NIRF Ranking 2026 Delayed Over Retracted Research Papers, Repeat Offenders May Face Ban
NIRF Ranking 2026 has been delayed over a large number of retracted research papers. Repeat offenders may be barred from future NIRF rankings. Read the article to get complete details.
The Government of India’s NIRF Rankings 2026 have not yet been released. Every year these rankings are usually released between August and September. A major reason for this delay has now emerged. This year’s ongoing National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranking assessments have identified a large number of retracted research papers. This has led the central government to tighten scrutiny of higher education institutions. Scroll for complete details.
Why the NIRF Ranking 2026 Is Delayed?
According to a report last year’s NIRF evaluation process marked the first time academic institutions were prosecuted for retracted research papers. Points were deducted from institutions’ publication and citation scores based on such research papers. Data on retracted research papers was obtained from third-party databases. According to Retraction Watch a global research monitoring organization India had 887 retractions in 2025. This made it the second-highest number of retractions in the world after China. China had 1701 retractions during the same period. However NIRF did not publicly disclose how many institutions lost points in the 2025 rankings due to retracted research papers. It also did not say how many retractions were included in the penalty.
Repeat Offenders May Be Banned from NIRF Rankings
Institutions that repeatedly withdraw research papers will be banned from NIRF rankings. The report citing sources states that the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is considering barring such institutions from participating in future NIRF rankings. The NBA is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education. A senior government official stated that a large number of retracted research papers have been reported this year and the NBA is investigating them. Institutions are being warned and will receive negative marks in the evaluation process and rankings.
According to the official, a clear message was sent last year that there is no room for plagiarism, research irregularities, fraudulent research or manipulation of peer review. This year the NIRF ranking process is being further tightened regarding these matters. Starting next year a plan is being considered to exclude institutions repeatedly implicated in such cases from the NIRF rankings. Research publications are attributed to the institution based on the affiliation of researchers and faculty members listed in their research papers.
Why Research Papers Are Retracted
Retraction of research papers has been a serious issue in India’s higher education and research sector. According to Retraction Watch 2737 research papers were retracted in India in 2023. That year India was among the countries with the highest number of retractions after China and the United States. According to the data the number of retractions in India increased by 2.5 times during 2020-22 compared to 2017-19.
Retraction refers to the formal withdrawal from the scientific record of a published paper by a journal. This happens because its conclusions, data or publication process are deemed unreliable or flawed. Papers can be retracted for a variety of reasons. These include plagiarism, fabricated or manipulated data re-publication of the same research ethical violations and a falsified or manipulated peer review process. Not every retraction indicates deliberate wrongdoing. Some papers are also retracted due to genuine errors or shortcomings in the research.
Faham is an education specialist and has over three years of experience in the education and edtech industry, specializing in digital and educational content creation. He holds an MBA in Marketing and Human Resources from Swami Vivekanand University. Throughout his career, Faham has developed expertise in creating engaging and informative content across diverse educational domains.
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