Sindh University’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) held a review meeting of the editors of its research journals under the chair of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Muhammad Marri (TI) at the Senate Hall of admin block, where the performance, achievements, challenges and future development plans of the varsity’s scholarly journals were discussed in detail.
Sindh University charts roadmap to elevate research journals’ HEC 0
HYDERABAD, Jun 18 (APP): Sindh University’s Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) held a review meeting of the editors of its research journals under the chair of Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Muhammad Marri (TI) at the Senate Hall of admin block, where the performance, achievements, challenges and future development plans of the varsity’s scholarly journals were discussed in detail. The house unanimously charted roadmap to elevate research journals’ HEC ranking from Y to X and X to W categories.
Director ORIC Prof Dr Farhat Naureen Memon and Director of Research & Graduate Studies Prof Dr Saima Qayoom Memon briefed the Vice-Chancellor on the objectives of the meeting, emphasizing the need to enhance the quality, visibility, citation impact and international standing of the university’s academic publications. They shared that the University was currently publishing 9 journals in HEC recognized Y category and one in X category.
During the meeting, editors presented detailed reports on their respective journals, highlighting editorial progress, publication standards, indexing status, peer-review mechanisms and efforts being made to secure higher recognition from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad.
The participants reviewed the performance of a number of journals being published by the university, including the Sindh University Journal of Education (SUJE), a biannual HEC-recognized journal first published in 1955; the International Research Journal of Arts and Humanities (IRJAH), a biannual multidisciplinary journal launched in 1960 and the Sindh University Research Journal (SURJ), one of the university’s oldest scholarly publications, first brought out in 1964.
The meeting was also informed about the status of other HEC-recognized journals being published by various faculties and institutes of the university. These include journals in the disciplines of education, arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, commerce, management sciences, engineering, information technology, law and Islamic studies. The editors discussed their publication frequencies, editorial policies, digital archiving systems, peer-review standards and compliance with HEC journal evaluation criteria.
Sindh University boasts one highly recognized journal in the ‘X’ category, representing a leading benchmark for analytical and environmental Research. The name of the journal is Pakistan Journal of Analytical & Environmental Chemistry being published by NCEAN, which is edited by Dr. Huma Muddasar.
Thus, as many as 10 research journals have successfully secured or maintained their ‘Y’ category recognition status under the HEC classification framework across diverse faculties, which include Sindh University Research Journal (SURJ) of the Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS), which is edited by Prof. Dr. Saeed Akhtar Abro, University of Sindh Journal of Animal Sciences (USJAS) of the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, which is edited by Prof. Dr. Riffat Sultana. The Shield – Research Journal of Physical Education & Sports Science of the Center for Physical Health Education and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences (FNS) is edited by Prof. Dr. Soniha Aslam, Sindh University Journal of Education (SUJE) of the Faculty of Education (FoE) was recognized for 2021-22, University of Sindh Journal of Information and Communication Technology (USJICT) of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology (FET) is edited by Prof. Dr. Zeeshan Bhatti, Keenjhar of the Department of Sindhi, Faculty of Arts (FoA) is edited by Chairman, Department of Sindhi, The Women – Annual Research Journal of Gender Studies of Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) is edited by Dr. Ameer Ali Buriro, The Government of the Department of Political Science of Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) is edited by Prof. Dr. Kiran Sami Memon, Asia-Pacific – Annual Research Journal of Far East & South East Asia of the Area Study Centre, Far East & Southeast Asia is edited by Dr. Naureen Munaf and Grassroots of Pakistan Study Centre is edited by Prof. Dr. Nanik Ram.
Speaking on the occasion, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Fateh Marri (TI) expressed satisfaction over the rich scholarly tradition of the University of Sindh and noted with pride that some of its research journals had been serving the academic community for several decades.
“I am pleased to know that the Sindh University Journal of Education was first published in 1955, the International Research Journal of Arts and Humanities in 1960 and the Sindh University Research Journal in 1964. These journals are part of the intellectual heritage of the University of Sindh and reflect its longstanding commitment to research and knowledge production,” he said.
The vice-chancellor directed the editors to ensure strict adherence to international publication standards and ethical research practices. He stressed that copies of all research journals should be regularly dispatched to university libraries, research centres and higher educational institutions across the country so that the scholarly work produced at Sindh University could reach a wider academic audience.
He assured the editors of his full support for strengthening the university’s research ecosystem. He said the university administration would provide every possible assistance for improving journal quality, including financial facilitation, technical support, and capacity-building programmes and digital publication infrastructure.
He further said that efforts would be made to modernize editorial and manuscript management systems, enhance international visibility through indexing and abstracting services, and improve compliance with HEC and global publishing standards.
He said that the university would actively engage with relevant authorities and academic bodies to facilitate the progress of its journals and help them attain higher recognition. He emphasized that editors should focus on publishing high-quality, original and impactful research capable of attracting citations and international readership.
“Being the oldest university of Pakistan, the University of Sindh has a historic responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of research and scholarship. Our journals must shine not only at the national level but also enhance Pakistan’s academic reputation globally,” he remarked.
