How to Apply for Journal Inclusion
Criteria for Journal Selection in BCI
Agreements for Participation
Publisher Frequently Asked Questions
BCI Citation Search
Specifications for File Submissions
Requirements for Production Data
Submission Metrics and Reports

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Publishers Guide

Publishers

Bharat Citation Index is a multidisciplinary database. Therefore, these tools/databases are not adequate to evaluate/ analyze India's knowledge contents.

Ways to Submit:

BCI offers submission options to help achieve these goals.

Journal Engagement:

Initially for two years considering general time lag factor in Indian publications, BCI has decided to provide an opportunity to such publishers to bring their publications as per defined schedule. BCI is indexing following types of material appearing in local national journals. A journal will deposit the final published version of every article or its funded articles if the journal meets BCI's standards for inclusion in BCI. Participating journals and selective deposit publishers are required to deposit full-text PDF for every article and meet BCI other technical quality requirements. To learn more, see the BCI Journal Application Process page.

Discretionary Participation:

It is to fill the long-standing needed gap of National Citation Database of the country, required for comprehensive measurement and evaluation of Research Performance of individuals, institutions, universities, councils and other R&D bodies/institutions, etc. of the country for strategic planning, decision making and development.

Why Publisher should index their journal in BCI?

The publishers, who are publishing research journal(s), essentially need to disseminate their contents to potential users/buyers. Basically, the under lying intent of contents dissemination is to enhance the visibility and reach of their journal. Journal's sustainability is linked with its popularity/demand which is further directly proportional to circulation or reach of a journal to its potential users/buyers. Generally, contents information of R&D journals flows through Indexing and Abstracting periodicals. Bharat Citation Index(BCI) is one of the Indexing and Abstracting periodicals which serve contents and citations to world wide users. In the era of computer & communication technology (ICT), dissemination of information has attained new dimensions particularly with respect to delivering speed and depth of reach. Getting your journal indexed in Bharat Citation Index (BCI) will be highly advantageous to a journal's publisher (s). The BCI database is useful for performing following R&D activities by the users and the journals covered/indexed in this database shall be the subject/object of their study.

How to Apply for Journal Inclusion

This page outlines the steps required to have a journal included in BCI, along with the necessary prerequisites before applying. Journals that submit a complete application meeting all criteria will enter an evaluation process. During this process, the BCI assesses the journal`s focus, as well as its scientific and editorial quality. Additionally, journals considered for inclusion in BCI are reviewed for their technical standards. Publishers are advised to carefully review each step and familiarize themselves with BCI`s policies prior to submitting an application.

Pre-Application Requirements:

For Journals

The journal must have a valid ISSN, officially registered and verified by the ISSN International Centre.

BCI must be granted immediate access to the journal`s content, either through the publisher`s own platform or via a third-party hosting service.

For Publishers:

Publishers should have a proven track record of at least three years in producing high-quality scholarly work within the relevant field.

In certain cases, BCI may consider applications from publishers with less than three years of experience, provided there is strong evidence that their editorial and operational leadership has sufficient background and expertise gained from similar roles at other institutions. However, these publishers must still fully meet all journal-specific requirements listed in this section.

Publisher Portal

Preparing to Apply

Before beginning your application, fellow the BCI parameters :

It`s highly recommended that publishers familiarize themselves with the following resources prior to applying.

How to Begin the Application

You have two options to start your application:

Sign in with your BCI account to manage multiple applications in one place, or
Choose Start new application to proceed without logging in.
After starting, you ll receive an email containing a unique link to return to and edit your application as needed.

After You Submit

Once your application is submitted, a confirmation email will be sent with a direct link to monitor its status—regardless of whether you signed in.

Start New Application

You can submit a request to have your journal included in the BCI archive from this page. Journals are eligible for inclusion if they meet BCI`s archival standards and primarily publish content in English. Before applying, publishers are strongly encouraged to review the following resources:

Guidelines for Including a Journal in BCI
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
BCI Policies

Enter contact information for yourself or the person who will monitor the journals progress through the evaluation process.

