Researchers in Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy face a narrower field of credible journals than most disciplines, and a correspondingly higher volume of predatory approaches. Choosing carefully matters more here, not less.
What Indian assessment actually counts
For most Indian institutions, UGC-CARE listing and Scopus indexing determine whether a publication counts toward promotion or degree award. Verify both at source — the UGC-CARE portal and Scopus Sources — rather than trusting a journal's claim. See how the indexes differ.
Reporting standards that decide acceptance
The most common reason credible AYUSH papers are rejected is reporting, not method:
- Clinical trials require prospective registration with CTRI and CONSORT reporting, including CONSORT extensions for herbal interventions where applicable.
- Formulation identity. The exact preparation, source of raw materials, authentication method and batch standardisation. “Standard Ayurvedic preparation” is not sufficient.
- Dosage and duration stated precisely, with the classical text reference where the formulation derives from one.
- Comparator justified. Whether placebo, standard care or another system, and why it is appropriate.
- Adverse events reported whether or not any occurred. Silence is read as not having looked.
Integrative and mechanistic work
Studies examining classical formulations through pharmacological or molecular methods are increasingly well received, because they bridge to readerships beyond AYUSH. If your work does this, a general pharmacology or ethnopharmacology journal may reach further than a specialist one.
Open access options
Cloud Publications publishes the International Journal of Advanced Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (IJAAYUSH, ISSN 2320-0251), a peer-reviewed open access journal covering all five systems. It welcomes clinical studies, pharmacological investigation of traditional formulations, work on medicinal plants and Panchakarma, and studies of integrative practice alongside conventional medicine. Every article is free to read worldwide.
Related titles include the International Journal of Advanced Nutritional and Health Science (IJANHS, ISSN 2348-5140) and the International Journal of Advanced Nursing Science and Practice (IJANSP, ISSN 2320-0278).
Practical preparation
Transliteration should be consistent and Sanskrit or Arabic terms glossed on first use, since reviewers may not read the classical language. Where a claim rests on a classical text, cite the text with chapter and verse as you would any source.
For the wider process, see writing a research paper and publishing in a Scopus-indexed journal.