scholarly journals The rank boost by inconsistency in university rankings: Evidence from 14 rankings of Chinese universities

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Wenyu Chen ◽  
Zhangqian Zhu ◽  
Tao Jia
Keyword(s):  
University Rankings ◽  
Reasonable Accuracy ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
True Position ◽  
Proportionality Relationship

University ranking has become an important indicator for prospective students, job recruiters, and government administrators. The fact that a university rarely has the same position in different rankings motivates us to ask: To what extent could a university’s best rank deviate from its “true” position? Here we focus on 14 rankings of Chinese universities. We find that a university’s rank in different rankings is not consistent. However, the relative positions for a particular set of universities are more similar. The increased similarity is not distributed uniformly among all rankings. Instead, the 14 rankings demonstrate four clusters where rankings are more similar inside the cluster than outside. We find that a university’s best rank strongly correlates with its consensus rank, which is, on average, 38% higher (towards the top). Therefore, the best rank usually advertised by a university adequately reflects the collective opinion of experts. We can trust it, but with a discount. With the best rank and proportionality relationship, a university’s consensus rank can be estimated with reasonable accuracy. Our work not only reveals previously unknown patterns in university rankings, but also introduces a set of tools that can be readily applied to future studies.

Is it possible to rank universities using fewer indicators? A study on five international university rankings

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Güleda Doğan ◽  
Umut Al
Keyword(s):  
Similarity Measure ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Cosine Similarity ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Cosine Similarity Measure ◽  
International University

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the similarity of intra-indicators used in research-focused international university rankings (Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), NTU, University Ranking by Academic Performance (URAP), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Round University Ranking (RUR)) over years, and show the effect of similar indicators on overall rankings for 2015. The research questions addressed in this study in accordance with these purposes are as follows: At what level are the intra-indicators used in international university rankings similar? Is it possible to group intra-indicators according to their similarities? What is the effect of similar intra-indicators on overall rankings? Design/methodology/approach Indicator-based scores of all universities in five research-focused international university rankings for all years they ranked form the data set of this study for the first and second research questions. The authors used a multidimensional scaling (MDS) and cosine similarity measure to analyze similarity of indicators and to answer these two research questions. Indicator-based scores and overall ranking scores for 2015 are used as data and Spearman correlation test is applied to answer the third research question. Findings Results of the analyses show that the intra-indicators used in ARWU, NTU and URAP are highly similar and that they can be grouped according to their similarities. The authors also examined the effect of similar indicators on 2015 overall ranking lists for these three rankings. NTU and URAP are affected least from the omitted similar indicators, which means it is possible for these two rankings to create very similar overall ranking lists to the existing overall ranking using fewer indicators. Research limitations/implications CWTS, Mapping Scientific Excellence, Nature Index, and SCImago Institutions Rankings (until 2015) are not included in the scope of this paper, since they do not create overall ranking lists. Likewise, Times Higher Education, CWUR and US are not included because of not presenting indicator-based scores. Required data were not accessible for QS for 2010 and 2011. Moreover, although QS ranks more than 700 universities, only first 400 universities in 2012–2015 rankings were able to be analyzed. Although QS’s and RUR’s data were analyzed in this study, it was statistically not possible to reach any conclusion for these two rankings. Practical implications The results of this study may be considered mainly by ranking bodies, policy- and decision-makers. The ranking bodies may use the results to review the indicators they use, to decide on which indicators to use in their rankings, and to question if it is necessary to continue overall rankings. Policy- and decision-makers may also benefit from the results of this study by thinking of giving up using overall ranking results as an important input in their decisions and policies. Originality/value This study is the first to use a MDS and cosine similarity measure for revealing the similarity of indicators. Ranking data is skewed that require conducting nonparametric statistical analysis; therefore, MDS is used. The study covers all ranking years and all universities in the ranking lists, and is different from the similar studies in the literature that analyze data for shorter time intervals and top-ranked universities in the ranking lists. It can be said that the similarity of intra-indicators for URAP, NTU and RUR is analyzed for the first time in this study, based on the literature review.

A Comparison of China’s “Ivy League” to Other Peer Groupings Through Global University Rankings

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 395-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan M. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
Education Policies ◽  
Ivy League ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Higher Education Policies ◽  
Global University ◽  
World Class

This article analyzes the People’s Republic of China’s elite-making higher education policies that began in the early 1990s, notably with the 211 Project and then 985 Project, which led to the formation of the C9 League, a group of nine leading institution’s dubbed China’s “Ivy League.” This elite grouping is compared with other Chinese universities in terms of global rankings from 2003 to 2015 to ascertain the separation by these top tiered institutions. Furthermore, the C9 League will be compared with other global elite coalitions in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom over the same period. University rankings, despite considerable criticism, have provided the Chinese leadership with key benchmarks for their vision of world-class higher education. This article finds that the C9 League has made some separation from other Chinese universities and has also caught up with its Western peers (notably passing Canada’s U15) in terms of international rankings.

