A Category “B” journal is the first and most important choice a researcher makes under the updated evaluation system: it is this choice that determines whether the dissertation will proceed to the defense without delay.
When the Ministry of Education and Science released the new list, many researchers breathed a sigh of relief. With 1,298 journals, there are plenty of options—the system hasn’t collapsed. But it’s too early to celebrate.
Inclusion in Category “B” in June 2026 is not a three-year guarantee. It is merely a ticket to entry. By the end of 2026, the Ministry of Education and Science will conduct the first re-evaluation of publications—and journals that score below the minimum threshold, fail to bring their editorial boards into compliance, have not brought their editorial board or website into compliance, or violate publication volume limits—will be removed from the list by a separate order. For more details on the reform itself and the new list, read our previous article: Category B 2026: List Updated — What Has Changed and What It Means for Publications.
How many such magazines are there? If you look at the distribution of scores in the new list, there are hundreds of publications at risk.
For a researcher, this poses a real threat: to publish in a journal that’s on the list today—and then discover that by the time of the defense, it’s already been removed from the list. Rewriting the article, looking for a new journal, and waiting a few more months means, at best, a delay in the defense; at worst, its cancellation.
That is precisely why choosing a magazine today is not a technical question of “whether it’s on the list or not.” It is a strategic decision that must be made with an understanding of how monitoring works and what distinguishes a stable publication from one that will be the next to be dropped.
In this article, we'll take a closer look at:
- How does the annual monitoring work, and when will the first inspection take place?;
- Which magazines are at risk and how to identify them;
- Signs of a safe publication that will remain on the list until 2029;
- How to Choose the Right Magazine and Avoid Making a Mistake.
How does the annual monitoring work, and when will the first inspection take place?
Inclusion in Category “B” is not a permanent status. The new Procedure (Order No. 56 of the Ministry of Education and Science, dated January 19, 2026) has, for the first time in history, introduced annual monitoring of all publications on the list. This means that the Ministry of Education and Science can remove a journal at any time—without waiting for the next re-registration cycle in 2029.
When will the first inspection take place?
The first annual review will take place by the end of 2026—that is, just a few months after the publication of the new list. Journals that have not met all the requirements by June 1 or that violate the conditions for inclusion will be removed from the list by a separate order issued by the Ministry of Education and Science.
For a researcher, this means one simple thing: a journal that’s on the list today may not be on it tomorrow.
Reasons for exclusion during monitoring
The Ministry of Education and Science checks specific criteria. Here are the grounds for exclusion:
Exceeding the Publication Quota — if a journal has published more than 50% articles than in the previous year. It is precisely this criterion that hits journals that are accustomed to operating on an assembly-line basis.
Editorial Board Discrepancy — at least 9 members, including at least 2 foreign nationals, all of whom have publications in Scopus or WoS within the last 5 years.
Problems with DOIs — Every article must have a DOI. Journals that have not yet fully implemented this process are at risk.
Violation of the APC Policy — if a journal claims to offer free publication but actually charges a fee, or does not disclose the actual cost.
Violations of Academic Integrity — bogus peer review, manipulation of issue dates, and ghostwriting.
Website Non-Compliance — lack of bilingualism, lack of a policy on the use of AI, outdated information about the editorial board.
How many magazines are at risk?
If we look at the distribution of scores in the new list, a significant portion of the publications scored the minimum of 9–12 points out of a possible 30. These are journals that barely cleared the entry threshold and have no margin for improvement. A score of 9 out of 30 is 30% below the maximum. A journal that scored the minimum has essentially told the Ministry of Education and Science, “We meet the requirements just enough to avoid being excluded right now.” This is not a publication worth investing time and money in.
Risk Zones: Which Magazines Will Be the First to Go
Not all 1,298 journals are equally stable. There are clear signs that distinguish publications that will remain on the list until 2029 from those that will be removed after the first review. If you want to understand the details of the reform, read our in-depth analysis: Category “B” 2026: List Updated. Here is the profile of the magazine that is at risk.
Criterion 1 — Minimum Admission Scores
A journal that scored 9–12 out of 30 upon inclusion in the list is a cause for concern. Such a result means that the publication barely meets the minimum requirements and has no margin for improvement. Any violation detected during monitoring—and it’s out.
