By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 6 May: In a significant stride toward academic advancement and research excellence, Doon University hosted a one-day workshop titled ‘Institutional Ranking and Quality Publication’ today at the University’s Conference Hall. The keynote speaker at the workshop was Dr Rahul Krishna Gairola, Honorary Research Fellow at the Indo-Pacific Research Centre (IPRC), Perth, Australia, who addressed the complexities of academic publishing, institutional visibility, and research impact. The workshop was conducted under the patronage of VC Prof Surekha Dangwal, and attracted enthusiastic participation from faculty members, research scholars, and postgraduate students across various departments.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Rahul Krishna Gairola. His session focused on the evolving landscape of academic publishing, institutional visibility, and global ranking mechanisms.
The event began with a warm welcome by Prof HC Purohit, Coordinator, IQAC, who emphasised the crucial role of quality publication in enhancing institutional credibility in today’s competitive academic environment. Prof Mamgain also addressed the gathering, underlining the increasing expectations placed on researchers by the global academic community. In her address, Vice Chancellor Prof Surekha Dangwal reaffirmed the university’s mission to cultivate a research-intensive environment. This workshop is a significant step toward preparing our faculty and scholars for global academic standards, she stated.
Dr Gairola provided a detailed overview of identifying and targeting Scopus and listed journals like South Asian Review, Journal of postcolonial writings, postcolonial directions in education. He discussed the importance of rigorous peer review, indexing, and impact factors, emphasising how publishing in reputable journals strengthens both individual academic profiles and institutional rankings. Various important points were discussed in the Workshop including publishing in Quality Journals. The session also covered the strategic importance of scholarly book publishing with internationally recognised academic publishers. Dr Gairola offered practical insights into proposal writing, contract negotiation, and the editorial process for both monographs and edited volumes, which are key to scholarly reputation and citation metrics.
Addressing a frequently encountered concern among early-career researchers, Dr Gairola shed light on the economics of open access publishing. He explained the structure of APCs, publication fees, and how to evaluate the legitimacy of a journal or publisher to avoid predatory practices. He also highlighted funding sources and institutional support available for covering these charges. A comprehensive discussion on global and national ranking frameworks informed participants about metrics like research output, citations per faculty, international collaboration, and teaching reputation.
The interactive Q&A session that followed allowed attendees to engage directly with the speaker on challenges related to journal selection, collaborative publishing, indexing services, and institutional publishing support. This workshop is part of Doon University’s ongoing efforts to promote a research-intensive culture and ensure faculty are well-positioned to contribute to high-impact academic discourse globally. Faculty members from various schools and departments were present along with the research scholars and post graduate students.
