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
