By PRINCE RONSON SABADO
THE UNIVERSITY has met the minimum publication threshold set by the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, one of the requirements it needs to satisfy to obtain a ranking.
The minimum threshold set by THE is 150 publications per year and 1,000 publications in five years indexed in Elsevier’s scholarly database Scopus.
As of March 2023, UST was able to log 175 articles, higher than the 147 papers recorded in 2018, data from Scopus showed.
The University’s published articles tally from February to March 2023 also improved in the succeeding years: From 197 to 225 articles in 2019, 253 to 273 in 2020, 298 to 333 in 2021, and 298 to 350 in 2022.
Last October, THE told The Flame that the failure to meet the publication threshold was the “only reason” why UST was not able to achieve a ranking. The University was given a “Reporter” status in the 2023 World University Rankings, a label given to universities that provided data to evaluators but did not satisfy the eligibility requirements to secure a rank.
The number of published papers increases as Scopus updates its database. It appears that some of UST’s published works were not yet incorporated in the Scopus database when evaluators were working on the 2023 rankings.
In an email interview with The Flame last month, THE noted that UST needs to maintain other indicators to receive a ranking this year.
“There are several eligibility criteria for a university to be ranked in THE’s World University Ranking including the publication threshold. We are still collecting data from universities, so at this point it’s unclear which universities will be ranked,” THE said.
“The university should look at all criteria as a means to improve,” it added.
Sought for reaction, UST Office of QS/THE Rankings deputy director Nestor Ong said the University cannot divulge all the efforts being done to improve its ranking.
“But we certainly have solid plans that have been implemented and are still ongoing. We suggest not to preempt the results of the next edition of the Times Higher Education Rankings,” Ong told The Flame.
The 2024 World University Rankings of THE will cover the years 2018 to 2022.
The World University Rankings is an annual publication that provides a “definitive list of the world’s best universities.” It seeks to assess university performances on the global stage through various indicators related to research, impact and teaching. Rankings are determined through the following criteria: teaching (the learning environment); research (volume, income, and reputation); citations (research influence); international outlook (staff, students, research); and industry income (knowledge transfer).
THE earlier advised UST to “focus on publishing high-quality journals” to meet its publication threshold.
Four Philippine universities secured rankings in the 2023 World University Rankings, namely, Ateneo de Manila University (351-400), University of the Philippines (801-1000), De La Salle University (1201-1500), and Mapúa University (1501+). The University of the Philippines and De La Salle University have been on the list for more than five years.
Aside from UST, five other Philippine universities were granted the “Reporter” status, namely, Cebu Technological University, University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines, Mindanao State University, Tarlac Agricultural University, and Visayas State University. F
[…] READ MORE: UST meets THE rankings’ publication threshold; Will it finally achieve a ranking? […]
[…] In its 2024 edition, THE said UST met the publication threshold of 1,000 relevant research publications over the past five years and at least 150 papers each year, an eligibility criterion that the University met as early as March 2023. […]