By way of comparison: a journal with a score of 20+ has a legitimate editorial board, a consistent volume of publications, and a DOI that has been in use for years. Even if the Ministry of Education and Science finds a minor violation, there is still time to correct it before the journal is removed from the list.
How to check:
The scores for each journal are listed in the new order from the Ministry of Education and Science. Find your journal and check the column with the scores. Anything below 13 is in the risk zone.
Sign 2 — A sharp increase in volume in 2026
The rule in the new Procedure is clear: a journal cannot increase the number of articles by more than 50% compared to the previous year. The Ministry of Education and Science counts starting in 2026—so the first real risk will arise if a journal sharply increases its volume in the second half of 2026 in an attempt to settle its accumulated obligations to authors.
How to check:
Check out the journal’s archive for the first issues of 2026. If an issue contains 80–150+ articles, that’s a sign the journal isn’t planning to slow down, and the +50% rule will become a problem for it by the end of the year.
Sign 3 — Low-quality articles in the issues
As part of its monitoring process, the Ministry of Education and Science analyzes the content of each issue. If a journal systematically publishes articles that lack genuine scientific findings—that is, without original research, without data, and without evidence-based conclusions—this constitutes direct grounds for exclusion.
How to check it yourself:
The IMRAD Structure — A high-quality scientific article has a clear structure: introduction, methods, results, and discussion. If an article consists of a single block of text without sections, or if it consists only of an “introduction—main body—conclusions” without a methodology or results, it is not a scientific article—it is an essay.
Bibliography — Fewer than 15 sources for an empirical study is not enough. If most of the sources are textbooks and monographs from 10 to 15 years ago, with no publications from Scopus or WoS, the journal is not integrated into the international scientific discourse. A high-quality article should have 25–40 sources, including recent international publications.
Profile Match — If articles on economics or law suddenly appear in an education journal, it’s a sign that the editorial board is accepting anything and everything.
Sign 4 — Problems with the DOI
A DOI is not just a technical requirement. It is an international identifier that confirms that an article actually exists and is indexed. Journals that hastily registered a DOI just to pass the selection process often have an incomplete database: some older articles lack a DOI, and there are delays in registering new ones.
How to check:
Pick a few articles from recent issues and check them on doi.org. If the DOI doesn't resolve or leads to an error, the journal has infrastructure issues that the Ministry of Education and Science will identify during its monitoring.
Criterion 5 — An editorial board that no longer meets the requirements
Requirement of the Guidelines: Each editorial board member must have at least 3 publications in the last 5 years in Scopus or WoS in at least two different journals. Some journals met this requirement formally upon joining—but if any editorial board member leaves or simply stops publishing, the journal automatically violates the requirement. Special attention should be paid to foreign editorial board members: journals that added two foreigners “just for show” will be the first to come under scrutiny during monitoring.
How to check:
Open the journal’s editorial board page and enter a few names into Scopus. If an editorial board member’s most recent publication is dated 2019–2020, this indicates a nominal presence rather than actual participation.
Criterion 6 — High concentration of authors from a single institution
The new regulations explicitly encourage diversity among authors—journals where the proportion of authors from a single institution does not exceed 50% receive 2 additional points, and those where it does not exceed 25% receive 3 points. A journal where 70–80% of the authors are from a single university receives no points under this criterion and appears to be a “pocket” journal of that specific higher education institution. During monitoring, such a concentration serves as a signal to the Ministry of Education and Science that the journal is not fulfilling its role as a nationwide professional publication.
How to check:
Take a look at the authors' affiliations in the last few issues. If the majority are from the same university, the journal has a problem with diversity among its authors.
Criterion 7 — Absence or minimal proportion of foreign authors
The proportion of foreign authors is one of the key indicators in the scoring system: more than 10% earns 1 point, and more than 25% earns 3 points. A journal with no foreign authors at all or fewer than 5% receives zero points for this criterion and signals to the Ministry of Education and Science that the publication remains purely local, with no international integration. This is particularly critical for journals that scored the minimum required points upon entry—every point they fail to earn could prove decisive during monitoring.
How to check:
Review the authors’ affiliations in the last 2–3 issues. If all authors are from Ukrainian institutions, the journal will not score points for internationality and risks ending up at the bottom of the rankings in the next evaluation.
