University Grants Commission’s decision to remove the mandatory requirement Publishing research papers in peer-reviewed journals prior to PhD thesis submission is a bid by many scholars to curb the unhealthy practice of publishing their papers without adequate review to substandard, predatory journals, which dented India’s doctoral education. The quality is weakened. In this context, the UGC’s move is really right. Studies have shown that most doctoral students publish in such journals, rather than go through the more time-consuming process of submitting their drafts to prestigious journals, waiting for review and revision. Given the inadequacy of scholarships and stipends, many students are in a hurry to complete their doctoral degrees instead of taking the time needed for quality research. The removal of the mandatory requirement is also in line with global regulatory standards. However, while paper publication is not mandatory in most countries, it is certainly considered essential for any top researcher, with many researches involved in the entirety of their published papers. The UGC has also emphasized that it would be appropriate for scholars to publish papers in high quality journals for their own sake, as this would increase the value of their PhDs for any post-doctoral opportunities. The regulator hopes that by removing the mandatory requirement, it can help create a more conducive environment for self-motivated research by students and universities, as found in IITs that do not have such a requirement.
The removal of the mandatory requirement is also the acceptance of diversity in academic disciplines; In some branches of the humanities, the publication of monographs is a more accepted way of communicating with academic peers than journal papers, while top computer science researchers may value conference presentations over journal publications. Patents obtained are also seen as a better indication of the quality of research in certain disciplines. Removing the imperative requirement would thus allow for more innovation. However, there is some concern that the removal of mandatory requirements will further degrade the quality, as the value of a researcher and a university is judged on the basis of published and cited papers, as well as funding depending on such benchmarks. From now on university research advisory councils and doctoral supervisors have the responsibility to step up their game to encourage students to publish in prestigious journals even without the mandatory requirement. Given that financial constraints require students to complete their PhDs quickly, there is an urgent need for higher levels of funding to ensure that the UGC move does not backfire.