scholarly journals Chinese Universities: Problems, COVID-19 & Efforts

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 3537-3548
Author(s):  
Carlos Rios-Campos ◽  
Pilar del Rosario Rios Campos ◽  
Alberto Lachos Dávila ◽  
Julissa Elizabeth Reyna Gonzalez ◽  
Victor Ricardo Flores Rivas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Powers ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
Close Collaboration ◽  
Chinese Universities ◽  
World University Rankings ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Virtual Courses ◽  
Intensive Use ◽  
The World ◽  
The University

It is necessary to know the state of the Chinese universities. In this paper the general objective was determine the situation of Chinese universities: Problems, COVID-19 & efforts. Methodology, in this research, 31 documents have been selected, carried out in the period 2016 - 2021; including: scientific articles, review articles and information from websites of recognized organizations. The keywords used in the searches were: Chinese universities and COVID-19. Results, China has approximately 2,845 universities, which are gradually improving their infrastructure and academic level. The percentage of women has increased (UIS.UNESCO, 2021). A close collaboration between the university and the industry was presented as they refer (Hou, Hong & Shi, 2021). Employers consider the University of Hong Kong to have the best graduates (SICAS, 2018). Difficulty deciding what to investigate. The situation in Chinese universities is stabilizing, after COVID-19 was presented, continuing with virtual courses and the intensive use of ICTs. In addition, the progressive opening of these institutions, monitoring the health of students and teachers. Conclusions, Chinese universities are ranking better in world rankings such as the QS World University Rankings. They are overcoming the limitations imposed by COVID-19. The number of graduates, researchers and patents is considerable and competes with the great powers of Europe, Asia and North America. In addition, some of its universities are achieving international recognition and have students from various parts of the world.

scholarly journals The Universities Ranking World Cup: A Global View by Continent and Country from the Computer Science Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 277-285
Author(s):  
Sónia Rolland Sobral ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Direct Relationship ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
World Cup ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Global View ◽  
Data Source ◽  
Total Dependence ◽  
Scopus Database

University rankings are lists of universities ranked according to different criteria: different systems, published annually. This article uses seven of the world's best-known global rankings and only in the context of computer science: Shanghai Ranking’s Academic, CWTS Leiden, Quacquarelli Symonds, Times Higher Education, National Taiwan University, Best Global Universities USNews and University Ranking by Academic Performance. We present the top10 universities by each ranking system and by continent and country those that appear in the top20, top100 and top500. Each of these rankings has different items and weights, which will be listed and analyzed in this article. The results are very different from each other because they follow different systems. This article shows that in top10 there is a direct relationship between the massive presence of top Asian universities and the total dependence on Web of Science publications. The same is not true when the data source is Scopus database.

scholarly journals CORRELATIONS OF THE POSITION OF CENTER OF BODY MASS WITH BUTTERFLY ESCAPE TACTICS

1993 ◽  
Vol 174 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. B. Srygley ◽  
R. Dudley
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Flight Speed ◽  
Flight Performance ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Wing Base ◽  
Palatable Species ◽  
Mass Allocation

Using the evolution of neotropical butterflies as a natural experiment, we examine Ellington's biomechanical hypothesis that the position of center of body mass affects insect maneuverability. We find that the position of center of body mass is correlated with the butterflies' palatability, natural flight speeds and their ability to evade predators in a small cage. Relative to distasteful species, palatable butterflies fly faster and maneuver more successfully to evade attacks from aerial predators. The large thorax and short abdomen of palatable species position the center of body mass near to the wing base, whereas the mass allocation and body shape of distasteful butterflies position center of body mass further posteriorly. The position of center of body mass is an important indicator of flight performance, including both aerial maneuverability and flight speed, that warrants incorporation into future studies of invertebrate and vertebrate flight.

scholarly journals Analyzing the activities of visitors of the Leiden Ranking website

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 81-98
Author(s):  
Nees Jan van Eck ◽  
Ludo Waltman
Keyword(s):  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Impact Indicators ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Way

Abstract Purpose To get a better understanding of the way in which university rankings are used. Design/methodology/approach Detailed analysis of the activities of visitors of the website of the CWTS Leiden Ranking. Findings Visitors of the Leiden Ranking website originate disproportionally from specific countries. They are more interested in impact indicators than in collaboration indicators, while they are about equally interested in size-dependent indicators and size-independent indicators. Many visitors do not seem to realize that they should decide themselves which criterion they consider most appropriate for ranking universities. Research limitations The analysis is restricted to the website of a single university ranking. Moreover, the analysis does not provide any detailed insights into the motivations of visitors of university ranking websites. Practical implications The Leiden Ranking website may need to be improved in order to make more clear to visitors that they should decide themselves which criterion they want to use for ranking universities. Originality/value This is the first analysis of the activities of visitors of a university ranking website.

scholarly journals The Needs of Students in Saudi Arabia Seeking to Study in Japan: A Poll-Survey Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Hiroko Kinoshita
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Prospective Students ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Is Research ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Saudi Arabians ◽  
Research Facilities

This study attempts to bridge the gap in the research for students in Saudi Arabia going abroad to study. While there is research done in the field of higher education in Western countries, or even students who have reached Japan for future studies, very few study have tried to investigate the issue such a study for Saudi Arabians before they shift to Japan. Thus this research focused on prospective students to understand their intention and their needs for information on studying in Japan though a poll survey.Through examined both descriptive statistics and used a regression model on its survey data, the results revealed that respondents had extremely high expectations about studying in Japan, especially for obtaining degree (bachelor, master and Ph.D.). However, the regression analysis showed that even though their interests for studying in Japan were high, the information they need were only very basic, such as research facilities and admissions and requirements. This indicated that the students in Saudi Arabia had not reached a level of interest in which they required detailed information on studying in Japan. Although an Increasing number of students are choosing to study abroad in Japan in these days, thus indicating the prospects of future developments in this area. 

