Jury Procedure & Evaluation Process

About the Jury

“Publish for India” Excellence Awards – 2025 jury comprises leading scholars, editors, and publishing professionals from diverse fields and regions, including representatives from academia, university presses, research institutions, and civil society.

The jury reflects disciplinary diversity, gender balance, and regional representation, with special expertise in multilingual publishing, open access, and research evaluation.

The names of the jury members will be announced at the time of the award ceremony.

Evaluation & Jury Process

• All submissions will be reviewed by an independent jury comprising scholars, editors, and experienced publishing professionals from diverse disciplines and sectors.

• The jury will evaluate entries solely on the basis of the submitted materials and their demonstrated merit, originality, relevance, and impact.

• The jury reserves the right to withhold an award in any category if submissions do not meet the required standard of excellence.

• In addition to the main awards, the jury may recommend Special Jury Recognition Awards for exceptional contributions that merit acknowledgment outside the core categories.

Judging Procedure

• A specialist jury panel will assess each submission and assign a score on a scale of 0 to 10, based strictly on the submission materials.

• In select cases, a jury member may request clarification or a brief interaction with the nominee to better understand the work.

• Submissions will be ranked based on the average scores, and the top 5 entries in each category will constitute the shortlist.

• The final awardee in each category will be selected from the shortlisted entries through further deliberation by the jury.

• The decision of the jury and Publishing Matters’s Advisory Panel will be final and binding. No correspondence regarding jury scores, evaluation notes, or internal discussions will be entertained or disclosed.

Notifications

• The shortlisted entries and winners will be announced on the Publishing Matters website and its social media platforms.

• Individual notifications will be sent by email only to the shortlisted and winning entrants. Non-shortlisted applicants will not be contacted separately.

Confidentiality and Integrity

All jury members will:

• Maintain strict confidentiality regarding submissions, deliberations, and scoring.

• Recuse themselves from judging any submission where a conflict of interest exists (e.g., professional collaborations, institutional ties).

• Evaluate submissions independently and adhere to Publishing Matters' commitment to transparency, fairness, and impartiality.

All jury-related materials and communications are considered internal and will not be disclosed to nominees or third parties.

Evaluation Rubric

All eligible submissions will be assessed based on the following core criteria, each scored on a scale of 0 to 10.