Publication Charges DOI & Hard Copy Charges Payment Options

Practical due diligence

10 Checks for Choosing a Quality Journal

Apply these checks to every journal—including JMVRA—before submission or payment.

Verify the ISSN

Search the ISSN Portal and confirm that the registered title matches the journal exactly.

Read the aims and scope

Confirm that your topic and article type genuinely fit the journal’s editorial remit.

Inspect recent papers

Open several articles and assess methods, references, metadata, dates and editorial consistency.

Check the editorial board

Look for identifiable editors, current affiliations and subject expertise you can verify.

Understand peer review

Find the review model, reviewer role, revision procedure, conflicts policy and decision process.

Verify indexing directly

Search the database’s official source list by title and ISSN instead of trusting a logo.

Test article identifiers

Open published CrossRef DOI links and verify that the destination and metadata match the article.

Read ethics policies

Check plagiarism, authorship, conflicts, AI use, misconduct, corrections and retractions.

Confirm the complete fee

Understand taxes, inclusions, optional services, payment timing and refund terms.

Ask your institution

Obtain current written requirements for your PhD, promotion, grant or assessment purpose.

Best safeguard: for a degree, promotion, grant or assessment, get confirmation from the deciding authority before paying. A journal cannot guarantee how an independent institution will treat a publication.

Turn the checks into a score

A 100-Point Journal Quality Scorecard

Score the journal in front of you. The weighting below is this guide’s own suggestion — not a UGC standard and not an official rubric.

Verifiable publisher identity & ISSN

Named, checkable editorial board

Documented peer-review process

Published ethics, corrections & retraction policy

Complete, upfront cost disclosure

Working CrossRef DOIs & accurate metadata

Honest, verifiable indexing claims

Stable, complete, readable archive

Total available100 points

How to read your total

80 and above — the journal is documenting its work properly. Move on to the question your institution will actually ask: does this title satisfy their current rule?
60 to 79 — usable, but something is undocumented. Identify exactly which criterion lost the points and ask the editorial office about it in writing before you submit.
Below 60 — you are being asked to take too much on trust. Note that peer review, ethics and editorial identity together carry half the available points; a journal cannot make those up with an attractive fee.

Notice what the weighting does not reward: badges, logos, screenshots, and any claim that cannot be checked at its source. Notice too that cost disclosure carries points but the size of the fee does not. A low cost publication that discloses everything scores well here. A premium fee hiding its inclusions does not.

Look beyond the label

What Transparent Peer Review Should Explain

“Peer reviewed” is a process claim, so the process should be visible.

A credible policy explains whether review is single-blind, double-blind, open or another model; how reviewers are chosen; how conflicts are handled; what reviewers assess; how authors respond; and who makes the final decision. Models differ by discipline. Clarity, consistency and accountability matter more than a fashionable label.

Normal editorial outcomes

Meaningful review may lead to acceptance, minor revision, major revision or rejection. Revision is a routine part of improving scholarship. Guaranteed acceptance or a timeline leaving no room for substantive assessment deserves scrutiny.

Ethics across the publication lifecycle

Read policies on plagiarism, duplicate submission, data fabrication, authorship, competing interests, human or animal research, AI-assisted work, complaints, corrections and retractions. A trustworthy publisher explains both how work enters the record and how the record is corrected.

Questions worth emailing the editorial office

A journal that answers these clearly, in writing, before you submit is telling you a great deal about how it will behave later:

Which review model do you use, and how many reviewers see a manuscript?
What is your typical time from submission to first decision?
What proportion of submissions are rejected or sent back for major revision?
Is the publication charge due at submission or after acceptance?
Is a CrossRef DOI included in the base fee, or charged separately?
What is your process if an error is found after publication?

None of those questions is rude, and none of them is unusual. An office that treats them as an obstacle has answered the more important question already.

Peer-Review Policy Publication Ethics Plagiarism Policy

Three different concepts

CrossRef DOI, Indexing and Impact Factor Explained

These three get used interchangeably in journal advertising. They are not interchangeable.

CrossRef DOI

A Digital Object Identifier persistently identifies an object such as an article. It improves linking and metadata exchange but does not certify quality or database inclusion.

Indexing

Discovery services and selective databases use different coverage rules. Ask “indexed where?” and confirm the title and ISSN in the provider’s official record.

