Since the spring of 2025, the Ukrainian scientific community had been awaiting an update to the requirements for scholarly publications. The document was repeatedly postponed, revised, and discussed at various levels. And on January 30, 2026, the wait finally came to an end—on January 19, 2026, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, by Order No. 56, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine approved a new version of the Procedure for Compiling the List of Ukrainian Scientific and Professional Publications, which was registered with the Ministry of Justice on January 28, 2026, under No. 129/45523.
These changes will have significant impact both for professional journals in Ukraine and for researchers’ publication opportunities. The new regulations raise the bar for quality, strengthen requirements for international integration and academic integrity, and establish clearer criteria for evaluating “Category B” journals.
What's particularly important: Category "B" publications that are included in the List as of the effective date of the order have received transition period until June 1, 2026. This means that magazine editors have less than five months to prepare for the new reality.
In this article, we will examine the key innovations in detail, analyze how they will affect Ukraine’s publishing landscape, and outline possible scenarios for various categories of academic journals.
Key Provisions
Validity period: Category “B” publications included in the List as of the effective date of the order shall remain on the List until June 1, 2026.
Frequency of applications: Applications are now being accepted once every three years (February 1 through April 30).
Key Requirements for Category "B"
1. Basic Requirements
– Issued for a minimum of 2 years;
– A DOI for each article;
– At least 9 scholars on the editorial board (no more than half of whom may be from the founding institution);
– At least two foreigners on the editorial board;
– Restrictions: A researcher may serve on a maximum of three editorial boards in Category "B."
2. New Requirements for Editorial Board Members
Each member of the editorial board must have At least 3 publications in the last 5 years in Web of Science/Scopus, or their equivalents:
– Management of international projects (Horizon, NATO, etc.);
– Monograph (for specific clusters);
– Bonus: Publications in Q1 = 2 publications.
3. Website Requirements
Be sure to in Ukrainian and English:
– Usage Policy artificial intelligence (new requirement!);
– APC (Article Processing Charge) Policy;
– Peer review process in accordance with COPE standards;
– Dates: receipt, acceptance, publication;
– HTTPS protocol (SSL/TLS certificate).
4. Grading System
– A maximum of 30 points;
– Minimum threshold: at least 30% from the high (that is, 9 points);
– A ranking list is compiled separately for each cluster.
Important Changes
PhD Thesis Defenses:
- Required exemption from payment for publications by students in state-funded third-level education programs (3 points).
Quality Control:
- The annual number of publications cannot increase by more than 50% compared to the previous year;
- A maximum of 1 article one author per issue;
- Prohibition on the systematic publication of low-quality content.
Geopolitical constraints:
- Ban on editors/reviewers from Russia and Belarus;
- Prohibition on co-authorship with individuals with whom there was scientific collaboration after February 24, 2022.
Assessment Criteria
Positive criteria:
- Percentage of foreign authors: >10% (1 point), >25% (3 points);
- Citations in Scopus/WoS: >10% (2 points), >25% (4 points);
- DOI in citations: >25% (1 point), >50% (2 points).
Restrictions:
- The proportion of authors from a single institution is ≤50% (2 points), ≤25% (3 points).
⚠️ Grounds for exclusion
- Cessation of publishing activities;
- Violation of the requirements of the Procedure;
- Systematic (>2 instances) publication of low-quality content;
- Violations of publication ethics.
A Professional Forecast from the Academy of Articles: What Scenarios Lie Ahead
Why Did the Ministry of Education and Science Carry Out the Reform?
The Ministry of Education and Science’s primary goal regarding scientific journals is— increase the number of Ukrainian publications in Scopus and Web of Science. This is a matter of the country's reputation in the international scientific community.
The reality is that the quality of articles in some Category “B” journals is far from ideal, and quality control is virtually nonexistent. This situation is detrimental to the Ministry of Education and Science—it does not contribute to Ukraine’s integration into the global scientific community. The last straw was— the 2025 scandal, when 11 Ukrainian journals were removed from Scopus, which dealt a serious blow to Ukraine's reputation in the international scientific community.
Who will pass the new selection process?
According to our estimates, the following will undergo a new inspection only 10–20% issues – that's about 140–280 magazines of the current 1,380 professional journals in Category "B."
Which publications stand a chance:
- Journals that publish 2–6 issues per year;
- With 10 to 20 articles per issue;
- With high-quality peer review and an international editorial board;
- It is precisely these publications that have a real chance of being included in the Scopus and Web of Science indexes.
Which publications will definitely not be accepted:
- Popular magazines that publish 100 or more articles per issue;
- Publications that disregard peer-review procedures;
- Journals with a low proportion of foreign authors.
An important restriction in the new Procedure: The total annual volume of published materials may not increase by more than 50% compared to the previous year. This means that even journals that pass the selection process will not be able to sharply increase the number of publications to meet the growing demand.
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A 3-Year Freeze: An Additional Factor in the Crisis
A key provision of the new Procedure: Applications for inclusion in Category "B" are being accepted only once every three years (from February 1 to April 30).
What does this mean in practice:
📅 Next application period: The year 2029.
