Abstract
The Revised Guidelines of the Medical Council of India for Academic Promotions: Need for a Rethink :: Special Editorial
Hygeia.J.D.Med. 2016; 8 (2):1-5
DOI: 10.15254/H.J.D.Med.8.2016.14
Rakesh Aggarwal1 Nithya Gogtay2, Rajeev Kumar3 Peush Sahni4,
For The Indian Association of Medical Journal Editors*
1.Former Editor, Indian Journal of Gastroenterology
2.Editor, Journal of Postgraduate Medicine
3.Editor, Indian Journal of Urology
4.Editor, The National Medical Journal of India.
Measuring academic achievements is never an easy task. This is particularly so when individuals are assessed for promotions in several fields with differing job descriptions. Assessment by peers is time-consuming and may be prone to bias; thus, objective criteria are required to minimize these concerns.
The Medical Council of India (MCI) has laid down guidelines for appointments and promotions of teachers in medical institutions in India. Among the criteria used for promotions, publication of research is an essential requirement. Though the need for this requirement has been debated, it is believed that the quality of teaching improves when medical teachers are involved in research. Many countries have made it mandatory for their medical faculty to do research; some other countries incentivize the conduct and publication of research. Reports have also lamented that the physician–scientist might become an endangered species . Thus, linking publications with promotions might benefit both the individual and society. The flip side is that the time spent on research might take teachers away from teaching or clinical duties, particularly in under-staffed specialty departments. Further, the quality of research is likely to be poor when the resources and training in research are lacking . Poor quality may even discredit research asa professional activity. Insistence on a certain amount of published research to maintain teaching credentials may lead to the phenomenon of ‘publish or perish’ . Finally, it is important to consider that biomedical research may, at times, be relevant to non-biomedical journals and criteria for awarding credit to such publications should also be devised.
Correspondence to: Peush Sahni, President, Indian Association of Medical Journal Editors, The National Medical Journal of India, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110 029, India. india.editors@gmail.com