Insights

Ideas for lifting research impact

Data-driven takes on benchmarking, collaboration, and citation impact — grounded in open data, published every few days.

Dark network-graphic card with the headline stat: 21% of the arts and humanities research year is dated to December.

4 October 2026

In 2025, 21% of global university output in arts and humanities carries a December publication date — against 9% for an even spread across the year.

In 2025, 21% of global university output in arts and humanities carries a December publication date — against 9% for an even spread across the year. Engineering's December runs just 1.15× a normal month; arts and humanities runs 2.6×. This matters if you report monthly output. A December spike is mostly your discipline mix and your publishers' issue calendars, not a productivity surge — and a census date in late November will systematically undercount your humanities faculty. Curious where your own discipline mix puts your monthly curve? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or have a look at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchOffice

Todd

Large stat: 65% of 2025 university output carries no funder in its metadata.

1 October 2026

Only 34.6% of university research output published in 2025 names a funder in its publication metadata.

Only 34.6% of university research output published in 2025 names a funder in its publication metadata. Across 5.21 million outputs from education institutions, 1.8 million carry a machine-readable acknowledgement — and that share has barely moved in five years, from 33.9% in 2021. For a research office this matters when you report funded-research volume from bibliometric sources. Those counts are a floor, not a total. Your grants system knows about awards the publication record never mentions, and reconciling the two is usually where the missing third turns up. If you want to see the funder-coverage rate on your own institution's output, we run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment below or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #Bibliometrics

Simone

Line chart showing the distribution of international co-authorship share across 9,903 universities, with the median at 29.1% and the sector average at 37.0%.

29 September 2026

64% of universities sit below the sector-average rate for international co-authorship.

64% of universities sit below the sector-average rate for international co-authorship. Across 9,903 education institutions and 26.1 million attributed outputs from 2023 to 2025, the volume-weighted sector figure is 37.0% — but the median institution sits at 29.1%. The average is lifted by a small number of very large producers, so a research office comparing itself to "the sector" will usually conclude it is behind when it is simply typical. Percentile position is the more defensible number to put in front of an executive or a council. If you want to see where your own institution lands on this curve, we run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchStrategy

Todd

Line chart showing median top-10% most-cited share staying between 31% and 36% across all tiers of funders, from the 50 largest to the smallest.

26 September 2026

Across 905 funders that backed 500+ university outputs in 2024, the 50 largest placed 33.9% of that work in the world's top 10% most-cited.

Across 905 funders that backed 500+ university outputs in 2024, the 50 largest placed 33.9% of that work in the world's top 10% most-cited. Every other tier of 50 funders landed between 31% and 36%. Funder scale says little about the impact of the work it supports. The spread sits inside each tier — among funders of similar size, top-10% share runs from about 22% to 42%. For a research office, that argues against ranking targets by budget: what matters is how a funder's existing portfolio performs in your disciplines. If you want this cut for the funders on your target list, we run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #HigherEducation

Simone

Line chart of cumulative growth in university engineering output, rising from the 2021 baseline to 18.6% by 2024.

22 September 2026

Engineering's share of global university research output rose from 15.8% to 17.6% between 2021 and 2024 — an 18.6% jump in volume against a sector that grew 7.1% overall.

Engineering's share of global university research output rose from 15.8% to 17.6% between 2021 and 2024 — an 18.6% jump in volume against a sector that grew 7.1% overall. Three of seven discipline groups outpaced the sector; arts and humanities published less in 2024 than in 2021. If your own output has been flat, the question is less whether you are growing than whether your mix sits where the growth is — a portfolio weighted to slower divisions reads as underperformance in any national benchmark, even when every unit is doing fine. Curious where your own disciplinary mix sits against that shift? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchFunding

Todd

Line chart of monthly Arts and Humanities publication output across 2024, peaking at 11,257 works in June and falling to 6,789 in August, with January excluded as a default-date artefact.

19 September 2026

In 2024, arts and humanities output peaked in June at 30% above a typical month.

In 2024, arts and humanities output peaked in June at 30% above a typical month. In life sciences, the same month was up 2%. Publication timing isn't a shared calendar — it's a property of each discipline's journal cycle, and humanities, social science and business titles bunch their issues into June and December. If your quarterly reporting to deans compares Q2 against Q1 without adjusting for discipline mix, a humanities-heavy faculty will look like it is surging and a lab-based one like it is stalling. Neither is doing anything different. Curious how your own discipline mix shapes your quarterly numbers? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchOffice

Simone

Average field-weighted citation impact plotted for 55 countries ranked by publication volume, showing no relationship: China ranks first by volume near 2.3 while Hong Kong leads on impact above 4 at rank 30.

