Analysis of Research Integrity Risk in Indian Institutions using the RI² Index
Keywords:
Research Integrity, Indian Institutions, RI2 Index, Integrity Risk, RetractionsAbstract
This study analyses the research integrity of Indian institutions using research integrity risk index (RI2). RI² is a composite indicator that relies on four indicators i.e. Delisted Journal Rate, Retraction Rate, Self-Citation Rate, Retraction Citation Exposure Rate. Relevant data was extracted from lists of institutions available on the RI² website to identify Indian institutions classified under the RI² Risk Tiers. A total of 129 Indian institutions is available in the list scattering across the five tiers; Red Flag, High Risk, Watch List, Normal Variation, Low Risk. Indian institutions constitute a substantial proportion of institutions classified within the Red Flag tier of the RI² dataset. The risk-tier profile of private universities differs significantly from that of public institutions. Private universities are overrepresented in the highest risk "Red Flag" tier, with 47.2% of them falling into this category. The presence of institutions in all the tiers shows the diverse state of research integrity in Indian academic system. This variation highlights the urgent need for policy and internal reforms to protect the credibility and quality of the country‟s research output. This study applies the recently developed RI2 index to explore the research integrity risk status of Indian institutions and provides valuable insight into the current state of academic research.
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