Ohio State University's research standing is rising in world ranks1
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BATTELLE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
December, 2014
Ohio State University’s research
standing is rising in world ranks
1
A review of scientific publications emerging from the desks of researchers at The
Ohio State University demonstrates increasing strength and capability relative to
research in the rest of the world. Ohio State’s scientific publications attract citations
at rates that place it well above the world average in many areas of science and
technology. At the world level, Ohio State ranks among the top universities in the
following fields (in descending order):
n Physics and Astronomy
n Earth and Planetary Sciences
n Medicine
n Computer Science
n Engineering
n Mathematics
n Chemical Engineering
n Materials Science
n Agriculture and Biological Sciences
n Biochemistry
n Genetics
n Molecular Biology
A review of Ohio State University research in fields of science and technology
shows that it fares well among other large research universities. In Physics and
Astronomy, Ohio State ranks an impressive 39th place in the world: peer universities
in this field in the United States include University of Southern California, University
of Miami, and Penn State. In Earth and Planetary Sciences, U.S. peer institutions
are Michigan State, USC, and University of Maryland. In Medicine, the closest
peer institution is NYU. In Computer Science, the peer institution is University
of Wisconsin, Madison. In general physics, Rutgers is a close peer. Notably, in
Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology the peer institution is Carnegie Mellon,
and in Environmental Science, Ohio State is peered with UC-Berkeley.
Research was conducted by Caroline S. Wagner and Asmaou Diallo (Metro Intern, Fall, 2014). Data provided by
1
Web of Science, and Science-Metrix, Inc. Contact Caroline Wagner, wagner.911@osu.eduBATTELLE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Over time, Ohio State researchers hold their ground or show growth (rise in position relative to
others) between 2005-2010 (the years examined). Improvements in positioning relative to the rest of
the world are most notable for Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, and Physics &
Astrophysics.
When viewed by discipline and compared across the world, nearly all of Ohio State’s science and
engineering disciplines are cited well above the world average. Ohio State also shows strength in the
general arts and the general sciences, with citations well above the world and national averages.
The Ohio State University research standing is also rising relative to
U.S. peer institutions
When comparing Ohio State University to other large research universities in the United States,
similar patterns of strengths and significant gains over 20 years (1990-2010 are the years examined)
are seen. Among 10 large state research universities, Ohio State ranked second for growth in output of
publications (35.5% growth), led only by the University of Michigan (40.3% growth). (None of the U.S.
universities grew at rates above the world average because of the rapid growth on the world scene of
Chinese universities.)
During 2000s, Ohio State produced an average of more than 4800 papers per year, with the number
rising each year over the decade. This amounts to a productivity rate of just under three papers per
researcher year, which is higher than most of the peer institutions. The journals in which Ohio State
published were cited 33% more frequently than the world average, a good showing overall, but lower
than most peer institutions.
During the same time period, Ohio State’s papers were cited above the world and U.S. averages.
Ohio State had a respectable 17% of its papers in the top 10% of all cited papers, although this
percentage also falls at the lower end among peer institutions, which range from 16% (University of
Florida) to a high of 23% (University of Washington).
An analysis offering more detail than that provided by Excellence Mapping shows research
intensity combined with citation strength. This in-depth analysis reveals these outstanding disciplines
(in terms of peer recognition, growth, and specialization) at Ohio State:
n Nuclear and particle physics
n Astronomy and astrophysics
n General physics
n Social science methods
n Communications and media studies
n Bioinformatics
n Microscopy
Scientific Specializations at Ohio State
The Battelle Center analysis reveals Ohio State specializations in specific disciplines during the
2000s. Specializations (also called the research intensity) in a given field or subfield is determined
relative to the overall scientific output in the global database. For example, if an institution has 10% of
its papers in biology, and the count for biology papers at the international level represents only 5% of
all papers, this institution is considered to be specialized in biology and would have a specializationBATTELLE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
score of 2. In other words, a specialization means that an institution has twice as many papers in a
given field (e.g., biology) as expected when compared to the percentage share of all papers in this same
field.
The specializations were calculated in the Applied Sciences, Arts & Humanities, Economic & Social
Sciences, Health Sciences and Natural Science and Engineering—categories delineated by the National
Science Foundation in a taxonomy of fields and subfields of science and engineering.
