Integrating Research Integrity into Academic Rankings – A Step Forward
From Sanjay Rohra, Chief Strategy Advisor
As the academic and research community continues to evolve, the integrity of scholarly output is paramount.
Inspired by Dr. Prof. V Ramgopal Rao, who recently highlighted the Research Integrity Risk Index (RI²) on social platforms, we at the Indian Society of Artificial Intelligence and Law propose a transformative approach to evaluating institutional excellence.
Developed by Lokman Meho at the American University of Beirut, RI² assesses research integrity by analyzing retracted articles and journals delisted from platforms like Scopus or Web of Science, offering a shift from quantity-driven metrics to quality-focused benchmarks.
This idea resonates with ISAIL’s mission to champion ethical standards in technology and research.
Integrating RI² into frameworks like India’s National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) could address current vulnerabilities, such as data manipulation concerns raised by institutions like IIT (BHU) Varanasi in 2017.
With global data indicating India’s retraction rate at 0.3%—three times the global average (Scientometrics, 2023)—and 40% of highly cited papers linked to questionable practices (Nature, 2021), this shift is timely.
We call on academic leaders, policymakers, and like-minded organizations to explore how RI² can foster trust in science, aligning with ethical AI and research practices. Let’s discuss how we can collaboratively refine and implement this vision.