Indicator 8 — Non-compliance with the declared APC policy
The new policy requires all journals to clearly state their APC policy—how much publication costs, at what stage payment is due, or confirmation that publication is free of charge. Additionally, offering free publication to state-funded graduate students earns a journal 3 extra points. Violation of this policy is grounds for complaints from the Ministry of Education and Science during monitoring.
How to check:
Find the section on APC or publication fees on the journal’s website. Compare the stated terms with the actual ones—call or email the editorial office as a potential author and ask about the cost. If the answer differs from what is written on the website, the journal is violating its own stated policy.
Generalized Profile of a Risk Journal
A journal at risk of being delisted looks like this: it scored 9–13 points during the admission process, publishes 60+ articles per issue, features articles without an IMRAD structure and with minimal reference lists, DOIs are present but do not always work, the editorial board has been updated only on paper, 70%+ authors from a single university, virtually no foreign authors, and an opaque APC policy. If your journal meets three or more of these criteria, you should seriously consider whether it’s worth publishing there. It’s best to avoid such a Category B journal as early as the stage of selecting a topic and a publication.
Signs of a safe journal that will remain on the list until 2029
If the previous section was a list of red flags, this one outlines the characteristics of a journal worth investing your time and money in. A magazine that meets most of these criteria has a real chance not only of remaining on the list through 2029—but also of improving its score in the next evaluation.
Criterion 1 — 15 or more points upon entry
A journal that scored 15+ points out of 30 is a publication with a solid foundation. It didn’t just meet the threshold—it has specific strengths: international authors, citations in Scopus or WoS, and a diverse author base. 27% journals on the new list scored 15+ points—this amounts to approximately 350 publications that constitute the premium segment of Category “B.”
How to check:
Find the log in the new order from the Ministry of Education and Science and check the scores. 15–20 is good; 20+ is excellent.
Criterion 2 — A Steady and Moderate Volume of Publications
A journal that publishes 15–40 articles per issue and has done so regularly for several years is a publication with a genuine peer-review process. This volume means that the editorial board is physically able to review every paper. It also means that the +50% rule per year does not pose a threat to it.
How to check:
Review the archive of the last 3–4 issues. If the number of articles is consistent and does not exceed 40 per issue, the journal is operating normally.
Criterion 3 — High-quality articles with an IMRAD structure
Open a few articles from recent issues—a high-quality journal is immediately recognizable by what it publishes. The article should have a clear IMRAD structure: an introduction that states the problem, research methods, results with data, a discussion, and conclusions based on evidence rather than general speculation. The reference list in a high-quality article includes 25–40 sources, including recent publications from Scopus or WoS that are no more than 5 years old. An additional sign of quality is the presence of a detailed English abstract with keywords.
How to check:
Open 2–3 articles on various topics from the latest issue. They include an IMRAD structure, 25+ references to recent international publications, and a detailed abstract in English—the journal adheres to scientific standards.
Criterion 4 — A Genuine International Editorial Board
Not just the token presence of two foreigners “for show”—but editors and reviewers who actually publish in international journals and have an up-to-date Scopus profile. Such journals usually have an English-language version of their website that is actually updated.
How to check:
Go to the editorial board page and enter the names of 2–3 international members listed in Scopus. If their most recent publications are from 2023–2025, the editorial board is active and functioning.
Criterion 5 — Citations of articles in Scopus or WoS
This is the most significant scoring criterion: if more than 10% of the journal’s articles are cited in Scopus or WoS, it receives 2 points; if more than 25%, it receives 4 points. A journal with genuine citation impact is one that is read and cited. This cannot be faked, nor can it be achieved in a single year.
How to check:
Find the journal in the Scopus Source List or the Web of Science Master Journal List. If it is listed there or has been listed there, the citation count is accurate.
Characteristic 6 — Diverse geographic background of the authors
A journal that regularly publishes authors from various Ukrainian universities, as well as foreign authors, is a publication with genuine scientific authority. A proportion of foreign authors exceeding 25% earns the journal 3 points—and at the same time signals that the publication is known outside Ukraine.
How to check:
Take a look at the authors' affiliations in the last few issues. Various Ukrainian cities, plus at least a few foreign institutions—that's a good sign.
Criterion 7 — A Transparent and Fair APC Policy
A journal that clearly states its publication fees on its website, offers free publication to state-funded graduate students, and adheres strictly to its stated terms—this is a publication that values its reputation. Offering free publication to graduate students earns the journal 3 additional points—in other words, a publication that supports young scholars simultaneously strengthens its position in the rankings.
