Thomson Reuters recently released the preliminary list of Highly Cited Researchers. Two scholars from Macao made the list. They are Prof. Fan Xitao and Prof. Li Yangmin, both from the University of Macau (UM). According to the latest statistics from the ISI Web of Science (WOS), as of the cutoff date UM scholars had published 372 journal papers in 2012, with a total citation frequency of 2,338, showing UM’s strategy to step up efforts in research and international recruitment has been successful.
The list includes authors of the most influential publications in 21 broad subject categories in life sciences, medicine, physical sciences, engineering and social sciences based on citation metrics. Researchers on the list represent less than one-half of one per cent of all published researchers, and their citation frequency in their respective areas of expertise rank among the world’s top 1 per cent. The finalised list, when released in April, will be provided to Shanghai Jiao Tong University for its 2013 Academic Rankings of World Universities.
Prof. Fan Xitao is chair professor and dean of the Faculty of Education (FED) at UM. He enjoys renown in quantitative methods and educational/psychological measurement. He has published more than 100 journal papers and book chapters. He was the first scholar from mainland China to be appointed editor-in-chief for Educational and Psychological Measurement, a major US academic journal in education, where he served as the editor-in-chief for two terms. Prof. Fan disclosed that while ensuring quality teaching and service, he will focus efforts on strengthening research at FED and will carry out more joint research projects with colleagues to create a rich research atmosphere.
Prof. Li Yangmin is the director of academic research in the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST). He is a well-known scholar in robot, automation and control systems. Many of his projects have received support from the Science and Technology Development Fund and UM’s Research Grant. He is on the editorial board of numerous top-tier international journals, including the IEEE Transactions on Automation Science Engineering, and the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. He has published more than 280 academic papers. Prof. Li said scientific research requires hard work and it’s not easy to be included in the list of Highly Cited Researchers. He thanked UM for its great support as well as administrative colleagues and students, saying that they are the true unsung heroes.
According to statistics from WOS, numbers and citation frequency of published papers by UM academics are on steady increase and now rank No.1 in Macao. In 2012 UM academics published 372 papers, up 142, or 61 per cent, from 2011. The citation frequency of UM’s published papers in 2012 was 2,338, a year-on-year increase of over 35 per cent.
Citation frequency is an important measure of a university’s research achievements and the academic level of its academics. In recent years UM is increasing funding in scientific research and is recruiting high-quality academic staff internationally, which has led to considerable improvement in the quality of teaching and research. The fact that two UM academics made Thomson Reuters’s Highly Cited Researchers List and that the citation frequency of their published papers hits new highs shows the university’s orientation and the policies it has been implementing has been successful.