14 September 2026

Across 55 countries with at least 50,000 university outputs between 2022 and 2024, not one of the ten largest producers appears in the top ten for average field-weighted citation impact.

Across 55 countries with at least 50,000 university outputs between 2022 and 2024, not one of the ten largest producers appears in the top ten for average field-weighted citation impact. Hong Kong ranks first on impact and 31st on volume; China and the US, first and second by output, sit 25th and 31st. The rank correlation between the two measures is slightly negative. For a research office, that is the case against volume targets: scale and influence are separate levers, and the benchmark you pick decides which strategy looks like it is working. Curious where your institution sits on the same volume-versus-impact split? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchStrategy

Simone

Horizontal bar chart of average FWCI by share of output carrying an international co-author, climbing from 1.06 below 15% to 3.47 above 75% across eight bands.

10 September 2026

Across 8,003 universities that published 100+ works in 2024, average field-weighted citation impact rises from 1.06 to 3.47 as international co-authorship increases.

Across 8,003 universities that published 100+ works in 2024, average field-weighted citation impact rises from 1.06 where under 15% of output has an international co-author to 3.47 where it's above 75% — a 3.3x spread, climbing at every band in between. The median university sits at 33%. For a research office that reframes internationalisation from a reputational nicety into the strongest steerable correlate of citation performance in this data: partnership strategy, mobility schemes and co-funded calls move it, discipline mix largely doesn't. Curious where your institution falls on that curve? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #HigherEducation

Todd

Cumulative share of 2024 output by university-affiliated authors ranked by papers published, rising steeply to 53.9% at one paper and 88.6% at five or fewer.

2 September 2026

In 2024, 53.9% of university-affiliated researchers who published anything published exactly one paper.

In 2024, 53.9% of university-affiliated researchers who published anything published exactly one paper. Those 4.0 million people account for just 18.5% of output, while 83,567 researchers — 1.1% of the population — produced 14.2%. For a research office this reframes what "our researchers" means. Most names on an annual publication list are not repeat publishers: doctoral students finishing up, clinicians, occasional collaborators. Support models and internal metrics built around a stable core will miss over half the people who appeared in the record that year. Curious how that one-paper share looks at your own institution? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #Bibliometrics

Simone

Global monthly research output per day across 2022 to 2024, indexed to the February-to-November average, peaking 14% above average in June and falling 7% below in August.

14 August 2026

Across 2022-2024, universities worldwide published 23% more research per day in June than in August.

Across 2022-2024, universities worldwide published 23% more research per day in June than in August. The June spike is global; the August dip is not. France publishes 22% below its own annual pace in August and Spain 19%, while China shows no dip at all. That rhythm tracks national academic calendars and publisher schedules, not research capacity. Benchmark monthly or by quarter against an international peer set and Q3 reads as a Western European slump, Q2 as a global surge. Neither is performance. Want to see your own institution's monthly curve against a peer group? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or take a look at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchOffice

Simone

The figure 76 per cent, with a note that only 6% of university output is single-authored and that Health Sciences runs 86% partnered against 44% in Arts and Humanities.

12 August 2026

In 2024, 76% of university research output carried at least one external partner institution.

In 2024, 76% of university research output carried at least one external partner institution — and cross-border partnerships (38.8%) now edge out domestic ones (37.7%). The in-house paper is now the exception. For a research office that changes the job: most of your output is governed by agreements you co-signed, credit you share and compliance regimes you only partly control. The split is uneven, though. Health Sciences runs 86% partnered; Arts and Humanities only 44%. A single collaboration target across every faculty will flatter some departments and quietly penalise others. Curious where your own faculties sit on that partnered-versus-in-house split? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment below or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #Bibliometrics

Todd

International co-authorship share plotted for 46 national systems ranked by publication volume, showing no upward trend: China, the largest producer, sits near 24% while smaller systems range from 10% to 80%.

9 August 2026

In 2024 the four largest university research systems produced 48% of the world's published output but recorded an international co-author on just 27% of it.

