PU improves to 8th rank in research citations

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16

Panjab University (PU) has improved to eighth rank in India in the category of proportion of publications among the 10 per cent most frequently cited publications, according to Leiden University Rankings 2018.

In the 2017 edition of the rankings, the PU was at ninth rank and in 2016, it was at fourth place. The rankings were released on Wednesday.

This year, the PU has 7.9 per cent of its papers among the top 10 per cent of most frequently cited papers while in the last year’s edition, it had just seven per cent.

The National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, is at the top in the country followed by the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad.

Thapar University, Patiala, is at 20th place with 5.9 per cent research papers in this category.

The PGIMER has slipped to 22nd spot with 5.3 per cent such publications. It was at 19th rank in the country in the 2017 edition of rankings.

However, if we count the total number of research papers among the top 10 per cent most cited papers, the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, emerges at the top followed by IIT Kharagpur.

Methodology

The Leiden University Rankings are based on citations of research papers from 2013-2016 in web of science database for 938 universities from 55 countries. Fractional counting is used where papers are having multiple authors. Such papers get lesser weightage. According to Leiden University, for instance, if a publication has been co-authored by five researchers and two of these researchers are affiliated with a particular university, the publication has a weightage of 2/5 = 0.4 in the calculation of the impact indicators for that university.

The rankings are compiled by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands. The first edition of rankings had come in 2007.

Other indicators

On the indicator of proportion of papers in the top one per cent most frequently cited papers, the PU comes at 9th rank in the country with 0.5 per cent publications. In the 2017 edition of rankings, it was at 13th rank with 0.4 per cent of such publications.

This year, the Indian School of Mines is at top with 1.3 per cent of publications. Thapar University is at 13th rank with 0.5 per cent publications.

The PGIMER is placed at 21st rank with just 0.3 per cent of publications. In the 2017 edition of rankings, it was at 19th rank with 0.2 per cent publications.

50% most cited papers

In the category of 50 per cent of most frequently cited papers, the PU is at 6th rank in the country with 48.4 per cent of its research papers. In the last edition of rankings too, the PU was at 6thspot with 46.1 per cent publications.

NIT Rourkela is at top with 54.9 per cent of its publications in the top 50 per cent most cited papers. Thapar University is at 21st rank with 42 per cent research papers.

The PGIMER is at 23rd rank with 36 per cent publications. Last year, it was at 19th rank with 36.7 per cent papers.

In the category of top five per cent of most cited papers, which has been introduced for the first time, the PU is at 10th rank with 3.5 per cent publications in this category.