India needs an autonomous Research Integrity Office |
Research involves original, creative, patient investigations and analyses to generate new knowledge. The findings are typically published in research journals following peer review by experts. Teaching and research at higher educational institutions (HEIs) are symbiotic, although hiring, promotions, awards, funding, etc. are significantly dependent upon research activity.
A higher “rank” encourages students to seek admission at an institution and thus generates greater revenue, and also facilitates enhanced public and private funds. HEIs’ academic ranking on national and international platforms relies heavily on the number of research publications and their citation count, which together contribute 30 per cent of points in India’s official National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and 50 per cent in the QS World University rankings.
The current quantity-dependent ranking parameters utterly fail to assess the true academic merit of research and teaching. In fact, following Goodhart’s law that any measure ceases to be effective once it becomes a target, the current rankings are damaging the country’s academic ecosystem.
Careful analysis of India’s apparent........