Criteria for Journal Selection in BCI

The BCI considers many factors when evaluate journals for its indexing ranging from qualitative to quantitative parameters. These include - Basic publishing standards; editorial context; focus on whether the journal is National and International; Citation Analysis, etc. No single factor is considered in standalone manner, but in combination and interrelations thereof, we determine the journal`s overall strengths and weaknesses and accordingly take decision to index or not index in BCI.

CATEGORY	EVALUATION CRITERIA
Ethical Publishing Standards	Journals engaging in unethical practices—such as predatory publishing, misleading editorial policies, or fraudulent behavior—are not eligible for BCI indexing. If such practices are identified in a journal already indexed, it will be delisted immediately. Despite the absence of a universally accepted definition, many scholars argue that the label “predatory” disproportionately affects journals from developing nations, reinforcing dominance by Western publishers.
Indian Origin Requirement	Regardless of the publisher’s country of origin, the journal must be published from India to be considered for indexing.
Timely Publication	Adherence to a journal’s declared publishing frequency is a fundamental criterion. Consistent delays—especially those extending over several months or years—disqualify a journal from BCI indexing.
Research-Focused Content	Only research-oriented journals are eligible. General-interest magazines or popular publications are excluded.
Peer Review Integrity	Blind peer review is essential as it reflects the academic rigor and integrity of the journal. Additionally, proper and complete bibliographic
Regularity	A journal must follow its scheduled publication cycle. Irregular journals are not indexed.
Minimum Three-Year Publication History	Journals must have a consistent publication record of at least three years to allow proper citation analysis and reliability assessment.
Qualified and Diverse Editorial Team	Editors and reviewers must be experts in their fields and should represent a range of institutions, reflecting the national or international scope of the journal.
Diverse Authorship	Articles within each issue should come from authors affiliated with different institutions. Full author details and affiliations must be clearly provided.
Relevant and Complete References	All citations must be relevant, complete, and preferably include Indian sources where applicable. Editors and reviewers should ensure strict reference verification.
Citation Analysis	Citation metrics are used to assess a journal’s academic impact and relevance within its field.
Metadata in English	For journals in regional or local languages, essential metadata—such as title, abstract, keywords, authors, affiliations, and references—must be provided in English. Full-text can remain in the original language.
Publisher Reputation	The credibility and recognition of the journal’s publisher are also considered, including consistency and leadership.
Excluded Content Types	Journals that primarily publish non-scholarly content such as digests, book reviews, news columns, advertisements, or messages from authorities are not indexed.
Mass Publishing Practices	Journals functioning as bulk publishing platforms, especially in the Open Access model, will be excluded. If any are found to have been inadvertently indexed, they will be removed immediately without notice.
Reasonable Article Count	While there is no fixed limit, reputable journals typically publish around 12–18 articles per issue, with exceptions allowed for special issues.
Discrepancies in Versions	Journals showing inconsistency between print and online editions will not be indexed. Previously indexed journals with such discrepancies will be delisted.
Post-Publication Alterations	Journals modifying published content (adding or removing articles) post-release will be immediately removed from BCI upon discovery.
Balanced Inclusion for Underrepresented Fields	Journals from less-developed academic areas (e.g., Sports Science, Media Studies) or regions (e.g., J&K, Northeast India) may be considered with slightly relaxed criteria to ensure balanced representation.
Diverse Editorial and Author Affiliations	Editorial boards and contributing authors should reflect appropriate institutional and geographical diversity, especially for journals targeting an international audience.
ISSN and Minimum Frequency	A journal must have a valid ISSN and publish at least one issue per year to qualify.
Feedback and Transparency	BCI values constructive feedback from stakeholders and uses it to maintain quality and transparency. Reports of predatory behavior or poor standards are thoroughly investigated.
Global Quality Benchmarking	The journal’s overall quality should meet international publishing standards.
Promoting Self-Reliance in Scholarship	Indian researchers are encouraged to adopt a self-reliant and nationalistic mindset to strengthen domestic academic publishing.
Reflecting India’s Research Potential	As a country with a vast research community, India’s scholarly output should be effectively represented on the global stage.

