HEC Policy for Publications

If you want to build your career in Education and Research in Pakistan, then employers may also evaluate the number of publications with your name. You can send your research manuscripts for publication to any journal. However, as a Pakistani citizen, you should also consider the credibility and relevance of your journal.

This is a crucial factor because if your manuscript is published in a journal, which is not recognized by The Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan, your efforts will be wasted. Moreover, if your manuscript is published in one journal, the editorial team of another journal may not allow publishing the same content in their journal. Therefore, you must know about the list of journals that are recognized by HEC.

If you visit the HEC website, you will find the ‘R & D’ tab on the main page. Under this tab, there is an option of ‘HEC Recognized Journals’:
https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/journals/Pages/default.aspx

Journals and Publications Policy is available at this link:
https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/journals/Documents/Policies/Research_Journals_and_Publications_Policy.pdf

The key points of this policy are as follows:

  • The journal must have clearly defined aims, objectives and scope of publication.
  • The Journal must have an ISSN no., title and URL (verified from International ISSN register).
  • The journal must be owned and published by a registered entity.
  • The journals fulfilling the following criteria will be recognized:
    • International: All journals listed in Scopus and/or Web of Science, except with effect from January 1, 2021, those that have been dropped or placed in a black list by Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) or the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC), or where there is evidence to suggest that the journal does not meet the minimal codal formalities.
    • National: All journals listed in Scopus and/or Web of Science or processed through HEC committee, except with effect from January 1, 2021, those that have been dropped or placed in a black list by DOAJ or ABDC, or where the journal fails to provide evidence that it meets the minimal codal formalities, or where HEC determines that the journal violates any of the DOAJ criteria.

On March 06, 2022, HEC published an advertisement in Dawn Newspaper. In this advertisement, HEC invited applications for the accreditation of Pakistan-based Research Journals. The journals currently enlisted in HEC Journal Recognition System (HJRS) will also have to apply as fresh application for accreditation. The snapshot of the advertisement is given below:

Dawn: March 06, 2022

HEC Journal Recognition System (HJRS) can be accessed at the following link:
https://hjrs.hec.gov.pk

HJRS is a collection of research journals that are categorized into three different categories – W, X and Y – within their respective knowledge areas on the basis of a number of internationally benchmarked and recognized parameters that measure the quality of a journal. The relative position and category of each journal is computed by a proprietary algorithm that is designed with the objective of promoting quality research across various disciplines. HJRS categorizes a research journal into three categories – W, X and Y – where W is the highest recognized category followed by X and Y within each subject area and its associated sub-categories.

As an example, in the Journal Search box, type Human Resources. You will see the name of all journals recognized by HEC and contain the word ‘Human Resources’. Select the entry Journal of Human Resources and click Find Journal. The next page will show all details regarding Journal of Human Resources. It will show the following details:

  • ISSN
  • Country
  • Indexed in Scopus?
  • Indexed in WoS (Web of Science)?
  • Subject Area Position: The rating will be shown separately for each subject area
  • In the given example, Journal of Human Resources has the highest category W for both subject areas; i.e. a) Economic, Econometrics and Finance and b) Business, Management and Accounting
  • Publisher

So, when you send your own manuscript to the website of a journal, it is highly recommended to check its rating in HJRS system and prefer the journals with W categories.

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