Impact metrics

The Journal Impact Factor is a specific Clarivate metric. Other scores should name their provider and method rather than be presented as equivalent.

Website claim	What to verify
“CrossRef DOI available”	Open multiple links and compare registered metadata with each article
“Scopus indexed”	Search Scopus Sources and check title, ISSN, years and active status
“Scopus standard”	Read it as a description of editorial practice, not as coverage — then verify coverage separately
“Web of Science indexed”	Search the Clarivate Master Journal List and inspect the collection
“Google Scholar indexed”	Treat this as discoverability, not certification or selective indexing
“UGC CARE Approved Journal”	Ask for the period the claim refers to, and check your institution’s current rule
“High impact factor”	Identify the provider, metric, year and published methodology

Verification narrows the list. It is meant to — a shortlist of one you can defend beats a shortlist of twenty you cannot.

Cost and rights

Fees, Copyright and Open Access

Check the complete cost

Publication charges may support editorial management, production, hosting, preservation and access. Ask whether the amount includes taxes, DOI-related services, certificates, print copies, courier, formatting or expedited options. Confirm when payment is due and what happens after rejection or withdrawal.

JMVRA fees can change. Check the live Publication Charges and Payment Terms, rather than relying on an old copied amount.

Understand copyright and licensing

Open access describes reader access, not one universal copyright arrangement. Determine who retains copyright, which licence applies, permitted reuse, attribution and repository-deposit rights.

Inspect the archive

Open recent papers and older issues. Check dates, author names, references, identifiers and links, and whether corrections or retractions connect clearly to affected work. The archive often reveals more than the homepage.

Keep a record of what you were told

Save the fee page as a PDF on the day you submit, keep the acceptance email, and keep the invoice. If a dispute ever arises — with the journal, or with an institution asking why you chose it — a dated record of the published terms is the only thing that settles it.

Current JMVRA Charges Copyright Archive

Protect your manuscript

Cloned and Predatory Journal Warning Signs

Near-identical titleISSN/title mismatchUnrelated domainFree-email contact onlyUnverifiable editorsGuaranteed acceptanceSurprise feesFake database logosBroken archiveDOIs resolving elsewherePayment to a personal accountPressure to pay before review

Three magnifying glasses examining a journal website on a monitor — verifying ISSN, editorial board and CrossRef DOI claims before submitting a research paper

Every clone check is the same move: take the claim off the journal’s own website and look it up at its source.

How to check for a clone

Search the exact ISSN on the ISSN Portal and note the registered title.
Compare publisher identity and official domain across reliable records.
Check whether the domain, email and contact details remain consistent.
Open CrossRef DOI links from several issues and inspect their destinations.
Contact an editor through an independently verified institutional page if doubt remains.

The earlier CARE system also published clone alerts. Although the list framework has changed, the verification habit remains essential: never use a badge or screenshot as final evidence.

If you have already submitted or paid

Stop further payment immediately. Write to the journal withdrawing the manuscript and keep the correspondence. Do not let the same manuscript sit under review in two places. Report the site to your institution’s research cell so colleagues are warned, and if money moved through a bank or card, raise it with your bank promptly — the timescales for a dispute are short.

The rule that actually binds you

What Your Institution Will Ask For

Different purposes have different requirements, and only the deciding authority can state the current one.

Your purpose	Who decides	Ask them for
PhD coursework or thesis requirement	University research cell / doctoral committee	The current written rule on acceptable journals, in force on your submission date
Promotion or career advancement	Employer / screening or selection committee	The applicable scoring rules and any list or criteria they currently apply
Funded project deliverable	Funding agency / project sanction terms	Publication conditions written into the sanction, including any open-access mandate
Departmental or accreditation reporting	Department head / IQAC	The evidence format they need — DOI, ISSN, indexing proof, full-text copy
Personal visibility and citation	You	Honest reach: indexing, discoverability, licence and long-term availability

Ask by email, not in a corridor. A dated written answer naming the criteria is what protects you if the rule changes between your submission and your assessment — and rules have changed more than once since 2024.

Author workflow

From Journal Search to Safe Submission

Define your goal

Identify audience, scope, deadline, budget and institutional requirements.

Build a shortlist

Use references, trusted databases, societies and journals you already read.

