Shanghai Business School

Region/Country

Asiatic Region
China
Universities and research institutions

Overall

-0.284

Integrity Risk

very low

Indicators relating to the period 2020-2024

Indicator University Z-score Average country Z-score
Multi-affiliation
-0.292 -0.062
Retracted Output
-0.146 -0.050
Institutional Self-Citation
-1.175 0.045
Discontinued Journals Output
0.937 -0.024
Hyperauthored Output
-1.303 -0.721
Leadership Impact Gap
-1.894 -0.809
Hyperprolific Authors
-0.934 0.425
Institutional Journal Output
-0.268 -0.010
Redundant Output
-1.186 -0.515
0 represents the global average
AI-generated summary report

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND STRATEGIC VISION

Shanghai Business School demonstrates a robust scientific integrity profile, with an overall risk score of -0.284 that indicates a performance significantly stronger than the global average. This is evidenced by an exceptional record across multiple indicators, with six of the nine evaluated areas registering at the 'very low' risk level. The institution particularly distinguishes itself by avoiding national risk trends related to institutional self-citation and hyperprolific authorship, suggesting a culture that prioritizes external validation and substantive research over metric inflation. However, this strong foundation is contrasted by a significant vulnerability in the Rate of Output in Discontinued Journals, which presents a medium-level risk and deviates notably from the national standard. According to SCImago Institutions Rankings data, the School's main thematic strengths lie in Business, Management and Accounting, Economics, Econometrics and Finance, and Social Sciences. While the institution's specific mission statement was not available for this analysis, its excellent integrity performance strongly aligns with the universal academic values of excellence and social responsibility. Nevertheless, the identified risk in publication channel selection directly threatens this alignment, as channeling research through low-quality venues can undermine institutional credibility. The key strategic recommendation is to leverage the existing strong integrity framework to implement targeted policies and training that guide researchers toward reputable and impactful publication outlets, thereby safeguarding and enhancing its academic reputation.

ANALYSIS BY INDICATOR

Rate of Multiple Affiliations

With a Z-score of -0.292, the institution displays a more controlled rate of multiple affiliations than the national average of -0.062. This prudent profile suggests that the institution manages its collaborative and affiliation processes with greater rigor than the national standard. While multiple affiliations are often a legitimate result of researcher mobility or partnerships, the School's lower-than-average rate indicates effective governance that minimizes any potential for strategic attempts to inflate institutional credit or engage in “affiliation shopping,” ensuring that declared affiliations accurately reflect substantive collaboration.

Rate of Retracted Output

The institution's Z-score of -0.146 is notably lower than the national average of -0.050, positioning it favorably within a low-risk context. This demonstrates that the institution's quality control mechanisms appear more effective than the national standard. Retractions are complex events, but a rate significantly below the norm suggests that pre-publication supervision and methodological rigor are robust, effectively preventing the systemic failures that can lead to a high volume of retracted work and protecting the institution's reputation for reliable science.

Rate of Institutional Self-Citation

Shanghai Business School shows a Z-score of -1.175, a figure that signals a virtual absence of risk and stands in stark contrast to the national average of 0.045, which falls into the medium-risk category. This demonstrates a clear preventive isolation, where the institution does not replicate the risk dynamics observed in its environment. A certain level of self-citation is natural, but the School's exceptionally low rate indicates that it avoids the 'echo chambers' that can lead to endogamous impact inflation. This result is a strong sign of integration into the global scientific community, where its work is validated by external scrutiny rather than internal dynamics.

Rate of Output in Discontinued Journals

The institution presents a Z-score of 0.937, a medium-risk level that marks a moderate deviation from the low-risk national average of -0.024. This discrepancy indicates that the School is more sensitive to this risk factor than its national peers. A high proportion of publications in discontinued journals constitutes a critical alert regarding due diligence in selecting dissemination channels. This Z-score indicates that a significant portion of its scientific production is being channeled through media that may not meet international ethical or quality standards, exposing the institution to severe reputational risks. This suggests an urgent need for enhanced information literacy and stricter guidance to prevent the waste of resources on 'predatory' or low-quality practices.

Rate of Hyper-Authored Output

With a Z-score of -1.303, the institution operates at a very low risk level, which is even more conservative than the low-risk national average of -0.721. This reflects a low-profile consistency, where the absence of risk signals aligns with, and even improves upon, the national standard. This extremely low incidence of hyper-authorship suggests that the institution fosters a culture of transparency and clear accountability in its research collaborations. It effectively avoids practices like 'honorary' or political authorship, ensuring that author lists accurately represent meaningful intellectual contributions.

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

The institution's Z-score of -1.894 is exceptionally low, significantly surpassing the already very low national average of -0.809. This signals a state of total operational silence, with an absence of risk signals even below the national benchmark. A low gap indicates that the impact of research led by the institution is commensurate with its overall collaborative impact. This result points to a high degree of scientific autonomy and structural capacity, demonstrating that the institution's prestige is built on its own intellectual leadership rather than being dependent on the contributions of external partners.

Rate of Hyperprolific Authors

The institution records a Z-score of -0.934, indicating a very low risk that effectively insulates it from the medium-risk trend observed at the national level (Z-score of 0.425). This preventive isolation shows that the institution does not replicate the risk dynamics prevalent in its environment. The near absence of hyperprolific authors suggests a healthy institutional focus on research quality over sheer publication volume. This culture mitigates the risks of coercive authorship or the assignment of credit without real participation, reinforcing a commitment to the integrity of the scientific record over the inflation of productivity metrics.

Rate of Output in Institutional Journals

With a Z-score of -0.268, the institution maintains a very low-risk profile, comfortably below the low-risk national average of -0.010. This demonstrates a consistent and low-profile approach to in-house publishing that aligns with national standards. By not relying on its own journals for dissemination, the institution avoids potential conflicts of interest and academic endogamy. This practice underscores a commitment to independent, external peer review, which enhances the global visibility and credibility of its research and ensures its work is validated through standard competitive channels.

Rate of Redundant Output

The institution's Z-score of -1.186 is significantly lower than the national average of -0.515, with both figures falling within the very low-risk category. This represents a state of total operational silence, where risk signals are absent even when compared to an already low national baseline. This extremely low rate of bibliographic overlap between publications is a strong indicator of high-quality research practices. It suggests that the institution's authors prioritize the publication of coherent, significant studies over the artificial inflation of productivity through 'salami slicing,' thereby contributing meaningful knowledge and respecting the scientific review system.

This report was automatically generated using Google Gemini to provide a brief analysis of the university scores.
If you require a more in-depth analysis of the results or have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Powered by:
Scopus®
© 2026 SCImago Integrity Risk Indicators