How to check:
Find the section on publication fees on the website. The terms and conditions are clearly stated, and there’s a specific mention of state-funded graduate students—that’s a good sign.
Sign #8 — The DOI works and is included in all articles
A journal in which every article has a valid DOI that links to an up-to-date metadata page is a publication with a well-established technical infrastructure. It is through the DOI that an article is included in international databases, and it is through the DOI that it is found and cited.
How to check:
Take a few articles from different issues and check them on doi.org. They will all resolve and lead to the correct page—the journal adheres to the standards.
Criterion 9 — Indexing in DOAJ
22% journals from the new list are indexed in DOAJ—an international directory of open-access journals that has its own strict inclusion criteria: transparency, adherence to publication ethics, and no ties to article mills. A journal listed in DOAJ has already undergone an independent international review.
How to check:
Enter the journal's name on doaj.org. If it's on the list, that's an additional measure of credibility.
Generalized Profile of a Secure Log
A reputable journal looks like this: 15+ points in the new guidelines, 15–40 articles per issue, a stable volume over the years, high-quality articles with an IMRAD structure and international sources, an active editorial board with up-to-date Scopus profiles, regular contributions from international authors, valid DOIs for all articles, a transparent and consistently enforced APC policy, and—preferably—inclusion in DOAJ. Such a journal is not afraid of monitoring; it is ready for it. It is precisely this type of “Category B” journal that should be considered first when preparing an article for defense.
How to Make the Right Choice—and What to Do Right Now
The reform of Category “B” has made selecting a journal a much more complicated task than before. Previously, it was enough to check whether a journal was on the Ministry of Education and Science’s list. Now that’s not enough—you need to understand how many points it has earned, how its volume has changed over time, how active the editorial board is, and whether there are any signs that it might be delisted by the end of 2026. Ultimately, a reliable Category “B” journal is the foundation for a smooth defense process without revisions or wasted months.
A journal currently on the list may not necessarily be there tomorrow. The first re-evaluation will take place by the end of 2026, and journals that barely cleared the 9-point threshold will be the first to be affected. For a researcher publishing now, this poses a real risk: they might have to defend their thesis in a year, only to find that the journal is no longer on the list.
The smartest decision in this situation is to publish now in a reputable publication. It's not just that it's on the list, but that it has a real margin of safety: 15+ points, a stable volume, an active editorial board, and a transparent APC policy.
Following the reform, choosing the right journal has become a specialized task in its own right. The Article Academy has been working with the new list since the day it was published—we know which journals have high scores, which are actually accepting articles right now, and which have a sufficient buffer until the next review.
What's included in the service:
from the new list of Category “B” topics that match your specialty, thesis topic, and defense dates—taking into account your grades, the trend in the volume of work, and monitoring risks;
in your field—more than 64 specializations, the IMRAD structure, international sources, and compliance with the requirements of the selected journal;
in accordance with the requirements of the new Procedure and Law No. 4742-IX “On Academic Integrity”;
— the article meets the journal's editorial requirements prior to submission;
We'll support you until the issue is published, and you'll receive confirmation of publication.
We don't just publish—we publish in journals that will remain on the list until your defense. Confidentiality is guaranteed.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve addressed the key issue currently facing every Ukrainian researcher following the reform of Category “B”: how to choose the right journal and avoid ending up in a situation where you have a publication but no defense.
We’ve examined how the annual monitoring process works and why the first review by the end of 2026 poses a real threat to hundreds of publications that barely met the entry threshold. We’ve identified eight specific signs of a journal that will be the first to be dropped—from low scores and inflated page counts to a nominal editorial board and an opaque APC policy. Conversely, we’ve outlined the profile of a secure publication with a realistic margin of safety through 2029.
The main conclusion is simple: the fact that a “Category B” journal is on the list today is no guarantee that it will still be there tomorrow. Choosing a journal for publication now requires careful analysis, not just a quick check to see if it’s listed in the Ministry of Education and Science’s order.
Anyone who publishes now in a reputable journal with a score of 15+ is in the clear. Anyone who chooses a journal based on the principle of “as long as it’s on the list and cheaper” risks having to republish the article in another journal a year before their defense.
The reform continues. The system is becoming more restrictive. It’s better to act now.
