Times Higher Education to adjust rankings to combat data manipulation

Times Higher Education (THE) has announced plans to adjust its university ranking methodology starting in 2027 to combat data manipulation and fraudulent practices. Phil Baty, THE's Global Engagement Director, noted that some institutions have prioritized climbing rankings over their core missions, leading to instances of “beautified” or manipulated data to gain unfair advantages.

To address these issues, THE is implementing changes such as capping the number of institutional self-citations used in bibliometric analyses. This move aims to prevent the formation of citation “clubs” or alliances designed to artificially inflate research impact. The adjustments will undergo public consultation before being finalized.

The 2027 rankings will include over 2,200 leading universities, evaluated across 17 indicators including teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. For students, understanding these diverse ranking systems is essential, as different methodologies prioritize different academic strengths and institutional goals.