Quality Development in Research
Effective quality assurance and development in research require an incentive and evaluation system that permeates all levels of a research institution. For this reason, WU has developed a bundle of measures and instruments to promote the development and improvement of its research performance and to provide appropriate feedback mechanisms that help researchers position themselves within their respective scientific communities.
Research Evaluation and Target Agreements
All departments and research institutes participate in a dynamic research evaluation process aimed at the long-term success and development of the respective department or research institute. The results of this evaluation procedure provide valuable feedback for WU’s research units and the rectorate, especially in assessing the success of research funding measures. The evaluation of research performance is based on the standards of the respective—mostly international—scientific community and includes quantitative indicators regarding publication output and third-party funding applications, tailored to the research field of the respective unit, e.g., number of journal publications, monographs, conference participations, or EU-funded projects. In addition to quantitative indicators, each department defines its central research areas in a research development plan. This includes measures to further strengthen research excellence.
These strategic plans, together with the research performance indicators and other qualitative information, form the target agreement of the respective department. The target agreement negotiations involve the entire rectorate, department heads and their deputies, as well as other representatives from the departments. The process is repeated every three years. For research institutes and competence centers, target agreements are negotiated and monitored in a similar manner. To ensure a comprehensive approach, not only the academic units at WU undergo regular evaluation, but also the instruments WU uses to support research, as well as the university’s specific research infrastructure.
Department Evaluations
Evaluations of departments are an element of quality assurance to support research management at WU and take place every five years.
All eleven existing departments at WU (the twelfth department is currently being established) will be (or is currently) externally evaluated by two to six independent and international reviewers with subject-specific knowledge and experience by the end of 2027. The evaluations are coordinated by the Research Service Center, conducted according to international standards, and include a site visit. The focus of the evaluation lies on the strategic concept of the respective department as well as on the positioning of the department in the international context. The results of the evaluations feed into the target agreements between the rectorate and the departments.
Qualification Framework for Researchers
The WU qualification framework enables the assessment of researchers’ contributions in relation to the university’s mission, particularly research excellence, based on criteria aligned with the international standards of AACSB. Researchers are classified based on their academic and professional engagement over the past five years.
Activity Reports
Activity reports document the work of WU researchers in teaching, research, and academic self-administration and are prepared upon request of the respective researchers. The reports are based on information extracted from WU databases.
WU Journal Rating
The WU Journal Rating defines quality standards for research concerning publications, using internationally renowned world-class journals as reference points. The WU Journal Rating aims to promote publications in journals with high international visibility and reputation. WU uses a centrally created Star Journal List as well as the specific journal rating lists of the departments. Many of the selected journals are also included in the Financial Times 50 Journal List.
Research Awards
WU offers several awards and initiatives that recognize outstanding achievements in research and teaching. These prizes and awards serve as strong incentives to promote excellence in research and teaching.
Research Information System PURE
The research information system PURE, developed and maintained by Elsevier, is used to document the university’s research performance (publications, conference contributions, awards, etc.) as well as to manage WU’s internal third-party funding processes. The data in PURE, together with the citation database SciVal, form the basis for reporting WU’s research performance. The research analytics platform SciVal provides indicators in an international context, such as publications in top journals, scientific impact, international collaborations, etc., and helps identify researchers with the potential to secure highly competitive funding programs. SciVal also enables the analysis of research performance, for example, along the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The data from these platforms form the basis for the evaluation processes described above.