{"id":55887,"date":"2025-07-20T11:24:35","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T05:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=55887"},"modified":"2025-07-21T11:09:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T05:39:07","slug":"nirf-rankings-to-be-impacted-by-research-retractions-mild-penalty-in-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/nirf-rankings-to-be-impacted-by-research-retractions-mild-penalty-in-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"NIRF Rankings to be Impacted by Research Retractions: Mild Penalty in 2024, Stricter from 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>NIRF Rankings Latest News<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) will award negative scores to higher educational institutions for papers that have been retracted from journals.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a significant move to promote academic integrity and research quality, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has announced that it will begin penalising institutions for retracted research papers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting with the 2024 ranking cycle, institutions will face a mild deduction in scores if they have research publications that were retracted in the previous year.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A more stringent penalty system is planned for 2025 and beyond. This shift comes amid rising concerns over research misconduct and retraction trends within Indian academia.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Background on NIRF and Its Evolution<\/b><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched in 2016 by the Ministry of Education, the <\/span><b>National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has become India\u2019s premier system for evaluating higher education institutions. It assesses universities and colleges based on five core parameters:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching, Learning and Resources<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research and Professional Practices<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Graduation Outcomes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outreach and Inclusivity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perception<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of these, <\/span><b>Research and Professional Practice (RP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> carries substantial weight, up to 40% for some categories, which includes publications, quality, IPR, and research projects.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The growing number of retractions, especially in indexed journals, has raised alarm bells, prompting NIRF to evolve its methodology to uphold research credibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Research Retractions: A Rising Concern<\/b><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the NIRF 2024 brochure, <\/span><b>approximately 300 retractions were recorded in 2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across Indian institutions, a noticeable increase from earlier years. Many of these retractions occurred in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, which are the databases used by NIRF to assess research quality.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Retractions generally stem from issues such as:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Plagiarism or duplicate submissions<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Manipulation of data or peer review<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Ethical misconduct or authorship disputes<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Such instances not only undermine academic integrity but also distort institutional rankings if left unaddressed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Revised Methodology for Penalising Retractions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Starting with the <\/span><b>2024 ranking cycle<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, NIRF has outlined the following approach:<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Mild Penalty in 2024 Rankings<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A small reduction in scores under the \u201cResearch and Professional Practice\u201d category for institutions that had retracted papers in 2023.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The penalty will be <\/span><b>proportional to the number of retractions<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the nature of misconduct.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b style=\"font-size: inherit; font-family: -apple-system, system-ui, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol';\">Harsh Penalty from 2025 Onwards<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 2025 rankings and beyond, the penalty will become stricter.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Institutions may lose a <\/span><b>larger share of RP marks<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, especially if retractions are related to serious ethical violations or involve multiple authors from the same institution.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This phased approach gives institutions time to reform their research practices and introduce robust quality checks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Role of UGC CARE and Database Integration<\/b><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NIRF currently relies on Scopus and Web of Science for research output evaluation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/ugc-care-list-scrapped-new-journal-evaluation-system\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UGC CARE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics) has also been tasked with maintaining a list of credible journals. A <\/span><b>triangulation approach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, involving Scopus, Web of Science, and UGC CARE, is expected to strengthen the assessment of quality and integrity in published work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This broader integration is aimed at filtering out predatory journals and ensuring only credible publications are considered in rankings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Institutional Responsibility and Course Correction<\/b><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The inclusion of retraction penalties is intended not just as a punitive measure, but as a <\/span><b>catalyst for systemic reform<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Institutions are encouraged to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establish Research Integrity Offices or Committees<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthen peer-review oversight for in-house publications<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide training on academic ethics to faculty and students<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enforce strict publication quality norms<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This move aligns with global best practices and is expected to elevate the credibility of Indian institutions on international platforms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Broader Implications for Indian Academia<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Introducing penalties for retractions in national rankings sends a strong message about <\/span><b>accountability and quality in higher education<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It is also expected to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deter unethical research practices<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage internal audits of publication records<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improve India\u2019s global research image, especially as Indian institutions seek better positions in international rankings like QS and THE<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source :<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/nirf-to-award-mild-penalty-to-institutions-for-retractions-this-year-harsh-penalty-next-year\/article69831849.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TH<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NIRF rankings will cut scores for retracted research\u2014lightly in 2024, more heavily in 2025\u2014to boost integrity and discourage misconduct.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":56013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,1675,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-55887","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-nirf-rankings","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55887\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}