UGC says aye: You can pursue PhD after 4-year grad course

Does Away With Mandatory Publication Of Research Paper

-  Manash.Gohain @timesgroup.com

New Delhi: In a major reform for PhD programmes, the University Grants Commission has done away with mandatory publication of a research paper before the submission of thesis. The commission in a study involving 2,573 research scholars from a top ranked central university (CU) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), found that mandatory publication has not helped as around 75% of the submissions of the CU, which follows UGC regulations, are not in quality Scopus indexed journals. The opposite is true for IITs, which are not under the purview of UGC, where the majority of research papers were published in quality journals. Another major change in the regulations is to allow undergraduate students after a four-year-degree to join PhD programmes. The regulations, to be announced next week, also said PhD programmes can't be offered through online/ distance mode.

It's a global practice that based on the research outcomes in a PhD thesis, students are encouraged to publish their work in peer reviewed journals or apply for patents, which provides an opportunity to scholars to disseminate their results within the research community and additionally helps develop good communication skills.