Hefty fines, journal publication costs hit Ph.D scholars at BDU
THE HINDU 28.08.2024
The thesis of one of my candidates got delayed up to five years due to personal reasons, and she is unable to pay the ₹50,000 fine that the university wants her to clear before granting the Ph.D degree
Associate professor
Thanjavur college
The delays begin when research scholars are unable to publish at least two articles in journals approved by UGC-CARE list
Nahla Nainar
TIRUCHI
Aspiring research scholars at Bharathidasan University (BDU) in Tiruchi are in a fix over mounting penalties and additional fees as the approval of their dissertations gets delayed due to a number of reasons.
The issue was discussed at BDU’s annual Senate meeting held recently, and continues to be a cause for concern for students and their guides.
The delays begin when research scholars are unable to publish at least two articles in journals approved by the University Grants Commission-Consortium for Academic and Research Ethics (UGC-CARE) list, said academics.
Most candidates pay journals upwards of ₹20,000 to have their articles published, before they submit their synopsis for consideration at the university.
If the journal is not on the UGC-CARE list at the time of submission, the article has to be re-sent with amendments to a different (approved) publication.
“Since this step has become problematic in recent times, with an ever-changing list, the University Grants Commission has specified that publication is not mandatory to apply for Ph.D. But BDU continues to insist on it, which makes it difficult for scholars to get started on their actual dissertation,” a Senate member told The Hindu. Doctoral studies can be extended up to seven years from the date of registration.
“At present, there is no standard on the penalty being levied on late submissions. The thesis of one of my candidates got delayed up to five years due to personal reasons, and she is unable to pay the ₹50,000 fine that the university wants her to clear before granting the Ph.D. There are instances of students being fined up to ₹1. 5 lakh as late fee. Those who have the means will pay, but candidates from economically weaker sections cannot afford such large amounts,” said an associate professor from a Thanjavur college.
The academic added that repeated requests urging BDU to set a limit for fines had been overlooked.
When contacted, R. Ramesh Babu, director (in-charge) Research, BDU, said, “A total of 1,090 candidates have sat for the Ph.D entrance exams this year. The actual number of those applying for doctoral studies will be known by September. We are trying to improve the standard of research dissertations at the university, which is why they pass through several levels of scrutiny.”
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