Philadelphia, PA, USA-London, UK - May 04, 2006 - The latest issue of Science Watch, the bimonthly newsletter
published by Thomson Scientific, a business of The Thomson Corporation, ranks
United Kingdom universities based on both the total number of citations as
well as their impact (or the average number of citations per paper) during
the 2001-2005 period.
Predictably, two institutions dominate: the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford both appear in the
rankings far more frequently than do any of the other universities. Based
on total citations, the University of Cambridge ranks first in 10 of
the 21 fields analyzed, while the University of Oxford took the lead in four
of the 21 fields based on the average number of citations per paper. Despite
the strong showing, the “Oxbridge” establishment institutions are not the only
players in the U.K. research game.
“Because larger institutions have a higher research output,
they tend to generate higher total-citation counts,” said Christopher King,
editor of Science Watch. “Looking at the average number of citations
per paper offers a different form of assessment, tending to remove the advantage
of institutions that publish more papers, and allowing smaller institutions
to demonstrate their influence and success.”
The University of Sussex, for example, despite relatively
modest paper counts, takes the top spot in impact (average number of citations
per paper) in both physics and space science. Similarly, the University of
Dundee grabs the top spot in impact in molecular biology/genetics and biology/biochemistry.
Top U.K. Universities
Based on Total Citations, 2001-2005
(ranked by number of scientific fields it leads)
| Rank |
Name |
#
Scientific Fields |
Scientific
Fields |
| 1 |
University of Cambridge |
10 |
Physics; Molecular Biology/Genetics; Chemistry; Biology
& Biochemistry; Materials Science; Geosciences; Space Science; Computer
Science; Mathematics; Plant & Animal Science |
| 2 |
Imperial College London |
3 |
Engineering; Pharmacology;
Ecology/Environment |
| 3 |
University College London |
2 |
Neurosciences; Clinical
Medicine |
| 4 |
University of Oxford |
2 |
Microbiology; Immunology |
| 5 |
King’s College London |
1 |
Psychology/Psychiatry |
| 6 |
University of Reading |
1 |
Agricultural Sciences |
| 7 |
London School of Economics |
1 |
Economics/Business |
| 8 |
University of London Institute
of Education |
1 |
Education |
The University of Cambridge amassed the highest total-citation
count in nearly half of the scientific fields studied, reinforcing its role
as a research powerhouse. The university published more than 21,000 papers
between 2001 and 2005, fueling its high total citation count. Imperial College
London ranks second, compiling the highest total citation count in three fields
having published nearly 19,000 papers.
Top U.K. Universities Based on the Average of Citations per Paper, 2001-2005
(ranked by number of scientific fields it leads)
| Rank |
Name |
#
Scientific Fields |
Scientific
Fields |
| 1 |
University of Oxford |
4 |
Clinical Medicine; Microbiology; Immunology; Psychology/Psychiatry |
| 2 |
University of Sussex |
2 |
Physics; Space Science |
| 3 |
University of Dundee |
2 |
Molecular Biology/Genetics;
Biology & Biochemistry; |
| 4 |
University of East Anglia |
2 |
Geosciences; Ecology/Environment |
| 5 |
University of Southampton |
2 |
Computer Science; Agricultural
Sciences |
| 6 |
University of Aberdeen |
1 |
Pharmacology |
| 7 |
University of Cambridge |
1 |
Neurosciences |
| 8 |
University of York |
1 |
Plant & Animal Science |
| 9 |
Queen’s University of Belfast |
1 |
Chemistry |
| 10 |
University of Bristol |
1 |
Materials Science |
| 11 |
University of Lancaster |
1 |
Engineering |
| 12 |
Imperial College London |
1 |
Mathematics |
| 13 |
London Business School |
1 |
Economics & Business |
| 14 |
King’s College London |
1 |
Education |
Because looking at impact levels the playing field, a wider
array of universities top individual scientific fields. Fourteen universities
top the impact rankings, while only eight are represented in the total-citation
rankings. Nevertheless, reputed research powerhouse University of Oxford
still leads U.K. research in impact, topping four scientific fields.
The Science Watch rankings are
derived from Thomson Scientific’s United Kingdom University Science Indicators,
a database containing publication and citation statistics on upwards of 150
U.K. universities and affiliated institutions in nearly two dozen main scientific
fields.
Note: For more information about
the Science Watch rankings, including the full top-three rankings in
all 21 scientific fields, contact Rodney Yancey at 215-823-5397 or rodney.yancey@thomson.com