Globalization of World University Rankings and Its Impact on Asian Universities

2017 ◽  
pp. 329-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fraide A. Ganotice Jr. ◽  
Hei-Hang Hayes Tang ◽  
Gordon Tsui ◽  
Jonalyn B. Villarosa ◽  
Susanna S. Yeung
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Global Prevalence ◽  
World University Rankings ◽  
Ranking Systems ◽  
Academic Ranking

This chapter discusses how Asian universities respond to the global prevalence of university rankings, which are operated in various form with different emphases. First, it defines the context and rationales of the rise of world university rankings. Next, it compares and contrasts the three dominant university rankings, namely, Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), and Times higher Education University Rankings (THE). After assessing the controversies, limitations and solutions of the dominant ranking systems, we will evaluate the current performance of Asian universities and discuss what lessons are to be learned by Asian universities amid the globalizing forces of world university ranking.

scholarly journals Tubulin hooks as probes for microtubule polarity: an analysis of the method and an evaluation of data on microtubule polarity in the mitotic spindle.

1984 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 525-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R McIntosh ◽  
U Euteneuer
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Mitotic Spindle ◽  
Reasonable Accuracy ◽  
Microtubule Orientation ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Microtubule Polarity ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
Evaluation Of Data ◽  
Hook Curvature

The structural polarity of cellular microtubules can be visualized in situ by lysing cells in special buffers containing tubulin. Under these conditions, the tubulin polymerizes to form curved sheets which attach to the walls of the endogenous microtubules. When such decorated microtubules are cut in cross section and viewed in the electron microscope, they appear to bear hooks curving clockwise or counter-clockwise. The direction of hook curvature is defined by the orientation of the decorated microtubule and thus serves as a probe for microtubule polarity. In this paper we describe a way to analyze the relative frequencies of hooks of different curvatures so as to measure the fidelity of the relation between hook curvature and microtubule polarity. The assumptions of the method are tested and found to be valid to a reasonable accuracy. The correlation between hook curvature and microtubule orientation is shown to be at least 0.98 for the spindles of PtK cells and Haemanthus endosperm at all stages of division and at all places in the spindle. The correlation is shown to be valid for each hook that forms, so the polarity of those microtubules that bear multiple hooks is specified with even better certainty than 0.98. This property of hook decoration is used to reinvestigate the possibility that some of the microtubules of the kinetochore fiber might be oriented with their plus ends distal to the kinetochore (opposite to the direction previously shown to predominate). Close analysis fails to identify such oppositely oriented microtubules. The scoring of tubules bearing multiple hooks also shows that individual interzone fibers at anaphase are constructed from clusters of antiparallel microtubules. The method for estimating the correlation between hook decoration and microtubule polarity is shown to be applicable to many structures and circumstances, but we find that the hook decoration assay for microtubule polarity is not uniformly accurate. We suggest that future studies using hook decorations should employ the method of data analysis presented here to assess the accuracy of the results obtained.

University ranking based on faculty hiring network with minimum weighted violation rankings

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (07) ◽  
pp. 1940017
Author(s):  
Liqian Lang ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
Qinghua Chen ◽  
Tao Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Likelihood ◽  
National Research Council ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
University Rankings ◽  
University Ranking ◽  
Faculty Hiring ◽  
Distribution Of Resources ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
Widespread Interest ◽  
General Method

University ranking arouses widespread interest among the society and the scientific community. It can cause resources to be allocated to the entity which has a higher ranking to make tremendous uneven distribution of resources such as funds, faculty, students and so on. Every year various controversial university rankings are issued by different institutions or individuals. However, they have to deal with a huge amount of data and cumbersome computing in their research. Furthermore, during the process of calculation, some key indicators are unreliable, subjective, and difficult to obtain or compute so that their results are easily questioned. An accurate and objective university ranking is important and necessary, but it still remains to be solved. In 2015, Clauset et al. creatively studied university rankings based on faculty hiring network with graduation-employment flow data. They used the minimum violation ranking (MVR) method to get a university ranking which has a high correlation with U.S. News & World Report (USN) and National Research Council (NRC) Ranking, implying a strong consistency between them. This method costs less and is also objective. Inspired by this thought, this paper proposed a new ranking algorithm with minimum weighted violation rankings derived through maximum likelihood estimation. This assumption is more reasonable, and the results are commendably consistent with the rankings of renowned agencies. This more general method is more flexible than non-weighted calculation. More importantly, this work revealed the essential mechanism of MVR by deriving maximum likelihood.

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