In a comprehensive assessment conducted by Elsevier spanning the years 2013 to 2022, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) emerges as a standout institution, demonstrating global influence and impact, a commitment to open access, and dedication to fostering a vibrant research culture. We commissioned Elsevier to carry out the assessment in 2023 in order to review and benchmark our research.
Highlights included:
- Between 2013 and 2022, UKCEH published over 4,300 publications, including articles, reviews, and conference proceedings. Our publication rate grew consistently, at an annual rate of one per cent over this period.
- Our research has global reach, significance, and influence, with 67 per cent of our outputs involving international collaboration. The FWCI (field weighted citation index) for these outputs is more than double the global average.
- Our research has been extensively cited by policy organisations, including the UK Government, European Commission, IPCC, and UNEP, among others, occurring at five times the global average FWCI. This underscores the global impact of our research.
- More than 80 per cent of UKCEH outputs are Open Access, with nearly half being Gold Open Access, demonstrating our commitment to making our research available to others.
- Our outputs are characterised by high levels of interdisciplinary collaboration among publication authors, with 16.1 per cent of them being among the top 10 per cent of most diverse publications globally.
- Our outputs show that a quarter of UKCEH researchers significantly contribute to mentoring the next generation of scientists, surpassing the global average.
We recognise the importance of prioritising research integrity in our activities, and ensure that our pursuit of excellence is underpinned by the highest standards of honesty, transparency, accountability, rigour and respect.