ABSTRACT:
The evolving research ecosystem in higher educational institutions (HEIs) necessitates a strategic reassessment of research contributions and evaluation metrics. Traditional approaches focusing on the number of publications are no longer sufficient to measure academic impact. This paper examines the current challenges in academic publishing, including NAAC accreditation changes, the removal of UGC CARE journals as acceptable norm, lengthy publication timelines of reputed journals and the increasing prevalence of unethical publishing practices. By proposing a revised framework incorporating citation-based metrics, interdisciplinary collaboration, and alternative quality research contributions embracing h-index, g-index et al. This paper aims to suggest ways and means of enhancing institutional research quality by providing norms which need new benchmarks. The recommendations emphasize the use of NIRF’s per capita research productivity, citation impact and faculty engagement in high-impact research, ensuring alignment with global academic standards.
Cite this article:
Mahesh Manohar Bhanushali, Guruprasad Murthy. Redefining Research Quality: Enhancing Institutional Metrics for Academic Excellence. Asian Journal of Management. 2025;16(4):293-8. doi: 10.52711/2321-5763.2025.00044
Cite(Electronic):
Mahesh Manohar Bhanushali, Guruprasad Murthy. Redefining Research Quality: Enhancing Institutional Metrics for Academic Excellence. Asian Journal of Management. 2025;16(4):293-8. doi: 10.52711/2321-5763.2025.00044 Available on: https://ajmjournal.com/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2025-16-4-6
REFERENCES:
1. Kerlinger, F. N., and Lee, H. B. (2000). Foundations of behavioural research (4th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers.
2. Leedy, P. D., and Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Practical research: Planning and design (11th ed.). Pearson.
3. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
4. Ministry of Education, Government of India. (2020). National Education Policy 2020. Government of India. Available at https://www.education.gov.in/national-education-policy-2020-1
5. National Assessment and Accreditation Council. (2024). Reforms for strengthening assessment and accreditation in higher education institutions (Final report accepted January 16, 2024). Ministry of Education, Government of India.
6. University Grants Commission. (2025, February 11). Public notice: Discontinuation of UGC CARE journal listing and introduction of suggestive parameters for peer reviewed journals. Ministry of Education, Government of India.
7. Schmitt, C. E. S., Tabuena, A. C., Lauber, O., and Tabuena, Y. M. H. (2024). Processing time of Scopus indexed journals from submission to publication. International Journal of Academic and Practical Research.
8. Vaishya, A., and Vaish, R. (2021). Predatory journals – Alarming danger to the society. Journal of Clinical Orthopaedics and Trauma, 21, Article 101507. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcot.2021.101507
9. Moed, H. F., and Halevi, G. (2014). The multidimensional assessment of scholarly research impact. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1406.5520
10. Ministry of Education, Government of India. (2024). National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2024: Research productivity, impact, and IPR methodology. Ministry of Education.
11. National Assessment and Accreditation Council. (2024). Reforms for strengthening assessment and accreditation in HEIs: Transition to binary and maturity based accreditation (Adopted January 2024). Ministry of Education, Government of India.
12. Mingers, J., and Yang, L. (2016). Evaluating journal quality: A review of journal citation indicators and ranking in business and management. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1604.06685
13. Xiang, S., Romero, D. M., and Teplitskiy, M. (2025, April 18). Evaluating interdisciplinary research: Disparate outcomes for topic and knowledge base. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 122(16), e2409752122. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2409752122
14. Rons, N., and De Bruyn, A. (2013). Quality related publication categories in social sciences and humanities, based on a university’s peer review assessments. arXiv.
15. Cohen, R. (Year unavailable). Benefits of Co Authoring with Students. AEQweb. Retrieved from https://rapidintellect.com/AEQweb/6jan2954l5.htm
16. Akhtar, M. K. (2024). The H index is an unreliable research metric for evaluating the publication impact of experimental scientists. Frontiers in Research Metrics and Analytics, 1, Article 1385080.
17. Moed, H. F., and Halevi, G. (2014). The multidimensional assessment of scholarly research impact.
18. Mingers, J., and Yang, L. (2016). Evaluating journal quality: A review of journal citation indicators and ranking in business and management
19. Ministry of Education, Government of India. (2023). India Rankings 2024: Research and Professional Practice Framework, Criterion 2, Sub-parameter 2b. National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). Retrieved from https://www.nirfindia.org/nirfpdfcdn/2024/framework/Research.pdf
20. Rons, N., and De Bruyn, A. (2013). Quality related publication categories in social sciences and humanities, based on a university’s peer review assessments.
21. International Science Council. (2024). The future of research evaluation: A synthesis of current debates and developments. International Science Council.
22. Samples, B. (1976). The metaphoric mind: A celebration of creative consciousness.
23. Pasha, M. J., Gaurav, K., Bhanja, A. K., Shamout, M. D., Mupparaju, C. B., and Bhanushali, M. M. (2023, December). Advancing Data Science Using AI-Driven Processes. In 2023 International Conference on Power Energy, Environment and Intelligent Control (PEEIC) (pp. 1587-1593). IEEE.
24. Sindhura, K., Sabarirajan, A., Narang, P., Bhanushali, M. M., and Turai, A. K. (2022, April). Human resource management based economic analysis using data mining. In 2022 3rd International Conference on Intelligent Engineering and Management (ICIEM) (pp. 872-876). IEEE.