LIRC@SFIT

The growing number of retracted research papers in India has raised concerns about research quality and academic integrity. According to a report published by The Print on 6 October 2026, numerous retracted papers have been flagged during the ongoing National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) assessment, prompting closer scrutiny of higher education institutions. India recorded 887 research paper retractions in 2025 , ranking second globally after China, according to Retraction Watch. The NIRF framework introduced negative marking for retracted publications in its 2025 assessment, affecting institutions’ publication and citation scores. Authorities are also reportedly considering excluding repeat offenders from future rankings. Research papers may be retracted due to plagiarism, fabricated or manipulated data, duplicate publication, ethical violations, or compromised peer review. However, retraction does not always imply deliberate misconduct, as genuine research errors can also ...

The Union Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry is considering setting up a specialised body, India Rankings Society, to rank Indian education institutions and help them improve in areas where they are found lagging. The All India Council of Technical Education approved this in a meeting on Wednesday. In 2015, the HRD ministry launched the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) to address the need for an authentic ranking mechanism for educational institutions. In the absence of a specialized body, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) was given the task. “Although the NBA has done a commendable job, it was assigned this task in addition to its already defined job of accreditation. Secondly, it is envisaged that the specialized rankings society will also guide institutions to perform better on the parameters on which they are found lagging,”a senior HRD official said on condition of anonymity. The plan is to have universities, engineering, medical, pharmacy, and law c...