What Metrics Will Your Journal Receive?

When you apply, your journal is evaluated and assigned three separate scores:

1. RootIndexing Impact Factor (RIF)

Measures the average number of citations received by articles published in your journal over a defined period — a quantitative benchmark of citation influence and academic reach.

2. Journal Quality Score (JQS)

A composite score evaluating non-citation quality indicators: editorial board strength, peer-review rigor, publication consistency, website transparency, and adherence to publishing ethics.

3. UGC Journal Quality Index (UGC-JQI)

An index assessing the journal against parameters aligned with UGC-style academic quality benchmarks — useful for authors and institutions that reference UGC-type compliance standards during evaluation.

Together, RIF, JQS, and UGC-JQI give a fuller picture than any single metric alone: citation impact, structural/editorial quality, and compliance-oriented standing.

Eligibility Criteria

Before applying, ensure your journal meets the following requirements:

• Journal must be actively publishing with a minimum of 2 consecutive years of publication history.
• Journal must have an assigned ISSN (print or online).
• Minimum of 12 published articles across the last 4 issues.
• Journal website must be publicly accessible with full-text or abstract access to published articles.
• Journal must follow a documented peer-review process.
• Editorial board details must be published on the journal's website.
• No history of retraction due to ethical violations or predatory practices.

(Same eligibility applies for all three scores — RIF, JQS, and UGC-JQI — since evaluation is done in a single combined review.)

Documents Required

Applicants must submit the following:

1. Journal homepage URL and ISSN certificate.
2. List of published volumes/issues with article-level DOI or URLs (last 2 years).
3. Editorial board list with affiliations.
4. Peer-review policy document/link.
5. Publisher/organization details.
6. Journal's aims & scope statement.
7. Ethics/publication policy document (used for JQS and UGC-JQI evaluation).

Application Process (Step-by-Step)

1. Submit Application — Fill out the online application form with journal details.
2. Document Verification — Our team verifies ISSN, publication history, and editorial credentials (2–3 business days).
3. Citation Analysis — Citation data is analyzed for RIF calculation.
4. Quality & Compliance Review — Editorial, ethics, and structural parameters are assessed for JQS and UGC-JQI.
5. Score Calculation — RIF, JQS, and UGC-JQI are computed using RootIndexing's respective methodologies.
6. Result Notification — Journal receives all three scores via email within 10–15 working days.
7. Certificate & Badges — Approved journals receive an official certificate and verified badges for each metric (RIF, JQS, UGC-JQI) for website display.

FAQs

Q: Do I need to apply separately for RIF, JQS, and UGC-JQI?

No — one application covers all three. You can choose to request all three or select individual metrics on the form.

Q: How long is each score valid?

All three scores are recalculated annually based on the most recent 2-year data window.

Q: Can a new journal apply?

Journals under 2 years may apply for Provisional scores, upgraded to full RIF/JQS/UGC-JQI status after meeting the 2-year threshold.

Q: Are RIF, JQS, and UGC-JQI equivalent to Clarivate JIF, Scopus CiteScore, or the official UGC-CARE list?

No. These are independent metrics calculated by RootIndexing using our own methodology, and should be cited accordingly (e.g., “RootIndexing Impact Factor,” “Journal Quality Score by RootIndexing”).

They are not affiliated with or endorsed by Clarivate, Scopus, or the University Grants Commission.

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