7 Aug 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau) Amid a sharp rise in research retractions across Indian academic institutions, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) has finally moved to address the issue by factoring tainted or retracted research into its annual rankings for the first time.
The policy shift comes as India has witnessed a notable surge in the number of research papers being retracted, largely due to issues ranging from plagiarism and data manipulation to duplicate publications and authorship fraud. Until now, such misconduct had no significant impact on how institutions were ranked under the NIRF, which is overseen by the Ministry of Education.
The New Policy
Under the revised 2025 methodology, institutions with a history of publishing retracted papers will face penalties in their overall research score, which is one of the key components of the NIRF ranking system. The move is aimed at enhancing academic integrity and ensuring that institutions are held accountable for the quality, not just the quantity, of their research output.
“We want to send a clear message: quality and ethical standards in research matter,” said a senior NIRF official. “Institutions that allow misconduct to go unchecked will now see it reflected in their rankings.”
Retractions on the Rise
According to data from the global retraction database Retraction Watch, India ranks among the top five countries in terms of the number of retracted scientific publications in recent years. Multiple high-profile cases involving leading universities, research labs, and even medical institutions have sparked concerns over the credibility of India’s research ecosystem.
Experts say the intense pressure to publish—driven by academic promotions, funding incentives, and ranking considerations—has contributed to the rise in questionable research practices.
“There has been a publish-or-perish culture, and it’s led to a compromise on ethics in some quarters,” said Dr. Arvind Sharma, a former UGC research panel member. “It’s high time rankings reflect not just how much you publish, but how ethically you do it.”
Academic Community Responds
While some institutions have welcomed the change as a step toward restoring academic credibility, others have expressed concern over the lack of a standardized mechanism to verify and track retractions across thousands of publications.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) are expected to work closely with the NIRF team to establish clear guidelines on how retractions will be measured, and whether institutions will be judged solely on volume or also on how swiftly and transparently they address such incidents.
Looking Ahead
The inclusion of retractions in the NIRF formula marks a paradigm shift in how research performance is evaluated in India. It also aligns Indian academic rankings more closely with global standards, where research ethics and reproducibility are being given increasing emphasis.
Analysts believe this could serve as a wake-up call for institutions to strengthen internal review processes, promote research ethics training, and actively discourage misconduct.
As India aspires to be a global research hub, academic integrity may finally be taking its rightful place in the pursuit of excellence.