Agreements for Participation

Types of Publisher Participation Agreements

To participate with BCI, publishers must enter into a formal Participation Agreement. There are three available agreement types...

Comprehensive Submission
Funded Content Submission
Selective Article Submission

Refer to the eligibility criteria to determine which option is the right fit.

Comprehensive Submission:

This agreement requires the publisher to submit the full content of a journal, beginning with a specific volume, issue, or publication date.

Funded Content Submission:

Through this agreement, the publisher agrees to submit all NIH-funded articles from a journal... Publishers may also include non-funded articles if they wish.

Selective Article Submission:

Designed for flexibility, this agreement allows publishers to submit specific articles from various journals, rather than providing full journal content.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q`s)

BCI stands for the Bharat Citation Index. It is a multidisciplinary citation and abstracting database that includes scholarly journals published from India.

Yes. Once you register on the website, you will receive a free trial access for 2 hours, allowing you to explore the platform and evaluate its features.

Access to BCI requires registration. Unregistered users are restricted from using the platform. However, registration is free and easy to complete.

After completing and submitting the registration form, you will receive a confirmation email at the address you provided. This email will include your login ID and password.

Use the email address you registered with as your login ID, and the password provided in your confirmation email. Enter these credentials and click on the Login button to access the platform.

This error usually occurs when the email ID or password entered is incorrect or does not match the registered information. Please refer to the confirmation email from BCI and ensure that you’re using the correct login credentials. Try again carefully with the exact details.

Specifications for File Submissions

File Submission Guidelines

At BCI, our mission is to build and maintain a high-quality archive of journal literature that ensures long-term, reliable access. To support this goal, we follow standards that promote sustainability and adaptability as technology and formats evolve.

Full-Text Submission (PDF Format):

Journals are required to submit the full text of each article in a separate, searchable PDF file. Each file should accurately represent the complete content of the article.

Submission Metrics and Reports

Monthly Submission Summary

This chart displays the total number of new manuscripts successfully submitted during each month.

Document Types covered in BCI

NO.	DOCUMENT TYPES	DEFINITION
1.	Research Article	Article of original research carried out by author(s).
2.	Review Article	Significant review of original research literature.
3.	Short Communication	Brief research communication/ news/views/ article.
4.	Editorial	Editorial item summarizing several articles or providing editorial opinions or news. Letter to or correspondence with the editor.
5.	Research Note	Original research communication in discussion or commentary form.
6.	Case Study	Analytical findings of an individual case and communicated in journal publication.
7.	Research Method	Reporting of new research methods.
8.	Opinion Papers	Article provide opinion of individual or group.
9.	Observations (R&D)	Expression of observations on R&D method/experiment/test and findings etc.
10.	Special Articles	Invited article, memorial lecture/working paper/special paper/expert views/comments.
11.	Patent	Patent document contain technological information. The term patent usually refers to a right granted to anyone who invents or discovers any new and useful process, machine, article of manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof.
12.	Standard	A standard is a document that establishes uniform engineering or technical specifications, criteria, methods, processes, or practices.
13.	Report (R&D)	Report a non-serial publication giving a detailed account of information or statements, often including opinions and findings, of an individual or group on a particular topic.
14.	Proceedings Paper	The paper published in a Conference/Symposium/Seminar/Workshops etc or summarization of all papers from conference proceedings.

Document Types NOT covered in BCI

• Advertisement
• Abstracts of dissertations or articles
• Bibliographies
• Digests
• Obituaries
• Book reviews
• News and views
• Announcements etc
• From the desk

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