SCImago Institutions Rankings

SCImago Institutions Rankings rank research-producing institutions worldwide on a composite of research, innovation and societal indicators, with a separate higher-education table. It stands out for its innovation factor, drawn from patent data, and its very broad coverage of more than 5,000 universities.

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Editions

Edition	Published	Top of the list	On record
2026	2026	Harvard University	100 of 5491
2025	2025	Harvard University	10 of 5051
2024	2024	Harvard University	10 of 4762
2023	2023	Harvard University	10 of 4533
2022	2022	Harvard University	10 of 4364
2021	2021	Harvard University	10 of 4126
2020	2020	Harvard University	10 of 3897
2019	2019	Harvard University	10 of 3471
2018	2018	Harvard University	10 of 3233
2017	2017	Harvard University	10 of 2966
2016	2016	Harvard University	10 of 2892
2015	2015	Harvard University	10 of 2890
2014	2014	Harvard University	10 of 2829
2013	2013	Harvard University	10 of 2732
2012	2012	Harvard University	10 of 2597
2011	2011	Harvard University	10 of 2481
2010	2010	Harvard University	10 of 2350
2009	2009	Harvard University	10 of 2207

How the ranking works

The composite gives Research 50% (11 Scopus-based indicators such as normalized impact 13%, excellence with leadership 8% and output 8%), Innovation 30% (innovative knowledge, patents and technological impact, 10% each, using PATSTAT patent data and patent citations of research) and Societal 20% (media mentions, web size, authority score, SDG-related output, female scientific talent pool and policy citations from Overton). Research indicators use a five-year window ending two years before the edition. Only positions are published, not scores. SCImago adds and swaps indicators over time, for example SDG, gender and policy indicators in 2024 and a Media Mentions indicator in 2026.

Ranked positions: Each item has a position (1, 2, 3), with ties allowed. No application or fee; any institution with at least 100 Scopus-indexed works in the last year of the window (and at least 75% citable documents) is included automatically.

Read the publisher’s methodology

How far to trust it

Superscout grades every ranking on six criteria, each scored 0 to 2. SCImago Institutions Rankings scores 11 of 12, grade A.

Transparency 2/2: Indicators and weights are published on the methodology page.
Independence 2/2: Automatic inclusion from bibliometric data; no fees.
Evidence 2/2: Scopus, PATSTAT and web data rather than surveys.
Stability 1/2: Indicators added or replaced in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
Coverage 2/2: Covers every institution above a low publication threshold.
Track record 2/2: Annual since 2009.

History

The SCImago research group has published the ranking since 2009 (per Wikipedia and the edition selector on scimagoir.com). It started as a research-output report and later added innovation and web-visibility factors to form the current three-part composite. The website displays editions from 2009 to 2026 computed on the current framework, and the higher-education table has grown from 2,207 institutions (2009 edition) to 5,491 (2026).

How it is received

Wikipedia's overview of rankings describes SIR as measuring research output, international collaboration, normalized impact and publication rate. It is valued for coverage well beyond the top 1,000 and for including patent-based innovation measures that most rankings lack. Its composite includes web and media visibility measures, and the 2026 table places institutions such as Bukhara State Pedagogical Institute in the top 60, which illustrates how non-research factors can move positions; SCImago's own 2026 method notes flag 61 universities for high self-citation.

Strengths

Very broad coverage (5,491 higher-education institutions in 2026).
Includes a patent-based innovation factor, rare among rankings.
No application or fees; built from Scopus and PATSTAT data.
Weights and indicators are published.

Weaknesses

Publishes only positions, not scores, so gaps between ranks are hidden.
Web, media and societal indicators can produce surprising results.
Frequent indicator changes; past editions shown are recomputed on the current method.
Splits some institutions (for example Harvard and Harvard Medical School) into separate entries.

Open questions

Facts not verified yet. They stay visible so they are not mistaken for settled facts.

Release dates for each edition not confirmed (year precision used).
Past editions on scimagoir.com appear to be recomputed with the current methodology; originally published tables (for example the 2009 research-only report) may differ.
Window for the 2026 edition assumed from the site's year parameter (year=2020) and the stated five-year window; confirm exact span.
Full 2026 list beyond rank 100 not transcribed.
The 30% innovation factor mixes patent counts with citations of research in patents; per-institution factor scores are not shown publicly.

Superscout describes SCImago Institutions Rankings independently from the publisher’s own pages and outside coverage, linked below. The rankings belong to SCImago Research Group.

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