Leading the pack

UNSW is cementing its reputation at the head of the pack of Australia's leading universities, with a 25-year analysis showing a dramatic increase in publications and citations.

The analysis from global research and development scrutineers Thomson Scientific shows that UNSW is one of the top three institutions in the country, in terms of leading in particular fields, with the University dominating in mathematics, psychiatry and psychology. The top three institutions were The University of Sydney, UNSW and The University of Melbourne respectively.

In addition, Australian universities overall have done well, with four times as many publications and citations as in the early 1980s.

That makes Australia among the top ten nations in the world for the influence of its scientific papers.

"This is a great result, standing us in good stead to meet UNSW's aspiration of being in the top three research institutions in the country and a leading player in the Asia-Pacific region," said Professor Les Field, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research).

The Thomson Scientific analysis was reported in Campus Review.