NEW DELHI: With the idea to create a quality research ecosystem in India and to identify high-quality PhD work among young research scholars, the University Grants Commission plans to establish a PhD Excellence citation.
The UGC, which took this decision in its meeting on October 3, has made the guidelines public for feedback.
Speaking with this paper, UGC Chairperson Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar said, “This initiative is set to recognise outstanding doctoral research across various disciplines. In alignment with the National Education Policy 2020, which emphasises the creation and exploration of new knowledge as vital to India’s future, the PhD Excellence Citation is an effort to identify and commend exemplary research work in Indian universities.”
UGC will award ten Ph.D. Excellence Citations - two citations from each discipline - every year on September 5, on Teacher's Day.
The need to establish such a citation was felt after the UGC conducted a study on the Ph. Ds awarded from 2011 to 2018. It found a growing trend in students opting to pursue research degrees. The study found that the total PhD admissions doubled from 77,798 in 2010-11 to 1,61,412 in 2017-18.
“The implicit growth rates in these numbers show that the overall PhD admissions increased at the rate of 10 per cent per annum during the period,” the guidelines said.
While the maximum research work was done in science (30 %), it was followed by engineering and technology (26%). The other topic for PhD research work was in social sciences (12%), Indian Languages (6%), management (6%), Agricultural Sciences (4%), Medical Sciences (5%), Education (5%), Commerce (3%), Foreign Languages (3%).
“Innovation and creating new knowledge are essential to a country’s development. Institutions of higher learning play a crucial role in generating new knowledge and innovation. The generation of new knowledge, in turn, largely depends on the quality of doctoral degrees. As envisaged in the National Education Policy 2020, exploring new frontier knowledge is the central doctrine to make India a knowledge superpower,” the guidelines said.
Research Scholars who have successfully defended their thesis in Indian universities, such as state universities, central universities, private universities, and those deemed to be universities, are eligible to apply.
As per the guidelines, those universities recognised under 2(f) of the UGC Act and accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) are eligible to participate.
Students can also participate. They have to upload the URL of the recommended thesis on the INFLIBNET website; necessary research Publications/Patents from the PhD work; and PhD theses awarded by UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of PhD Degree) Regulations, notified from time to time.
Also, those who have obtained Ph.D. degrees through a convocation from January 1 to December 31 in a year can participate in the Ph.D. Excellence Citation.
Every University may nominate up to five thesis in a year, one from each of the five disciplines, from the Ph.D. degrees awarded through a convocation from January 1 to December 31 of the previous year.
UGC will write to universities inviting nominations and open the portal on January 1. The last date for the submission of nominations by the universities would be March 31.
The selection committee will recommend winners to the UGC on August 1. A two-level selection process has been proposed at the university and UGC levels.
Each university may constitute its screening committee to short-list candidates from five streams - Sciences (including Agricultural Sciences, Medical Sciences), Engineering and Technology, Social Sciences (including Education and Humanities), Indian Languages, and Commerce and Management.
The guidelines said the university's screening committee should create yardsticks for shortlisting candidates before evaluating the applications. They have to follow the criteria given by the UGC. These include that the shortlisted candidates' work should be original and innovative.
“The thesis should demonstrate original thinking and innovative approaches to a research problem or topic. The thesis should significantly contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field of study,” the guidelines said.
Also, the quality and rigour of the research methodology employed in the thesis are crucial. This includes the design, execution, and analysis of the research.
The thesis should be well-written, organised, and structured clearly and coherently.
The potential impact of the research findings on the field of study or society should be considered. India-centric issues and solutions should have priority.
Properly using references and citations to acknowledge previous work and sources of information is essential. The overall presentation of the thesis, including figures, tables, and other visuals, should be of high quality.
The candidate’s ability to defend their thesis during the viva voce or oral examination will also be considered.
UGC will constitute five selection committees for five streams. Each selection committee will select two candidates from their respective streams.
“Given the heterogeneous nature of HEIs in the country and the prevailing multidisciplinary education, disciplines will remain difficult to define. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the suitability of a thesis in a particular stream should be left to the judgment of the university screening committee. Similarly, the selection committee may also have the freedom to decide on the suitability of a thesis under a particular stream,” the document said.
Universities may upload the nominations on the application portal. The selection committee for each stream will evaluate the nominations and recommend two theses for Ph.D. Excellence Citation to UGC.