Verify evidence

Complete all ten checks and save records of important claims.

Total the cost

Add the base charge, per-author fees, DOI, certificates, hard copy and taxes.

Confirm acceptance

Ask the authority evaluating the publication for written guidance.

Prepare correctly

Follow formatting, references, data and ethics requirements.

Submit officially

Use the published submission channel and retain confirmation.

Respond to review

Address comments carefully in a point-by-point response.

Pay and proof

Verify the invoice and carefully inspect final proofs.

Archive your record

Keep the DOI, PDF, certificate, invoice and correspondence together.

Plain definitions

Journal Publishing Glossary

The twelve terms that appear in nearly every journal advertisement — and what each one actually means.

ISSN

An eight-digit International Standard Serial Number identifying a serial title. Registered at the ISSN Portal, where the title and publisher can be checked.

CrossRef DOI

A Digital Object Identifier registered through CrossRef. It resolves permanently to the article and carries deposited metadata, which is what makes citation links stable.

APC

Article Processing Charge — the publication fee an author or funder pays in an open-access model, in place of a reader subscription.

Open access

A distribution model in which readers pay nothing to read. It describes reader access, not one fixed copyright arrangement and not a fixed price to authors.

Peer review

Independent expert assessment of a manuscript before publication. Single-blind, double-blind and open models differ in who knows whose identity.

Refereed journal

A journal in which submissions are refereed — assessed by subject experts — before an editorial decision is made.

Indexing

Inclusion in a database or discovery service. Selective databases such as Scopus and Web of Science apply their own source-selection criteria.

Impact Factor

A specific Clarivate metric computed from citations in a defined window. Other scores exist and should name their provider and method.

Predatory journal

A publication that takes fees while failing to deliver the editorial, review and preservation services it advertises.

Cloned journal

A fraudulent site copying a genuine journal’s title, ISSN and branding on a different domain in order to collect submissions and fees.

Retraction

The formal removal of a published article from the scholarly record, with a public notice explaining why.

UGC CARE

The Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics, whose journal listing framework UGC discontinued in October 2024.

Keep reading

Related Guides on the JMVRA Blog

Primary verification links

Check the Original Sources

Disclaimer: Journal status, coverage, fees and institutional rules change. Verify current information before submission or payment. This guide is not UGC certification and does not guarantee acceptance by any authority.

Six stops

Verify a journal in one afternoon

Every claim a journal makes can be checked at its source. Take the claim off the journal’s own site and look it up here, in this order.

Each stop takes minutes; together they replace the list that no longer exists.The figure scrolls sideways on a narrow screen.

Checklist

Before you pay any journal

Six things to have in hand before money moves. A genuine journal answers all of them in writing.

The fee page states the base charge, how many authors it covers and every add-on
Payment is requested after acceptance, to the journal’s own account, with an invoice
The peer-review and ethics policies are published, not promised by e-mail
Several published DOIs resolve to this journal and carry correct metadata
Your institution’s research cell has confirmed the journal in writing for your purpose
You have saved the fee page and the acceptance e-mail with their dates

Keep reading

UGC CARE Approved Journal & Low Cost Publication FAQs

These visible answers also power the FAQ structured data on this page.

What was the UGC-CARE List?

The Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics maintained a reference list intended to promote research quality, academic integrity and publication ethics and discourage dubious or substandard publishing.

Is the UGC-CARE List still active?

No. UGC discontinued the listing framework in October 2024 and moved toward suggestive parameters for choosing peer-reviewed journals. Old list information is history, not proof of current approval.

What does “UGC CARE Approved Journal” mean now?

Do not treat the phrase as a current individual certification. Read it as shorthand for the quality practices the CARE framework tried to encourage — genuine peer review, verifiable editors, published ethics and honest indexing claims — then confirm the current rules of the institution assessing your publication.

Are Group I, Group II or Groups A–D still current?

Those labels describe earlier versions of the CARE system. They remain here for historical understanding but are not a current live-list classification.

How do I search for a UGC CARE Approved Journal today?

There is no current live list to search. Verify the journal instead: ISSN on the ISSN Portal, editors and affiliations, the published peer-review and ethics policy, working CrossRef DOIs, indexing in each database’s own source list, and the full fee — then confirm your institution’s written requirement.

Is JMVRA a UGC CARE Approved Journal?

