How can I understand global university rankings?
Answer
Why rankings matter
While the University of Manchester recognises that global rankings reflect only part of what we value as an institution, they remain influential. Rankings play a role in shaping reputation, guiding prospective students, supporting international partnerships, and enabling benchmarking across institutions.
The Research Indicators team supports analysis of key rankings through our access to two major research intelligence platforms: SciVal (Elsevier) and Incites (Clarivate).
Making sense of institutional rankings
Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings
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Measures performance across teaching, research, citations, industry income, and international outlook
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SciVal provides aligned metrics to support analysis of research and citation components
THE Impact Rankings (SDG-focused)
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Evaluates university contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SciVal includes SDG mapping and metrics to explore alignment with THE Impact indicators
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Based on academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty, and internationalisation
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SciVal can support understanding of the citations per faculty metric through normalised citation data and author-level metrics
Understanding the Shanghai / ARWU Ranking
The Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU)—also known as the Shanghai Ranking—places strong emphasis on research excellence, including:
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Publications in Nature and Science
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Performance in prestigious awards such as Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals
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Number of Highly Cited Researchers, as identified by Clarivate
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Output in Web of Science-indexed journals (SCI and SSCI)
How InCites supports Shanghai Ranking analysis
Our subscription to InCites (Clarivate) allows detailed exploration of ARWU-related indicators, including:
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Highly Cited Researchers: Explore by subject area and institutional affiliation
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Web of Science publication data: Track output indexed in SCI and SSCI
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Journal-level analysis: Understand visibility in key publication venues relevant to the ranking
If you need help exploring ARWU indicators in InCites, we can provide tailored analysis or walkthroughs.
How SciVal supports rankings analysis
SciVal provides a wide range of metrics and benchmarking tools that align with various elements of global rankings:
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Analyse performance trends over time
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Identify institutional strengths and weaknesses
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Benchmark against global peers
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Explore research visibility, citation impact, collaboration, and SDG alignment
SciVal’s supplier, Elsevier, has produced a comprehensive guide to using the University rankings within SciVal.
A responsible approach to rankings
While rankings can offer valuable insights, they should be interpreted with care. Many indicators rely on proxy measures or are shaped by methodological choices that may not align with an institution’s core values. A responsible approach includes:
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Understanding what is (and isn't) being measured
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Contextualising performance, rather than chasing metrics
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Focusing on long-term research quality and integrity
We can help you navigate rankings data in a way that aligns with the University’s commitment to responsible research assessment.
Need support?
The Research Indicators team provides analysis and advice on how to engage with rankings constructively. We can help:
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Interpret rankings indicators relevant to your School, Faculty, or strategic area
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Identify data sources influencing ranking outcomes
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Generate benchmarking reports and performance visualisations
Contact the team to discuss your needs.