The details about specializations can be matched with impact measures to show which areas of
specialization also have a high impact. Scientists and engineers strive to create work that has a high
impact. Institutions are interested in where they specialize. Many fields require significant investments
in equipment and faculty. Knowing where specializations and impact converge can help institutions
plan for future investments.
The figure below shows Ohio State’s natural sciences and engineering disciplines (2005-2009) in
relation to one another on a map that shows those disciplines that are cited above the world average.
On the right are the disciplines where Ohio State is specialized.
Figure 1. Scientific Specializations at Ohio State University with Citation Impact Compared to the World Average, 2005-2009
Source: Science-Metrix, data from Web of ScienceBATTELLE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
The bubbles representing disciplines at Ohio State are sized by the number of articles in that field.
The bubbles that fall farther to the right are more specialized; the ones that fall higher on the landscape
are more highly cited. The bubbles that fall into the top right-hand area are specializations that are
highly cited. Nuclear & Particle Physics (top right) is a highly cited specialization at Ohio State. Metals
& Metallurgy (top left) is highly cited but not specialized at Ohio State.
Beyond the Natural Sciences and Engineering, the analysis reveals Ohio State specializations in
other disciplines during the 2000s. In the Applied Sciences, there is high specialization in Agriculture,
Fishery, and Forestry. In the Arts and Humanities, specializations emerge in Communications &
Textual Studies; Visual & Performing Arts; and Historical Studies. In the Economic and Social
Sciences, Ohio State specialized in Social Sciences, Economics, and Business. In General Studies,
Ohio State had slight specializations in Arts & Humanities, and in General Science & Technology. In
the Health Sciences, Ohio State shows high specialization in Psychology & Cognitive Sciences. Slight
specializations are seen in Public Health and Health Sciences.
n At subfield level, Ohio State showed high specializations in Vet Science; Urban Planning;
Communications & Media; Accounting; Folklore; Econometrics; Family Studies; Agricultural
Economics & Policy; Speech; Microscopy; Social Science Methods; and Social Work.
n Other specialties in the Applied Sciences at Ohio State that show good citation strength include
Geological & Geomatics Engineering; Dairy & Animal Science; Design Practice & Management;
Networking and Telecommunications.
n In the Arts & Humanities, specialties with good citation strength include Communication &
Media Studies; Languages & Linguistics; Paleontology; History; Anthropology; Literary Studies; and
History.
n In Economics & Social Sciences, those specialties with good citation strength were Finance;
Political Science; Education; Criminology; Logistics & Transportation.
n Four fields had strong indicators across three measures: high citation strength, specialization,
and growth. These fields are Nuclear & Particle Physics; Social Studies Methods; Communications &
Media Studies; and Bioinformatics.
Research Collaborations Beyond Ohio State
Like many research institutions, Ohio State is increasingly collaborative, nationally and
internationally. In the mid-2000s, Ohio State’s national collaboration rate was 47%, in line with peer
institutions. By 2010, the national collaboration rate for Ohio State had risen to 52%. International
collaboration shows similar growth from 25% in the early 2000s to 32% of publications by 2010. The
majority of its highly cited articles are coauthored with researchers from other institutions, and often,
from other countries.
During the 2000s, Ohio State researchers were most likely to publish with collaborators from
Harvard; University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of California-LA; Johns Hopkins; MIT; and
University of Pennsylvania. At the international level, Ohio State published most frequently with
colleagues from China, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, and Korea.
Regionally, Nationwide Children’s was a frequent collaborator.
Increased collaboration is a trend in all areas of science and technology: a study of nearly 20 million
research articles over five decades and an additional 2.1 million patent records over three decades
identified that, for virtually all fields, research is increasingly done as collaborative projects or teams.BATTELLE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
Many collaborative projects occur across disciplines in interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary activities.
Similarly, collaboration increasingly takes place across sectors such as industry – academia teams.
Collaborations typically produce more highly-cited research than individuals do, and, amazingly, this
team advantage is increasing over time. On average, collaborations now produce exceptionally high-
impact research, even in cases that once were the domain of solo researchers or lone inventors.
