COIMBATORE: Taking strong note on ensuring academic integrity, University Grants Commission (UGC) has said that any publication in predatory or dubious journals or presentations in such conferences should not be considered for giving academic degrees.
Research publication only from journals indexed in UGC-CARE (Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics) list should be used for all academic purposes, with immediate effect, the UGC said.
The commission said that such publication or presentation should not be considered for academic credit for selection, confirmation, promotion, performance appraisal, the award of scholarship or academic degrees.
In a public notice, UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain on Friday advised Vice-Chancellors, selection committees, research supervisors and other experts involved in the academic evaluation to ensure that their decisions were primarily based on the quality of research work and not merely on the number of publications.
Rajnish said that increased incidence of compromised publication ethics and deteriorating academic integrity was a growing problem contaminating all domains of research. It has been observed that unethical/deceptive practices in publishing were leading to an increased number of dubious journals worldwide, he said.
It has been reported that in India, the percentage of research articles published in predatory journals was high. Unethical practices leading to pay and publish trash culture needs to be thwarted immediately, he added.
The UGC also said that academics should not get associated as editors, advisors or in any other capacity, with journals, conferences involved in fraudulent practices.
Constitute panel to find if NEET fulfilled objectives: PMK
Chennai: While reiterating its demand to scrap NEET, the PMK has said the Centre should constitute a committee comprising experts who are interested in social justice, to find whether the objectives of holding the test had been fulfilled in the last three years. In a statement, Anbumani Ramadoss, said data have once again proved that the claim that NEET will enhance quality and prevent commercialisation of medical education, is fallacious. Enrolment of candidates who were not able to score the required marks in NEET in medical colleges has exposed failure of NEET implementation. A media report has said 50 students who have scored only single-digit marks and minus marks in NEET have been enrolled in private deemed universities in Punjab, he said.