IRU Measuring Excellence & Impact

Conventional academic metrics such as h-index and departmental citation counts tend to overlook the larger picture in terms of interdisciplinary contributions. In relation to the IRU, a more sophisticated approach is necessary to account for collaborative efforts, innovative processes, and their societal impact.

Our Evaluation Metrics at Al-Quds University

In line with international standards, Al-Quds University has developed a meticulous system to measure the performance of interdisciplinary teams along the following five dimensions:

• Knowledge Integration: The extent to which a project merges different theories and methodologies from various disciplines into a single comprehensive framework.
• Depth of Collaboration: The extent of diversity in the research team and the occurrence of cross faculty collaboration in research publications.
• Societal and Economic Relevance: The extent to which the research addresses real-world issues, has an impact on policy, and leads to the establishment of economic ventures.
• External Recognition: The ability to obtain international competitive research funding and to sustain international collaborative research networks.
• Outcome Quality: The extent of citation of the research findings and the reputation of the journals in which the findings are published.

The IRU undertakes quarterly performance assessments for all research groups, which provides the university with a mechanism to adjust its policies in response to the global research environment.