| Indicator | University Z-score | Average country Z-score |
|---|---|---|
|
Multi-affiliation
|
-0.376 | 0.648 |
|
Retracted Output
|
-0.249 | -0.189 |
|
Institutional Self-Citation
|
-1.164 | -0.200 |
|
Discontinued Journals Output
|
-0.475 | -0.450 |
|
Hyperauthored Output
|
-1.335 | 0.859 |
|
Leadership Impact Gap
|
-0.703 | 0.512 |
|
Hyperprolific Authors
|
-1.413 | -0.654 |
|
Institutional Journal Output
|
-0.268 | -0.246 |
|
Redundant Output
|
-1.186 | 0.387 |
The École Supérieure des Sciences commerciales d'Angers (ESSCA) demonstrates an outstanding scientific integrity profile, with an overall risk score of -0.595 that indicates robust internal governance and a culture of research quality. The institution exhibits exceptional strength across multiple indicators, showing very low risk in areas such as Institutional Self-Citation, Hyper-Authored Output, Hyperprolific Authors, and Redundant Output. This pattern suggests a deliberate focus on genuine academic contribution over metric-driven pressures. According to SCImago Institutions Rankings data, ESSCA's thematic strengths are particularly notable in Business, Management and Accounting (ranked 26th in France) and Economics, Econometrics and Finance (ranked 25th in France). This strong integrity profile directly supports the institution's mission to develop "responsible managers and entrepreneurs" by embedding ethical and sustainable practices at the core of its knowledge creation process. The absence of integrity risks reinforces the credibility of its research and ensures that its commitment to responsibility is not merely aspirational but operational. By maintaining this exemplary standard, ESSCA not only safeguards its reputation but also builds a solid foundation for sustainable academic excellence and impactful societal contribution.
The institution presents a Z-score of -0.376, which is significantly lower than the national average of 0.648 for France. This contrast suggests a high degree of institutional resilience, where internal control mechanisms appear to effectively mitigate the systemic risks of affiliation inflation that are more prevalent at the national level. While multiple affiliations are often a legitimate result of collaboration, ESSCA's prudent approach avoids any signal of strategic "affiliation shopping" or attempts to artificially inflate institutional credit, demonstrating a robust governance that stands apart from broader trends.
With a Z-score of -0.249, the institution's rate of retracted output is slightly below the national average of -0.189. This reflects a prudent profile, indicating that its quality control and supervision processes are managed with more rigor than the national standard. Retractions can be complex events, but a consistently low rate like this points to the effectiveness of pre-publication review mechanisms. This suggests that potential methodological errors or integrity issues are identified and corrected internally, preventing systemic failures and reinforcing the reliability of its published research.
The institution exhibits a Z-score of -1.164, a figure that signals a virtually nonexistent risk and is substantially lower than the already low national average of -0.200. This demonstrates low-profile consistency, where the complete absence of risk signals surpasses the national standard. A certain level of self-citation is natural, but ESSCA's exceptionally low rate indicates that its research is validated externally by the global scientific community, not within an internal 'echo chamber'. This prevents any risk of endogamous impact inflation and confirms that its academic influence is built on widespread recognition.
The institution's Z-score of -0.475 is in total alignment with the national average of -0.450, reflecting a shared environment of maximum scientific security. This integrity synchrony indicates that the institution's researchers exercise excellent due diligence in selecting dissemination channels. A high proportion of output in such journals would constitute a critical alert, but this very low score confirms that scientific production is not being channeled through media that fail to meet international ethical or quality standards, thereby protecting the institution from reputational risks and ensuring resources are not wasted on predatory practices.
With a Z-score of -1.335, the institution demonstrates an exceptionally low rate of hyper-authorship, particularly when contrasted with France's medium-risk national average of 0.859. This signifies a state of preventive isolation, where the institution does not replicate the risk dynamics of author list inflation observed in its environment. While extensive author lists are legitimate in 'Big Science', their absence here suggests a culture that values transparency and individual accountability, effectively preventing 'honorary' or political authorship practices and ensuring that credit is assigned based on meaningful contribution.
The institution registers a Z-score of -0.703, a low value that contrasts sharply with the medium-risk national average of 0.512. This gap indicates strong institutional resilience against the national trend of dependency on external partners for impact. A wide positive gap can signal that prestige is exogenous and not structural. However, ESSCA's low score suggests that its scientific excellence results from genuine internal capacity and intellectual leadership, reflecting a sustainable and self-reliant model for building academic influence.
The institution's Z-score of -1.413 is exceptionally low, positioning it well below the low-risk national average of -0.654. This finding points to a consistent, low-risk profile where research quality is clearly prioritized over sheer publication volume. Extreme individual productivity can challenge the limits of meaningful intellectual contribution and may signal imbalances. The complete absence of this risk at ESSCA indicates a healthy research environment that discourages practices like coercive authorship or data fragmentation, thereby protecting the integrity of its scientific record.
With a Z-score of -0.268, the institution's performance is almost identical to the national average of -0.246, demonstrating integrity synchrony and total alignment with a secure national environment. Excessive dependence on in-house journals can raise conflicts of interest and signal academic endogamy. ESSCA's very low rate shows it avoids this risk, favoring independent, external peer review. This approach ensures its research undergoes standard competitive validation and achieves greater global visibility, rather than using internal channels as potential 'fast tracks' for publication.
The institution shows a Z-score of -1.186, an exceptionally low value that stands in stark contrast to the medium-risk national average of 0.387. This wide divergence indicates a state of preventive isolation, where the institution's research culture actively resists the practice of data fragmentation. A high rate of redundant output suggests the artificial inflation of productivity by dividing studies into 'minimal publishable units'. ESSCA's near-zero signal in this area confirms a commitment to publishing coherent, significant studies, thereby prioritizing the advancement of knowledge over volume.
