New Delhi: The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is set to introduce negative marking for several parameters, including retracted research papers and citations of tainted papers, according to officials.

The tenth edition of the NIRF was announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Since its inception, the NIRF has never incorporated negative weightage in its evaluation process.

Anil Sahashrabudhe, chairman of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA), the agency responsible for managing the NIRF, stated that the framework would soon implement negative marks for the retraction of research papers by journals.

“For the first time, penalties are being formally stitched into the ranking methodology to act against research malpractice and misrepresentation of data. The negative marking system will soon be declared and draft norms are being readied,” he said.

The NIRF evaluates institutions based on five broad parameters: teaching and learning, graduation outcomes, research, outreach, and perception. With over 8,700 institutions participating in the 2024 cycle, the results have become a widely referenced barometer for students, recruiters, and policymakers.

Over the past two to three years, many institutes have witnessed a large number of research paper retractions, raising concerns about their credibility. “Unless we give negative marks, people will not correct it,” Sahashrabudhe emphasized.

Rankings such as QS, Times Higher Education, and NIRF have not factored in retractions while scoring institutions. As a result, many institutes have climbed the ranking ladder despite alarmingly high rates of research retractions.

This issue was highlighted in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed before the Madras High Court in April, which questioned the transparency of ranking systems like the NIRF. The PIL stated that NIRF rankings were calculated “merely on data provided by the educational institutes on their website, without any verification or auditing.”

The court initially issued an interim stay on the rankings. However, the order was later lifted after the Centre intervened, assuring that a “scientific method” prescribed by an expert body was being followed for the publication of the NIRF ranking list.

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https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/nirf-to-introduce-negative-marking-for-retracted-research-papers-and-citation-of-tainted-work