Because UGC discontinued the CARE listing in October 2024, no journal can produce a current CARE certificate. JMVRA is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal with ISSN 2984-8911, CrossRef DOI registration, published ethics and peer-review policies and fully disclosed low cost publication charges. Review those pages against the ten checks in this guide and confirm acceptance with your own institution before submitting.

Does a DOI prove that a journal is good?

No. A DOI is a persistent identifier. It does not itself prove peer-review quality, ethical practice or inclusion in Scopus or Web of Science.

Does Google Scholar count as Scopus indexing?

No. Google Scholar is a broad discovery service. Scopus and Web of Science have separate source-selection and coverage systems.

Is JMVRA indexed in Scopus?

Treat every indexing claim — including ours — as something to verify rather than accept. JMVRA follows Scopus-standard editorial practice: documented peer review, declared ethics, registered CrossRef DOIs and accurate metadata. For current coverage in any specific database, search that database’s own source list by title and ISSN 2984-8911.

How can I identify a cloned journal?

Compare the exact title, ISSN, publisher, domain, contacts and DOI destinations with authoritative records. A copied identity on another domain is a serious warning sign.

Is a low publication fee a red flag?

Not by itself. Compare price with peer review, editorial work, transparency, preservation, ethics and services. A high price also does not prove quality.

Why do publication charges differ so much between journals?

Charges reflect the publisher’s operating model — staffing, platform, production, marketing and profit expectations — far more than review rigour. A lean open-access journal can fund genuine review, CrossRef DOI registration and long-term hosting at a low fee; a large commercial publisher carries costs a small one does not.

What is a safe low cost publication fee?

There is no single safe number. Judge the fee against what it delivers: documented peer review, a named editorial board, published ethics, a working CrossRef DOI, a stable archive and a fully itemised price with no surprises. A modest fee attached to all of those is safer than a large fee attached to none.

Does low cost publication still include a CrossRef DOI?

Not always — that is exactly why it must be checked. Some journals include registration in the base fee and some price it separately. At JMVRA the CrossRef DOI is listed with its own charge on the DOI and hard copy page, so you can see precisely what you are paying for.

Are there hidden charges in low cost publication?

There should not be. Ask specifically about additional authors, extra pages, DOI registration, printed certificates, hard copies and courier, similarity reports and any fast-track option. A journal that answers all of those in writing before you pay is behaving correctly.

What do JMVRA publication charges include?

Online publication of the full paper for up to five authors, an individual softcopy certificate for every author, a confirmation letter, author and paper handling, basic formatting, a unique paper ID and typesetting, listing in the JMVRA digital library and major databases, an automated citation generator, and lifetime availability in our repository.

Do I pay extra for each co-author?

The publication charge covers up to five authors on a single paper. Beyond five, an additional charge of ₹500 per extra author applies, and the JMVRA team must be informed of the author count before publication.

When is the publication fee due, and is it refundable?

Charges become due once a paper is accepted — not at submission. Under the published refund policy all payments are non-refundable after acceptance, so read the Payment Terms page in full before paying.

Should I pay before peer review?

Follow the published payment policy. Be cautious about unofficial requests, personal accounts, surprise fees or pressure to pay before the stated process is complete.

Is open access the same as low cost?

No. Open access describes reader access; the author-side price is a separate decision by each publisher. Open-access fees range from nothing to several thousand dollars.

How do I get a printed certificate, hard copy or similarity report?

These are optional add-ons rather than part of the base charge. Their current prices are listed on the DOI and hard copy page so the total cost is visible before you commit.

Will a low cost journal paper be accepted for my PhD or promotion?

No journal can decide that for your institution. Take the journal’s evidence — ISSN, editorial board, peer-review policy, ethics, DOI, archive and fee — to your university, department, research cell, employer or funder and get the answer in writing before you submit or pay.

Can JMVRA guarantee acceptance by my university?

No journal can decide for every institution. Confirm your university, department, research cell, employer or funder’s current requirements before submitting or paying.

How long does publication take at JMVRA?

Review timelines depend on reviewer availability and the revisions your manuscript needs. Treat any journal promising guaranteed acceptance, or a turnaround too short to allow real assessment, as a warning sign rather than a benefit.

Still unsure about something? Email [email protected] and ask before you submit — that is what the editorial office is for.