All newspaper publisher member would be issued an ABC Certificate of circulation duly specifying copies under qualifying sales (PART A) and / or non qualifying sales (PART B) as the case may be, subject to atleast 50% of the total copies being sold at the prescribed price i.e. atleast 50% of the total sales should be paid circulation at the prescribed price.

1. Mandatory submission of circulation figures:
   Submission of circulation figures for each audit period is mandatory for all publisher members. If audited circulation figures in the prescribed format are not submitted for one audit period by a publisher member, then audited circulation figures for the following audit period cannot be considered for certification.
   
   
2. Dates for submission of audited circulation figures:
   1. All publisher members are mandatorily required to submit their circulation figures every six months to the Bureau in the prescribed format of Incoming Certificate. The due dates are:
      
      

      	Audit period January/June	Audit period July/December
      Submission date to the Bureau:	1st to 31st July	1st to 31st January (next)

      
      
   2. A further extension of 15 days may be granted by the Bureau on a case to case basis provided the extension is sought before the relevant due dates i.e. 31st July and 31st January alongwith an acceptable explanation.
      
   3. Incoming Certificate submitted to the Bureau after the due date (but before expiry of three months from the relevant audit period) without seeking an extension for submission would be considered for certification subject to a satisfactory surprise recheck audit at publisher’s expense.
      
   4. Incoming Certificate submitted after expiry of three months from the relevant audit period will not be considered for certification and will be treated as “Not Filed” and no certificate of circulation will be issued.
      
   
   
   

1. In some cases, few readers schemes in vogue may not qualify for certification as per the Bureau’s existing guidelines. Such circulation to be shown under “Part B” of the ABC Certificate of circulation as “Non Qualifying Sales”
   
   
2. Users of the ABC certificate mainly media planners, media buyers, advertising agencies and advertisers, time and again had requested the Bureau to provide complete details of circulation of member publications.
   
   
3. In order to give meaningful and complete information to the media planners and in order to assist them in their analysis and comparisons, it would be appropriate for all Publisher members to submit their circulation figures to the Bureau either as qualifying sales under “Part A” or under “Part B” as nonqualifying sales within the prescribed time frame.
   
   

Bureau certifies circulation figures of a member newspaper as a “unit” and supplements are an intrinsic part of the unit particularly so when the total number of pages are mentioned on the mast-head which includes the supplement pages. Any incomplete publication sold/distributed in the market place or supplied to Subscribers etc which do not contain all pages including supplement as mentioned on the mast-head would accordingly not qualify for certification as “Qualifying Sales” under PART A.

It would be mandatory for all newspapers enrolled with the Bureau as members to clearly mention on the front page of the main newspaper, total number of pages including all its supplements plus add-ons.

1. Certification of a new edition for part audit period:
   Certification of a newly started edition for a part audit period will be permitted only in cases where publication requests for a combined certificate with an existing edition. It will be necessary for the publisher to submit a separate application for enrolment to membership and also pay annual membership fees as well as one time entrance fees as prescribed from time to time.
   
   Publisher is also required to file the audited incoming certificate separately in such cases.
   
   However, if a publication [either edition or printing centre] is published / printed for less than 30 days during an audit period, then the average of such edition / printing centre would only be shown as a foot-note and not added to the averages of other editions / printing centres (in case of combined certification) in order not to vitiate the total average of all other editions / printing centres which were printed and published through out the six monthly audit period.
   
   In case a publication is published for more than 30 days during an audit period, then the average of the same would be added alongwith the averages of other editions / printing centres contained in a combined certificate.
   
   
2. Copies indented locally but distributed abroad:
   All copies of a publication which are indented by agents in India but distributed / sold abroad will not be considered for certification while arriving at the average qualifying sales.
   
   
3. Option to avail a separate and / or a combined ABC certificate for a multi-edition publication:
   A publisher of a multi-edition publication has an option to avail either a separate certificate for its various editions or a combined ABC certificate for various editions. A publisher who is a member of the Bureau and has exercised an option to avail a separate ABC Certificate or a combined ABC Certificate can change his option only once during a period of four six monthly audit periods.
   
   Publisher’s request may be considered by the Council only prospectively from the commencement of the following audit period.
   
   

Total qualifying sales in case of combined multi-edition and / or printing centre certificates would be the sum of individual averages of all editions / printing centres calculated on the basis of actual number of publishing days of each respective edition and /or printing centre [as the case may be]. Individual edition and / printing centre wise average circulation based on respective publishing days would be shown on the ABC certificate of circulation.

However, if a publication [either edition or printing centre] is published / printed for less than 30 days during an audit period, then the average of such edition / printing centre would only be shown as a foot-note and not added to the averages of other editions / printing centres (in case of combined certification) in order not to vitiate the total average of all other editions / printing centres which were printed and published through out the six monthly audit period.

In case a publication is published for more than 30 days during an audit period, then the average of the same would be added alongwith the averages of other editions / printing centres contained in a combined certificate.

If a publisher member does not wish to avail of a certificate of circulation from the Bureau in respect of one of its printing centre and / or edition for any reason from amongst various editions / printing centres in a combined certificate, then the Bureau would certify the circulation figures of the rest of the editions / printing centres as submitted by the publisher subject to publisher submitting the circulation figures of the particular edition / printing centre atleast in “Part B” of the ABC Certificate of circulation.

1. Total non-submission of circulation figures in either “Part A” or in “Part B” of a printing centre / edition amongst other editions included in a combined certificate will not be permissible and in such case the entire combined ABC Certificate of circulation cannot be issued.

Publisher members are required to specify the reasons for increase in circulation when the circulation of a printing centre or an edition individually increases / decreases by 10% or more over the previous audit period.

In case of daily newspapers, where higher rates are prescribed or surcharge is levied over normal advertisement rates for Sunday editions or Weekly edition published on any other day, average circulation of such Sunday or Weekly editions is indicated separately on the relevant ABC certificate alongwith average qualifying sales. In such cases, publisher members are required to submit separate circulation figures for Sunday issues/weekly editions.

Reasons to be provided in the incoming certificate for newsprint wastage of (+/-) 3 per centage points as compared to previous audit period.