Recent Impact of Ohio State Research
Ohio State scientists have remained highly productive in these fields in the past few years as
well. Medical researchers have published the greatest number articles over the decade reviewed and
remained highly productive in the past two years. In a review of the past 18 months, the field of
Biochemistry/Molecular Biology was the most productive for Ohio State. Since the beginning of 2013,
in the fields of Biochemistry/Molecular Biology/Oncology, Ohio State researchers published more than
3000 articles, with an article by John C. Byrd as the lead author being among the most highly cited for
all Ohio State researchers, receiving well over 200 citations. This number of citations is remarkable for
an article that has only been in circulation for one year.
In Engineering, Michele Nielsen led a team publishing a highly cited article in the journal Energy
and Environmental Science. Similarly, Ohio State researchers were both productive and impactful
(receiving citations in excess of expectations) in Chemistry with more than 300 articles receiving
citations, and a top-cited article claiming 177 citations, out of more than 1000 articles. In Physics, Ohio
State researchers joined dozens of collaborators in the thrilling search for the Higgs Boson, which
resulted in a highly cited article in Physical Review Letters. These highly cited articles are all notable
for the large numbers of coauthors listed, showing that Ohio State researchers are actively collaborating
with the best institutions in the world.
As it has done for more than a decade, the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Ohio State
continued to show high impact in the past 18 months. Total articles published or co-published
by Ohio State researchers in this field exceeded 500. Ohio State’s Daniel H. Weinberg and Klaus
Honscheid joined other astronomers from all around the world to publish highly cited articles on space
observation that had already claimed more than 125 citations each after just a few months in print.
Again, a remarkable achievement.
The Web of Science parses the medical sciences into 1) General Internal Medicine, 2) Critical Care
Medicine, 3) Research Experimental Medicine, and 4) Dentistry/Oral Surgery Medicine. Ohio State
researchers showed high productivity and very high citation strength in these four areas, with Research
Experimental Medicine being the strongest performer having both exceedingly high productivity of
850 articles, and being among the list of the most highly cited articles, with an article coauthored by
Richard M. Goldberg in Lancet claiming more than 200 citations. Anesthesiology also had a strong
citation count for one of its 2013 articles with Joseph Dasta coauthoring an article garnering close to
200 citations. Health Care Sciences Services performed well in citation strength, with Annie-Laurie
McRee co-publishing a highly cited paper.
Genetics/Heredity and Cell Biology are fields where Ohio State researchers have evidenced high
productivity in the past 18 months, as well as above-expected citation impact. In these fields, the
numbers of articles published neared 1000, and the highest cited article, with Charles Shapiro among
the coauthors, garnering more than 65 citations by the end of 2014. Pharmacology/Pharmacy and
Immunology also had strong showings among articles receiving citations, and in having a highly citedBATTELLE CENTER FOR SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY
article published over the past 18 months.
In terms of sheer citation strength, Materials Science outperformed all other fields at Ohio State
with hundreds of articles. One article, focusing on nanotechnology, with coauthors from Chemistry,
the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, and involving Jay A. Gupta, Josh
Goldberger, Wolfgang Windl, and Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin as coauthors, claimed more than 200
citations.
Toxicology also had good productivity and creditable citation strength.
Psychology, Behavioral Sciences, Neurosciences/Neurology and Developmental Biology
outperformed expectations in terms of numbers of articles. Among the three fields, Ohio State
researchers published well more than 1500 articles over the past 18 months with good citation strength.
In all of these sciences, the highest cited article had received more than 25 citations.
Customized Reports Available from The Battelle Center
If you would like to submit an inquiry about The Ohio State University’s research, or you are
searching for a research collaborator, visit battellecenter.org/research.php to submit a question
to the Battelle Center about people to contact and research strengths at Ohio State.
Ohio State leads among peer institutions in attracting industry funding for
R&D. Battelle forecast that in 2014 declines will be seen in industry investment
in defence and aerospace R&D, but increases will be seen in energy-related
research, life sciences R&D, with strong growth expected in information
technology research investment and some growth expected in funds towards
chemical materials research.
2014 Global R&D Funding Forecast
December, 2013
Link available at battellecenter.orgYou can also read
