UNN Beats UI and UNILORIN, Emerges Top in Scholarly Output
UNN claims the top position among Nigerian higher institutions for scholarly output between 2020 and 2023 according to Scopus 2024 Data.
Mary Nwaeze 
In a recent report from Scopus, the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) has claimed the top position among Nigerian higher institutions for scholarly output between 2020 and 2023. According to the 2024 data released by Scopus, a renowned abstract and citation database platform, UNN Nsukka secured this achievement by amassing an impressive 7025 publications contributed by 5813 authors.
The data further revealed that the University of Ibadan (UI) closely followed UNN, with 6978 publications involving 4732 authors, while the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) claimed the third position with 3714 publications and contributions from 2739 authors. The University of Lagos (UNILAG) followed closely behind UNILORIN with 3552 publications and 2606 authors.
READ THIS: Newly Elected SSANU Chairman at UNN Pledges Focus on Workers' Welfare
Despite UNN's lead in research output, a deeper analysis of the Scopus data showed that the University of Ibadan garnered more citations. Publications by UNN authors received 44,741 citations, whereas UI attracted 68,318 citations, and UNILORIN accumulated 25,818 citations.
SEE THIS: ASUU Offers Scholarships to 2 Indigent UNN Students
In terms of growth, UNN demonstrated a substantial 21.9% increase in publication output from 2020 to 2022. In contrast, UI experienced a more modest 4.3% growth during the same period. UNILORIN emerged as the university with the highest growth at 25.5% among the top three institutions.
FOLLOW THIS: UNN First-Class Graduate Reveals Shocking Scholarship Denial Scandal
The data also highlighted the expansion in the number of authors, with UNN reporting an impressive 23.9% increase, followed by UNILORIN with 9.8%. UI ranked third with a marginal 0.5% growth in this aspect.
Scopus, emphasizing the significance of its data in university rankings, stated that its database is authoritative and comprehensive, trusted by major ranking organizations for accurate and connected bibliometric datasets.
The rankings reflect the universities' genuine research performance and offer valuable insights into their scholarly contributions, reinforcing UNN's position as a leader in academic research and output.
