Universite de Rouen Normandie

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND STRATEGIC VISION

The Université de Rouen Normandie demonstrates a robust scientific integrity profile, with an overall risk score of -0.229 Z-score, indicating performance that is slightly better than the global average. The institution exhibits exceptional strength in foundational areas of research ethics, showing very low risk in retracted output, hyperprolific authorship, and publication in discontinued or institutional journals. These strengths provide a solid base for its academic mission. The university's research excellence is particularly notable in key thematic areas, as evidenced by its national rankings in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (Top 30), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Top 35), and Medicine (Top 35), according to SCImago Institutions Rankings data. However, areas of medium risk, specifically in multiple affiliations, redundant output, and the gap in leadership impact, require strategic attention. These practices, if unmonitored, could subtly undermine the institutional mission to form students who contribute "something meaningful and useful to society," as they may prioritize metric performance over substantive scientific advancement. By proactively addressing these vulnerabilities, the Université de Rouen Normandie can further align its operational practices with its stated values of innovation and excellence, ensuring its contributions remain both impactful and unimpeachable.

ANALYSIS BY INDICATOR

Rate of Multiple Affiliations

The institution presents a Z-score of 1.027, while the national average for France is 0.648. Although this indicator is at a medium level for both the university and the country, the institution shows a higher exposure to this risk than its national peers. This suggests a greater tendency within the university to engage in practices leading to multiple affiliations. While often legitimate, a disproportionately high rate can signal strategic attempts to inflate institutional credit or "affiliation shopping." This elevated signal warrants a review to ensure that all affiliations are transparent, justified, and contribute substantively to the university's collaborative ecosystem rather than just its metrics.

Rate of Retracted Output

With a Z-score of -0.503, the institution demonstrates a very low incidence of retracted publications, performing favorably against the already low-risk national average of -0.189. This low-profile consistency indicates that the university's quality control and supervision mechanisms are not only effective but may exceed the national standard. The virtual absence of these critical risk signals suggests a strong culture of integrity and methodological rigor, where potential errors are identified and corrected prior to publication, reinforcing the reliability of its scientific output.

Rate of Institutional Self-Citation

The institution's Z-score for self-citation is -0.525, a figure that reflects a more prudent profile than the French national average of -0.200. While both scores fall within a low-risk range, the university's significantly lower value indicates that it manages its citation practices with greater rigor than the national standard. This suggests a healthy integration into the global scientific community, where its work is validated externally rather than through internal "echo chambers." This practice strengthens the credibility of its impact, demonstrating that its academic influence is built on broad recognition, not endogamous dynamics.

Rate of Output in Discontinued Journals

The institution's Z-score of -0.421 is in almost perfect alignment with the national average of -0.450, with both indicating a very low risk. This integrity synchrony demonstrates a shared, high standard of due diligence across the French academic landscape in selecting reputable publication venues. The university's performance shows that its researchers are well-informed and avoid channeling their work through outlets that fail to meet international quality or ethical standards, thereby protecting the institution's reputation and research investment.

Rate of Hyper-Authored Output

The university's Z-score in this area is 0.292, which, while in the medium-risk category, is notably lower than the national average of 0.859. This reflects a differentiated management approach, where the institution successfully moderates a risk that appears more common across the country. This suggests a more discerning culture regarding authorship, effectively distinguishing between necessary large-scale collaborations and practices that could lead to author list inflation. By maintaining clearer lines of accountability, the institution mitigates the risk of diluting individual contributions through honorary or unjustified co-authorships.

Gap between Impact of total output and the impact of output with leadership

With a Z-score of 0.591, the institution shows a slightly higher exposure to this risk compared to the national average of 0.512. This value points to a medium-level gap where the impact of its overall collaborative output is notably higher than the impact of research led directly by its own authors. This pattern suggests a potential sustainability risk, where the university's scientific prestige may be more dependent on the leadership of external partners than on its own structural capacity. It serves as a strategic indicator to reflect on fostering more internal intellectual leadership to ensure that its reputation for excellence is both generated and anchored within the institution.

Rate of Hyperprolific Authors

The institution exhibits an exceptionally low Z-score of -1.351, positioning it as a leader in this aspect of integrity, far exceeding the low-risk national average of -0.654. This near-total absence of hyperprolific publication activity is a strong positive signal. It indicates a research environment that prioritizes substantive intellectual contribution over sheer volume, effectively avoiding the risks of coercive authorship or other pressures that can compromise the quality and integrity of the scientific record. This result aligns with a culture that values meaningful and rigorous scholarship.

Rate of Output in Institutional Journals

The university's Z-score of -0.268 is closely aligned with France's national average of -0.246, with both at a very low-risk level. This demonstrates a shared commitment to publishing in external, independent venues. This integrity synchrony confirms that the institution avoids potential conflicts of interest and academic endogamy by subjecting its research to the global standard of peer review. This practice ensures its scientific production achieves maximum visibility and competitive validation, reinforcing its credibility on the international stage.

Rate of Redundant Output

The institution's Z-score for redundant output is 0.948, a medium-risk value that indicates a high exposure compared to the national average of 0.387. This suggests the university is more prone than its national peers to practices that can be interpreted as 'salami slicing,' where research is fragmented into minimal publishable units. Such a pattern can artificially inflate productivity metrics at the expense of creating significant, coherent knowledge. This signal warrants a review of institutional incentives to ensure they reward substantive scientific contributions over publication volume, thereby protecting the integrity of the scientific evidence it produces.