(16 Apr 2025) The discontinuation of the UGC-CARE list and the shift towards decentralized evaluation [of academic journals] have the potential to bring about significant changes in Indian academia.
On the one hand, it could promote greater autonomy and flexibility for higher education institutions when it comes to recognizing and rewarding quality research; on the other hand, by empowering institutions to develop their own evaluation mechanisms, the new approach can encourage a more nuanced and context-specific assessment of research output.
Moreover, the discontinuation of the list could potentially reduce the pressure on researchers to publish in a limited set of journals, thereby promoting greater diversity in research topics and publication outlets.
This could be particularly beneficial for researchers in emerging fields or those working on interdisciplinary projects that may not be well-represented in established journals.
While the new approach offers several potential benefits, it also presents some challenges for researchers.
Dr Amarendra Pani, joint director in the research division of the Association of Indian Universities in New Delhi, shared his opinion here.
