Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is RootIndexing?
RootIndexing is an academic journal indexing and evaluation platform that provides journal visibility, indexing, impact-related metrics, and journal quality assessment services. It maintains journal records containing information such as ISSN, publisher, subject categories, indexing and evaluation information, and journal-level metrics.
2. What services does RootIndexing provide for academic journals?
RootIndexing provides multiple services for scholarly journals, including journal indexing, Root Impact Factor (RIF), Journal Quality Score (JQS), and UGC Journal Quality Index (UGC-JQI). These services are intended to support journal visibility, quality assessment, and benchmarking.
3. What is the Root Impact Factor (RIF)?
The Root Impact Factor (RIF) is a citation-based journal metric provided by RootIndexing to indicate the citation impact of a journal based on the applicable RootIndexing methodology and available citation information.
RIF is a journal-level metric and should not be interpreted as equivalent to citation metrics provided by other organizations.
4. What is the UGC Journal Quality Index (UGC-JQI)?
The UGC Journal Quality Index (UGC-JQI) is a 100-point journal quality assessment framework developed by RootIndexing for evaluating the overall quality of scholarly journals in the post-UGC-CARE environment.
The framework considers multiple dimensions, including journal policies, editorial quality, publishing standards, research content, publication ethics, infrastructure, visibility, and impact indicators.
5. Is UGC-JQI an official UGC-CARE replacement or UGC-approved ranking?
No. UGC-JQI is an independent assessment framework developed by RootIndexing. It is designed with reference to relevant journal quality parameters, but it is not operated, approved, endorsed, or accredited by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The UGC-JQI score should therefore be understood as an independent informational and quality-assessment indicator.
6. How is the UGC-JQI score calculated?
UGC-JQI uses a 100-point assessment framework covering seven major areas:
- Journal Preliminary Criteria – 15 points
- Editorial Quality – 20 points
- Editorial & Publishing Policies – 15 points
- Research Content Quality – 10 points
- Journal Standards & Publishing Infrastructure – 15 points
- Publication Ethics & Integrity – 15 points
- Journal Visibility & Impact – 10 points
7. What are the UGC-JQI grades?
| Score | UGC-JQI Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100 | A+ Excellence |
| 80–89 | A Grade |
| 70–79 | B+ Grade |
| 60–69 | B Grade |
| Below 60 | Under Review |
These grades represent the RootIndexing assessment framework and should not be interpreted as official UGC accreditation or approval.
8. What is the Journal Quality Score (JQS)?
The Journal Quality Score (JQS) is a journal quality metric displayed by RootIndexing for eligible journals. It provides a quantitative indication of journal quality based on the applicable RootIndexing evaluation methodology.
JQS and UGC-JQI are separate metrics. UGC-JQI is specifically structured as a 100-point journal quality assessment framework, while JQS is a separate RootIndexing journal quality metric.
9. How can a journal be evaluated or listed on RootIndexing?
Publishers and Editors-in-Chief can submit their journals for consideration through RootIndexing. The journal may be evaluated using information supplied by the publisher together with publicly available information about the journal.
Depending on the service requested and applicable eligibility requirements, a journal may receive an indexing record, impact-related evaluation, quality score, UGC-JQI assessment, or other applicable RootIndexing information.
10. How can researchers verify a journal's RootIndexing information?
Researchers can search the RootIndexing Journal Master List or individual journal records to review available information such as the journal title, ISSN, publisher, subject categories, UGC-JQI score and grade, impact-factor history, and Journal Quality Score where available. Researchers should independently verify claims about other indexing databases, accreditation, and institutional recognition directly with the relevant organization before relying on such claims for academic or professional purposes.