This creates double blow in the publishing market:
- A sharp decline in the number of magazines in 2026 (to 140–280);
- Zero growth in new publications during 2026–2029;
- Even if someone establishes a high-quality journal in 2026–2027, they will not be able to submit an application until 2029.
The Kazakhstan Scenario: What Ukraine Can Expect
The Article Academy operates in various markets, so We've already seen a similar model in action—in Kazakhstan. In 2021, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan carried out a similar purge of publications listed by the Higher Attestation Commission (VAK), which created a difficult situation.
Consequences of the Kazakhstani reform:
- There are about 150 magazines left on the official list for the entire country;
- It was formed a critical shortage of opportunities for publication;
- Waiting lists for publication – 6–16 months;
- The cost of a “turnkey” publication has increased from $200 to $800;
- Publication fees for journals have risen significantly.
In Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan not only carried out a purge but also implemented strict controls:
- Continuous monitoring of logs via online accounts;
- Monitoring the number of articles in each issue;
- Tracking review timelines.
What Lies Ahead for Ukraine:
If 140–280 Category “B” journals remain in Ukraine (4 issues per year, ~20 articles per issue), this means:
📊 The Math of Shortages:
- 280 journals × 4 issues × 20 articles = 22,400 posts per year (optimistic scenario);
- 140 journals × 4 issues × 20 articles = 11,200 posts per year (pessimistic scenario);
At the same time, demand remains unchanged—researchers need publications for reports, PhD defenses, accreditations, and competitions.
Expected consequences:
- Journal publication fees may rise to $100-200 per item (in conditions of scarcity);
- Waiting times for publication – from 4 to 12 months;
- Some researchers will be forced to publish in Scopus/WoS, which is significantly more expensive;
- A complete transformation of the landscape of scientific publications in Ukraine.
A Critical Mismatch: Requirements vs. Capabilities
Problem: Current requirements for reporting, accreditation, and dissertation defenses remain unchanged, while opportunities for publication have been reduced by a factor of 5 to 10.
An unanswered question:
- Will the publication requirements for PhD candidates, associate professors, and professors be revised?
- Will the accreditation criteria for educational programs change?
- Is this taken into account in the faculty workload guidelines?
The current requirements will be met with the new number of Category “B” journals, or physically impossible or very difficult without systemic changes to all related regulations.
Organizational Collapse: Will the Ministry of Education and Science Be Able to Keep Up?
A critical aspect of the timeframe:
- Application Period: from February 1 to April 30, 2026;
- End of subject matter for current issues: June 1, 2026;
- Processing time for most applications: 1–2 months.
A realistic assessment of the situation:
According to our forecasts, 700-1,000 magazines will submit applications for inclusion in the List. Given the Ukrainian tendency to “leave things to the last minute,” most applications will be received in March–April 2026.
The Ministry of Education and Science physically won't have time to process that many applications per month, given the complexity of the new evaluation criteria (30 points, review by editorial boards, publications by editorial board members, etc.).
Possible scenarios:
Scenario 1 (optimistic): The Ministry of Education and Science will extend the validity of current Category "B" publications for another 6 months to allow for the completion of the evaluation process.
Scenario 2 (pessimistic): Effective June 1, 2026, the following will take effect total collapse In the academic publishing system, thousands of researchers will be unable to publish in scholarly journals.
Scenario 3 (realistic): A partial continuation of the specialization process, with the gradual removal of publications that clearly do not meet the new requirements.
Conclusion
The reform is necessary and fundamentally sound—Ukrainian academia needs high-quality publications that meet international standards. However, Pace and Organization of Implementation raise serious questions.
Key Risks:
- A three-year freeze on the system with no possibility of adjustment;
- Limits on increasing the volume of publications (maximum +50% per year);
- Unchanging requirements for researchers amid shrinking opportunities.
Without a systematic approach that takes into account all elements of the scientific ecosystem, we risk facing a “Kazakhstan scenario” in the worse version – with less flexibility and a larger deficit.
Recommendations for Researchers:
- Don't wait until the last minute to publish;
- Consider alternative options (Scopus, WoS, international journals);
- Stay up to date on changes to the List of Professional Publications;
- Plan your publishing schedule with potential backlogs in mind;
- Get ready for an increase in the cost of posts in Category "B."
What to Do Now: Practical Solutions from the Article Academy
There's critically little time left!
Facts:
- The professional accreditation of current Category "B" publications is valid until June 1, 2026;
- Remaining less than 4 months;
- The next option for adding new publications is – not until 2029;
- After June, there may be a collapse or a shortage of publishing opportunities.
Our recommendation: Don't wait until June!
If you need to resolve outstanding issues— Now is the best time to take action. While the system is still operating as usual, you can:
✅ Be published in a Category "B" publication according to the estimated deadlines and prices;
✅ Avoid lines and shortages that may occur after June 1;
✅ Lock in the listing at current prices before they potentially rise.
Act BEFORE the reform: Order a turnkey publication in a Category B journal (we'll write it based on your topic) or choose a ready-made co-authored paper from our catalog:
