Multidimensional taxonomy of university rankings

Abstract

Since the inception of the first university rankings in the United States at the end of the 19th century, the quantity and nature of these informational products have notably increased, with more than 150 university rankings currently registered. The early formats were simple printed lists in which universities were ordered according to one metric. However, today there is a proliferation of online interactive platforms, on which users can select either raw or synthetic indicators to generate tailored rankings, not only of universities overall or by fields of study), but also of internal entities such as schools or departments. The growing complexity of university rankings, both in terms of their methodologies and data visualisation techniques, is making it increasingly difficult for users, including university leaders and policymakers, to select the most appropriate measure for their needs. It is in this context that a classification of university rankings would be a useful work tool. While the literature indicates that some attempts have been made to categorise university rankings, these proposals only partially cover the broad spectrum of existing rankings. Consequently, the main objective of this chapter is to propose a holistic, polyhierarchical and multidimensional taxonomy of university rankings, and use it to determine the main characteristics shared by ranking providers. To this end, the researchers began with a multidimensional taxonomy design based on the establishment of dimensions (organisation, coverage, publication, data sources, structure, metrics and business model) and dimension facets. Next, the taxonomy was applied to a sample of 60 global university rankings (rankings which compare universities around the World) in order to ascertain their most common facets. The results show that, with few exceptions, global rankings are generally published annually, online, in English, free of charge, and include information about previous iterations. They tend to be comprehensive, including universities regardless of their age, type, status, teaching mode or fields of knowledge, although a performance threshold is eventually demanded. Research is the dimension that is most commonly included in all global university rankings, followed by teaching and knowledge transfer. In conclusion, the taxonomy facilitates the categorisation of university rankings, and its open and flexible structure leaves room for future expansions and development.