ERA Research Excellence Rankings Analysis

ERA 2018 Research Excellence Rankings Australia

The research ERA 2018 ranking results highlight once again the strong position Australian universities are in when it comes to research excellence. Not all of the universities focus on research, and many others focus their resources on a targeted range of research fields, but the overall outcome highlights one of the strengths of Australia’s higher education sector on the world stage.

ERA Research Excellence Australia Rankings Analysis 2018
Rank	University	Breadth %	Depth %	Tally
1	University of Melbourne	100.0	92.7	473
2	University of Queensland	100.0	88.2	440
3	University of Sydney	100.0	90.0	439
4	Monash University	95.5	88.6	408
5	University of New South Wales	95.5	96.2	404
6	Australian National University	95.5	92.4	328
7	University of Western Australia	95.5	82.9	301
8	University of Adelaide	100.0	81.8	299
9	Queensland University of Technology	86.4	78.9	248
10	University of Wollongong	86.4	73.7	247
11	Macquarie University	90.9	77.0	243
=12	Griffith University	90.9	72.0	242
=12	University of Tasmania	95.5	68.6	242
14	University of Technology Sydney	86.4	76.8	241
15	University of Newcastle	90.9	73.0	239
16	Curtin University	90.9	69.0	229
17	La Trobe University	86.4	76.8	228
18	Deakin University	86.4	76.8	221
19	Western Sydney University	86.4	73.7	213
20	RMIT University	86.4	67.4	200
21	Flinders University	90.9	63.0	174
22	James Cook University	90.9	65.0	162
23	Swinburne University of Technology	77.3	74.1	159
24	University of South Australia	72.7	73.8	156
25	Murdoch University	90.9	63.0	140
26	University of New England	77.3	65.9	122
27	University of Southern Queensland	81.8	63.3	108
28	Charles Sturt University	77.3	50.6	97
29	Victoria University	63.6	61.4	88
30	University of the Sunshine Coast	63.6	62.9	84
31	Southern Cross University	45.5	68.0	83
32	Edith Cowan University	63.6	61.4	82
33	University of Canberra	59.1	61.5	76
34	Australian Catholic University	45.5	66.0	75
35	CQUniversity	59.1	61.5	65
36	Federation University	59.1	52.3	54
37	Charles Darwin University	40.9	62.2	42
38	Bond University	31.8	42.9	27
39	University of Notre Dame	31.8	37.1	26

Source: Australian Research Council Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA Rankings)

Research has always been integral to the modern university system but it is an aspect of higher education that has been threatened by the increasing tendency of universities to function as vocational training institutions. To counter the effects of this tendency there have been an increasing number of initiatives in areas such as funding and the encouragement of scholarship.

The Australian Research Council (ARC) makes a contribution in this direction by conducting the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) evaluation of research conducted within Australia’s higher education research institutions. The objectives of ERA are to:

– Establish an evaluation framework: – provide assurance to all stakeholders regarding the quality of Australian research

– Provide a national stocktake: – identify research strengths and areas of opportunity

– Identify excellence: – uncover and promote high quality research performance

– Identify emerging research: – find opportunities for further development

– Allow for comparisons: – match up and evaluate similar national and international research efforts

There are four broad indicator categories which are used to develop the ERA ratings comprised of:

– Indicators of research quality: – there are a number of different elements contributing to the evaluation of research quality namely publishing profile and citation analusis, peer reviewed international and Australian research income, and ERA peer review

– Indicators of research volume and activity: – key indicators are total research outputs and research income along with research items relevant to the context of the research being conducted.

– Indicators of research application: – measures how the research was commercialised or otherwise contributed to the generation of income or was applied in some other measurable way.

– Indicators of recognition: – recognition is established through the application of esteem measurements

It is from these measurements that a general overview of excellence in Australian research has been established.

ERA Research Rankings Submenu

– ERA 2018 Outcomes Research Rankings List

– ERA 2018 Individual University Outcomes List

– ERA List of Research Fields Rankings

– ERA Journal Rankings 2018 List