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NIRF India Rankings 2026 Delayed Amid Audit of Retracted Research Papers

Moneycontrol•08-10-2026, 13:41

•The Ministry of Education has delayed the release of the NIRF India Rankings 2026 without announcing a revised date.
•The delay is caused by a strict audit of research data by the National Board of Accreditation following a high volume of retracted papers.
•India recorded 887 research paper retractions in 2025, placing the country second globally behind China.
•Authorities are deducting points for retracted publications and considering debarring repeat offenders from future rankings.
•The final category-wise rankings will be published on the official NIRF website once the comprehensive review is completed.

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Key Questions Answered

The NIRF India Rankings 2026 have been delayed because authorities are conducting a closer audit of research publications and citations due to a high number of retracted papers found in institutional submissions.

The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) is examining the data and closely auditing the information provided by participating higher education institutions before the finalization of the 2026 rankings.

According to data cited from Retraction Watch, India recorded 887 research paper retractions in 2025, placing the country second globally behind China.