Research Activity — Economics, University of South Carolina-Columbia

The chart shows a histogram of the results of the NRC's 500 simulated rankings. The horizontal axis shows the program's rank, and the vertical axis shows how many times the program had the given rank in the 500 simulations. Learn more

This variable shows a composite measure of research productivity, based on publications per faculty member, citations per publication, percent of faculty holding grants, and awards per faculty member. The relative importance of these variables was determined by the direct assessments of some 50 faculty in each field.

The number of publications per faculty member shows the productivity, on average, of faculty research. In addition, graduate students may have more opportunities to co-author papers when working with prolific faculty. Note, however, that publication norms vary greatly between fields. The use of allocated faculty prevents the overrepresentation of faculty who take part in more than one graduate program. For example, a faculty member who was equally involved with two graduate programs would be allocated 50% to each.

Citation frequency reflects the recognition of faculty research by other academics and is often used as a measure of publication quality and relevance. Important or influential papers tend to be widely cited.

Funding agencies give grants to faculty members that are engaged in worthwhile research, so high levels of funding suggest high quality of faculty research. In addition, programs with well-funded faculty may offer greater resources and opportunities to graduate students.

Awards show that the faculty's work is held in high regard.