University rankings: A review of methodological flaws
University rankings have gradually become an issue for concern in the academic community worldwide. Several mechanisms with different methodologies have been developed to rank the universities appropriately. However, some ranking tools have notable issues, especially with the indicators adopted. Som...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Institutes for Educational Research
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/1/2020-%20IIER-University%20rankings-%20A%20review%20of%20methodological%20flaws.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848822924816941056 |
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| author | Muhammad Ashraf, Fauzi Tan, Christine Nya-Ling Mahyuddin, Daud Muhammad Mukhtar, Noor Awalludin |
| author_facet | Muhammad Ashraf, Fauzi Tan, Christine Nya-Ling Mahyuddin, Daud Muhammad Mukhtar, Noor Awalludin |
| author_sort | Muhammad Ashraf, Fauzi |
| building | UMP Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | University rankings have gradually become an issue for concern in the academic community worldwide. Several mechanisms with different methodologies have been developed to rank the universities appropriately. However, some ranking tools have notable issues, especially with the indicators adopted. Some are based merely on research performance, whilst others have focused solely on specific fields, such as science and technology - which could have deprived those in the arts and social sciences. This paper uses a narrative review to highlight a number of inconsistencies in the methodologies applied to rank universities. Five main ranking tools commonly applied to the world's universities are reviewed, namely Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE), Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Leiden University ranking and Webometrics ranking. We found that several flaws in the rankings caused inconsistencies in university placings in different rankings. Suggestions for integrating multiple criteria and indicators for better ranking exercises are proposed. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T02:48:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | ump-27941 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Pahang |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T02:48:58Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Institutes for Educational Research |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | ump-279412020-03-16T02:41:06Z http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/ University rankings: A review of methodological flaws Muhammad Ashraf, Fauzi Tan, Christine Nya-Ling Mahyuddin, Daud Muhammad Mukhtar, Noor Awalludin L Education (General) LB2300 Higher Education University rankings have gradually become an issue for concern in the academic community worldwide. Several mechanisms with different methodologies have been developed to rank the universities appropriately. However, some ranking tools have notable issues, especially with the indicators adopted. Some are based merely on research performance, whilst others have focused solely on specific fields, such as science and technology - which could have deprived those in the arts and social sciences. This paper uses a narrative review to highlight a number of inconsistencies in the methodologies applied to rank universities. Five main ranking tools commonly applied to the world's universities are reviewed, namely Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), Times Higher Education (THE), Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Leiden University ranking and Webometrics ranking. We found that several flaws in the rankings caused inconsistencies in university placings in different rankings. Suggestions for integrating multiple criteria and indicators for better ranking exercises are proposed. Institutes for Educational Research 2020 Article PeerReviewed pdf en http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/1/2020-%20IIER-University%20rankings-%20A%20review%20of%20methodological%20flaws.pdf Muhammad Ashraf, Fauzi and Tan, Christine Nya-Ling and Mahyuddin, Daud and Muhammad Mukhtar, Noor Awalludin (2020) University rankings: A review of methodological flaws. Issues in Educational Research, 30 (1). pp. 79-96. ISSN 1837-6290 (Online). (Published) http://www.iier.org.au/iier30/fauzi-abs.html |
| spellingShingle | L Education (General) LB2300 Higher Education Muhammad Ashraf, Fauzi Tan, Christine Nya-Ling Mahyuddin, Daud Muhammad Mukhtar, Noor Awalludin University rankings: A review of methodological flaws |
| title | University rankings: A review of methodological flaws |
| title_full | University rankings: A review of methodological flaws |
| title_fullStr | University rankings: A review of methodological flaws |
| title_full_unstemmed | University rankings: A review of methodological flaws |
| title_short | University rankings: A review of methodological flaws |
| title_sort | university rankings: a review of methodological flaws |
| topic | L Education (General) LB2300 Higher Education |
| url | http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/27941/1/2020-%20IIER-University%20rankings-%20A%20review%20of%20methodological%20flaws.pdf |