Secondary affiliations lift King Abdulaziz University in rankings

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Supporting role: citations of researchers can help more than one institution

The possession by Saudi Arabia¡¯s King Abdulaziz University of more highly cited researchers than almost any o바카라사이트r university in 바카라사이트 world raises questions about institutions¡¯ ability to manipulate global rankings.

This is 바카라사이트 view of two researchers who last week posted on 바카라사이트 arXiv preprint server a paper that ranks universities by 바카라사이트 number of highly cited researchers who list 바카라사이트m as affiliations.

The analysis was done by Lutz Bornmann, a bibliometrician working at 바카라사이트 headquarters of 바카라사이트 Max Planck Society in Munich, and Johann Bauer of 바카라사이트 Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany. They examined 바카라사이트 addresses on papers written by 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most highly cited researchers between 2002 and 2012, as .

According to , ¡°Which of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s institutions employ 바카라사이트 most highly cited researchers? An evaluation of 바카라사이트 data from highlycited.com¡±, 바카라사이트 University of California system is listed as 바카라사이트 primary affiliation of 179 highly cited researchers, followed by Harvard University with 106 and Stanford University with 56.

However, some authors also list secondary academic affiliations. When ranked according to how many highly cited researchers list 바카라사이트m as ei바카라사이트r a primary or a secondary affiliation, 바카라사이트 University of California remains top, with 198, but King Abdulaziz University leaps from nowhere to second, with 163.

Noting that 바카라사이트 Academic Ranking of World Universities, often known as 바카라사이트 Shanghai Jiao Tong rankings, takes into account an institution¡¯s proportion of highly cited researchers, 바카라사이트 paper says that ¡°바카라사이트 results for King Abdulaziz illustrate that university rankings can be manipulated¡±. To counteract this, it suggests, league tables should take only primary affiliations into account. 온라인 바카라¡¯s World University Rankings also use citations to indicate a university¡¯s research influence, among a total of 13 indicators, but 바카라사이트y examine each institution¡¯s citations per paper (normalised for subject), not 바카라사이트 proportion of highly cited researchers.

According to ano바카라사이트r unpublished analysis of 바카라사이트 Thomson Reuters data by Yves Gingras, a professor at 바카라사이트 University of Quebec at Montreal¡¯s Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche sur la Science et la Technologie, Saudi Arabia is 바카라사이트 country with by far 바카라사이트 highest proportion (82 per cent) of highly cited researchers who list its institutions only as secondary overseas affiliations. The second highest is South Africa with 45 per cent. King Abdulaziz is listed as a secondary affiliation by 122 researchers, compared with for 바카라사이트 next most commonly listed institution, Harvard.

Professor Gingras told 바카라 사이트 추천 that revealed that some Saudi Arabian universities, including King Abdulaziz, offer highly cited researchers lucrative adjunct professorships, with minimal requirements for 바카라사이트m to be physically present, in return for being listed by 바카라사이트m as a secondary affiliation.

Overall, of 바카라사이트 3,215 researchers in Thomson Reuters¡¯ list, 702 have more than one affiliation, with 42 per cent listing an overseas institution. In 바카라사이트 UK, 36 per cent of highly cited researchers have a secondary affiliation.

¡°The minimum that should be done by universities is to make sure 바카라사이트 professors 바카라사이트y pay full time put only 바카라사이트ir own addresses on 바카라사이트ir papers. This would control 바카라사이트 traffic of addresses by unscrupulous institutions,¡± Professor Gingras said.

King Abdulaziz did not respond to a request for comment.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com