Publishing from the Philippines: what CMO 15 asks of your paper
In the Philippines, CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, series of 2019, makes a journal publication part of finishing a thesis-track master's degree or a PhD. For the doctoral tracks, evidence that a refereed and indexed journal has accepted the paper meets the rule.
Every rule below links to the official document it comes from. Read on 10 October 2026.
What the rules ask
National (CHED): Master's on the academic thesis track: the final output includes at least one publication in a refereed journal, or a juried creative work (CMO 15, page 5). (source: Commission on Higher Education (CHED), read 10 October 2026)
National (CHED): Master's by research (36 units of research): at least one publication, shown by evidence of acceptance in a refereed journal, or a juried creative work (page 6). (source: Commission on Higher Education (CHED), read 10 October 2026)
National (CHED): PhD, academic track: on top of the comprehensive exam and dissertation defence, evidence of acceptance in an internationally or nationally refereed and indexed journal, or a juried creative work (page 9). (source: Commission on Higher Education (CHED), read 10 October 2026)
National (CHED): PhD by research, where at least 75% of the units are research and dissertation work: evidence of acceptance in an internationally or nationally indexed journal (page 9). (source: Commission on Higher Education (CHED), read 10 October 2026)
National (CHED): Professional tracks carry no journal requirement in CMO 15: the professional master's ends in a capstone project, and the professional doctorate in practice-based research (pages 6 and 9). (source: Commission on Higher Education (CHED), read 10 October 2026)
Ateneo de Manila University: Ateneo de Manila stopped counting papers published to meet CMO 15 toward its University Scholarly Publication Awards from the 2025 publication year, because those papers are a degree requirement. (source: Ateneo de Manila University, Office of the Vice President for Higher Education, read 10 October 2026)
Check the references: Reference Check flags retracted papers, broken DOIs and citations missing from the list.
Questions
Must my paper be in print before I graduate, or is acceptance enough?
For the PhD tracks and the research master's, CMO 15 asks for evidence of acceptance. CMO 15 does not say what form that evidence takes, so ask your graduate school what it accepts.
Which index does CHED mean by an indexed journal?
CMO 15 does not name one. It says internationally or nationally indexed, so the list your graduate school checks against is the one that matters.
I am in a professional master's programme. Do I have to publish?
Not under CMO 15. The professional master's ends with a capstone project, such as a case study, research paper or presentation, judged by a panel.
Does a conference presentation count?
For students taking two master's degrees together on the thesis track, CMO 15 accepts evidence of submission to a refereed journal or a conference presentation. The PhD tracks ask for a journal acceptance or a juried creative work.
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