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Academic Journals Accreditation Rules for Promotion Purposes at Kuwait University
Academic Journal Accreditation Application
Academic Journals Accreditation Rules for Promotion Purposes at Kuwait University
Article (1) - Objectives:
Academic Journals Accreditation Rules are intended to state the governing factors, criteria and procedures for selecting the approved academic journals for promotion purposes. The objectives are as follows:
1.Define the Academic Journals that publish scientific research papers for the academic staff as one of the main factors when discussing the promotion.
2.Ensure high quality of the published research and its impact on the academic discipline.
Article (2) - Academic Journals Accreditation Committee *:
A. Formation of the Committee:
The president forms a standing committee called “Academic Journals Accreditation Committee” subordinate to the office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
B. Areas of specializations:
1.Academic Journals Accreditation Committee handles the following tasks:
1.1 Review the necessary rules and regulations pertaining to the accreditation of academic journals.
1.2 Specify a list of international databases that can be used to identify accredited international academic journals.
1.3 Review and accredit lists of academic journals proposed by colleges.
Article (3) - Publishing for Promotion Purposes **:
The regulations for academic staff promotions at Kuwait University require publishing full length research papers in refereed academic journals and refereed international academic journals.
Article (4) - Definition of “Refereed Academic Journal”:
A refereed academic journal is a journal that publishes in the academic discipline, and confidentially referees submitted research articles prior to publication. The refereeing system follows the policy of confidential peer review, by one or more referees who are not members of the editorial board of that journal (Article 6).
Article (5) - Definition of “Refereed International Academic Journal”:
A refereed international academic journal is a refereed academic journal (Article 4) that publishes in the academic discipline, outside a geographical region, and in a language that allows a wide spread dissemination. It should also be listed in major international bibliographic databases (Articles 7 and 8 below), which are approved by the Academic Journals Accreditation Committee.
Article (6) - Proof of Refereeing:
Guidelines that may be used to prove proper refereeing according to the conditions mentioned in Article (4) include; information provided by the journal and the published papers, the website of the journal, and other supporting material.
Inclusion of an academic journal in a major bibliographical database does not necessarily imply meeting the refereeing conditions. A journal is accredited as an international academic journal if it also fulfills the refereeing conditions mentioned in Article (4).
Article (7) - Definition of “International Bibliographic Databases”:
A bibliographic database is an electronic system containing data about academic journals organized according to the academic discipline, and the database provides complete information about the academic journals, their academic contents, classification and impact factor.
Article (8) - Major International Bibliographic Databases:
1. The academic journals listed in the following major bibliographical international databases are considered to be international academic journals:
First: Scientific Colleges
a) MEDLINE – PubMed
b) Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)
c) Scopus
Second: Humanities & Social Sciences Colleges
a) Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI)
b) Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI)
c) Scopus
1.The Academic Journals Accreditation Committee may approve additional international databases.
2.Additional International bibliographical databases approved by the committee are added to a special list for these databases. The list is periodically updated by the Academic Journals Accreditation Committee.
Article (9) - Journals Published by KU Academic Publication Council (APC):
Journals published by the Academic Publication Council (APC) at Kuwait University are considered as accredited refereed academic journals for promotion. They are considered as international academic journals only if they meet the requirements in Article (5).
Article (10) - Journals Published by Arab Universities:
1.Journals published by Arab Universities are considered to be accredited Academic Journals for promotion purposes, subject to the following conditions:
1.1 ) They are published by distinguished Arab Universities, accredited by the Academic Journals Accreditation Committee.
1.2) The seriousness of the confidential refereeing process, and its objectiveness should be verified.
1.3) The academic journal should be specialized in a specific academic discipline.
1.4) It should have an editor-in-chief and an editorial board of academics well known for their field of expertise.
1.5) The journal should be published periodically, uninterrupted, and have been published for at least three years.
2. Colleges requesting the accreditation of a journal for promotion purposes should provide the information concerning the above mentioned conditions (Article 10, 1.a-e). The procedures mentioned in Article (12) will be followed.
3.Accredited academic journals published by Arab Universities are considered as International Academic Journals only if they meet the requirements in Article (5).
Article (11) - Electronic Journals:
Electronic journals are subject to the same conditions and requirements that govern printed journals. In addition, they should be published by an international publishing house, a recognized university or a research institution.
Article (12) - Procedures for Accrediting Academic Journals:
1.Academic Journals which clearly meet the requirements of academic journals accreditation, will be reviewed and accredited by the promotion committee in the academic departments and colleges.
2.When a promotion committee presents a journal to the Academic Journals Accreditation Committee, the following procedure should be followed:
2.1) An application form along with documented information about the concerned journal need to be submitted to the head of department, who, will then forward it to the promotion committee in the department.
2.2) The Department Promotion Committee reviews the application and forwards its recommendation, to the Faculty Promotion Committee.
2.3)The Faculty Promotion Committee considers the submitted application and presents necessary recommendations, along with justifications.
2.4)The College forwards the academic journal accreditation form, together with the recommendations of the promotion committees of the Department and the College, to the Vice president for Academic Affairs to be presented to the Academic Journals Accreditation Committee.
2.5)The Academic Journals Accreditation Committee reviews the application and makes the final decision regarding the accreditation of the journal, taking into consideration the recommendations of the department and the college, and ensures that the required criteria and conditions for the accreditation of the academic journal have been met.
3.Academic journals accredited by the Academic Journals Accreditation Committee are added to the lists of the approved journals, which are periodically updated by the committee.
4.It is the responsibility of the promotion applicant to check that the academic journals in which he/she publishes his/her work fulfill the accreditation criteria.
5.Unaccredited journals that have been used in past promotion cases cannot be used by the applicants as precedents when seeking their accreditation.
Article (13) - Other Matters:
1.This document has been simultaneously issued as Arabic and English versions. Both versions are equivalent, but in case of any disagreement, the Arabic version is adopted.
2.The Academic Journals Accreditation rule are effective from 1st June 2017.