| Indicator | University Z-score | Average country Z-score |
|---|---|---|
|
Multi-affiliation
|
1.529 | -0.062 |
|
Retracted Output
|
-0.663 | -0.050 |
|
Institutional Self-Citation
|
-0.862 | 0.045 |
|
Discontinued Journals Output
|
0.894 | -0.024 |
|
Hyperauthored Output
|
-1.066 | -0.721 |
|
Leadership Impact Gap
|
0.523 | -0.809 |
|
Hyperprolific Authors
|
-1.097 | 0.425 |
|
Institutional Journal Output
|
-0.268 | -0.010 |
|
Redundant Output
|
0.103 | -0.515 |
Shangqiu Normal University presents a balanced scientific integrity profile, with an overall score of -0.069 that indicates general alignment with global standards, yet reveals a clear duality in its performance. The institution demonstrates exceptional strengths in maintaining low-risk levels for Retracted Output, Institutional Self-Citation, and Hyperprolific Authors, suggesting robust internal quality controls and a healthy, non-endogamous research culture. However, these strengths are counterbalanced by medium-risk vulnerabilities in the Rate of Multiple Affiliations, Output in Discontinued Journals, the Gap in Impact Leadership, and the Rate of Redundant Output. These areas require strategic attention to prevent potential reputational damage and ensure sustainable growth. According to SCImago Institutions Rankings data, the university's most prominent thematic areas include Environmental Science, Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Chemistry. While a specific mission statement was not available, any institutional mission founded on principles of excellence and social responsibility is challenged by risks that suggest a dependency on external leadership and potential inflation of productivity metrics. To fully leverage its thematic strengths, Shangqiu Normal University is encouraged to implement targeted policies that address these specific vulnerabilities, thereby fortifying its scientific foundation and ensuring its contributions are both impactful and unimpeachably credible.
The institution's Z-score of 1.529 for this indicator marks a moderate deviation from the national context, where the average is a low-risk -0.062. This suggests that the university exhibits a greater sensitivity to risk factors associated with affiliation practices than its national peers. While multiple affiliations are often a legitimate result of researcher mobility or partnerships, the significantly higher rate at the university could signal strategic attempts to inflate institutional credit or "affiliation shopping." This divergence warrants an internal review to ensure that all declared affiliations are substantive and reflect genuine collaborative contributions, thereby safeguarding the transparency and integrity of the institution's credited output.
Shangqiu Normal University demonstrates an excellent record in this area, with a Z-score of -0.663, indicating a very low risk of retracted publications. This performance is consistent with the low-risk national standard (Z-score: -0.050), confirming that the institution's pre-publication quality control mechanisms are effective and aligned with the country's norms. The absence of significant risk signals in this critical indicator suggests a strong culture of methodological rigor and responsible supervision, which is fundamental to maintaining scientific credibility and public trust.
The university shows remarkable preventive isolation from national trends in this indicator. Its Z-score of -0.862 reflects a very low rate of institutional self-citation, standing in stark contrast to the medium-risk national average of 0.045. This strong performance indicates that the institution does not replicate the risk dynamics observed in its environment, successfully avoiding the creation of scientific 'echo chambers.' By ensuring its research is validated through broad external scrutiny rather than internal citation loops, the university reinforces the global recognition of its academic influence and demonstrates a commitment to objective, externally-vetted impact.
With a Z-score of 0.894, the institution shows a greater propensity for publishing in discontinued journals compared to the national average of -0.024. This moderate deviation from a low-risk national environment is a critical alert regarding due diligence in selecting dissemination channels. A high proportion of output in such journals indicates that a significant portion of scientific production may be channeled through media that do not meet international ethical or quality standards. This exposes the institution to severe reputational risks and suggests an urgent need to enhance information literacy among its researchers to avoid wasting resources on 'predatory' or low-quality publication practices.
The institution maintains a prudent profile regarding hyper-authorship, with a Z-score of -1.066, which is even more rigorous than the national standard of -0.721. Both the university and the country operate at a low-risk level, but the institution's lower score indicates it manages its collaborative processes with greater control. This suggests a healthy approach to authorship, effectively distinguishing between necessary massive collaboration in relevant fields and potential 'honorary' authorship practices, thereby promoting individual accountability and transparency in its research output.
A monitoring alert is warranted for this indicator, as the institution's Z-score of 0.523 (medium risk) is an unusual finding within a national context that shows very low risk (-0.809). This wide positive gap signals a potential sustainability risk, suggesting that the university's scientific prestige may be dependent and exogenous, not structural. The high value indicates that while overall impact is notable, the impact of research led directly by the institution is comparatively low. This invites a strategic reflection on whether its excellence metrics result from genuine internal capacity or from a strategic positioning in collaborations where the university does not exercise primary intellectual leadership.
Shangqiu Normal University effectively insulates itself from the risks associated with hyperprolific authors. Its Z-score of -1.097 is in the very low-risk category, a significant and positive contrast to the medium-risk national average of 0.425. This demonstrates that the institution does not replicate the pressures for extreme publication volumes observed elsewhere in the country. This strong governance helps mitigate risks such as coercive authorship or the assignment of credit without real participation, reinforcing a culture that prioritizes the integrity of the scientific record over the sheer quantity of publications.
The university's Z-score of -0.268 indicates a very low-risk profile in publishing in its own journals, a performance that aligns well with the low-risk national standard (-0.010). This low-profile consistency shows that the institution avoids over-reliance on its in-house publication channels. By doing so, it mitigates potential conflicts of interest and the risk of academic endogamy, ensuring that its scientific production largely undergoes independent external peer review. This practice enhances the global visibility and competitive validation of its research.
This indicator raises a monitoring alert, as the institution's medium-risk Z-score of 0.103 is an anomaly in a national environment characterized by very low risk (-0.515). This unusual risk level for the national standard requires a review of its causes. A high value in this area alerts to the potential practice of dividing coherent studies into minimal publishable units to artificially inflate productivity, also known as 'salami slicing.' This practice can distort the available scientific evidence and overburden the review system, suggesting a need to reinforce policies that prioritize the publication of significant, new knowledge over mere volume.