In 2024 the four largest university research systems — China, the US, India and Indonesia — produced 48% of the world's published output but recorded an international co-author on just 27% of it. The median across 46 national systems was 49%. Scale and openness are not the same thing. For a research office this reframes benchmarking: a global average is pulled down by a few very large, largely domestic systems, so similar-sized peers are the fairer comparison. Want to see where your institution sits against comparable systems rather than a global mean? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or visit https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchStrategy

Simone

Curve of international co-authorship share across 10,085 universities ranked by percentile, rising from under 9% at the 5th percentile through 32.6% at the median to 72% at the 95th.

5 August 2026

In 2024, the median university published 32.6% of its output with an international co-author.

In 2024, the median university published 32.6% of its output with an international co-author. The sector-wide figure is 38.8%, pulled up by the largest producers, and the middle half of institutions spans 21.6% to 48.3%. That gap matters when a sector average becomes an internal target: half of universities sit below 33%, so an office benchmarking against 39% is chasing a number no typical institution posts. Scale and discipline mix drive most of the spread, making size-matched peers the fairer comparison. If you want to see where your own institution falls in that distribution, and how it shifts by discipline, we run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or take a look at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #HigherEducation

Todd

Horizontal bar chart showing each SDG's share of all SDG-mapped research output, 2022-2024: SDG 3 leads at 23.1%, with SDG 13 Climate Action at just 3.1%.

2 August 2026

Three of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals account for 43% of all SDG-mapped research output published between 2022 and 2024.

Three of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals account for 43% of all SDG-mapped research output published between 2022 and 2024. Good Health and Well-being alone takes 23%. Climate Action sits 14th of 17, at 3.1% — behind Life Below Water and Life on Land. That matters when you are benchmarked on SDG volume. The classification base is overwhelmingly health, energy and education research, so a climate-led institution can look thin next to a medical school without producing less. Worth knowing which denominator your ranking submission is competing in. If you want the same 17-goal split for your own institution, we run free Connect51 trials for research offices — drop a comment or DM me, or start at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #Bibliometrics

Simone

A large 52% headline stating that just four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals account for half of all SDG-linked research output in 2024.

2 August 2026

In 2024, four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals absorbed 52% of all SDG-linked university research output.

In 2024, four of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals absorbed 52% of all SDG-linked university research output. Good Health alone took 20% — nearly four times the combined output of No Poverty, Partnerships and Responsible Consumption. For a research office, this is the gap between an SDG portfolio and an SDG strategy. Most SDG profiles are a by-product of where medical and agricultural strength already sits, rather than a deliberate choice. The thinnest-covered goals are also where a mid-sized university can still be visible. If you want to see how your institution's SDG mix compares with this global distribution, we run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or take a look at https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #Bibliometrics

Simone

Bar chart: share of 2024 research outputs with a funder acknowledgement recorded in OpenAlex metadata, by country. Korea 61%, China 61%, UK 49%, US 44%, Global average 39%, India 17%, Indonesia 6%.

30 July 2026

Only 39% of research carries a funder acknowledgement

Only 39% of university research published in 2024 carries a funder acknowledgement in its metadata. The other 5.5 million outputs name no funder at all, and that share has not moved since 2021. The gap is national rather than disciplinary: Korean and Chinese universities record a funder on about 61% of output, the UK 49%, the US 44%, India 17%, Indonesia 6%. If your funded-output reporting rests on this metadata, you are undercounting your own grant returns, and any international benchmark is partly measuring acknowledgement practice rather than funding. Worth knowing your own acknowledgement rate before the next impact return. We run free Connect51 trials for research offices, so comment or DM me, or take a look at https://www.connect51.com

Simone Dilena

Line chart of the monthly share of 2024 Arts and Humanities research output, spiking to 23% in January and 12% in December against a flat 5-8% through the rest of the year.

30 July 2026

Across 2024, 35% of university Arts and Humanities output carries a January or December publication date.

Across 2024, 35% of university Arts and Humanities output carries a January or December publication date. In Health Sciences it is 22%. An even spread would put both near 17%. That gap is metadata convention, not a year-end rush: year-only and issue-only dates default to the year boundary, and humanities journals use them far more. If your office runs a census date or annual return off publication date, you are mis-timing humanities output against STEM. Want to see how your own disciplinary mix skews date-based reporting? We run free Connect51 trials for research offices — comment or DM me, or visit https://www.connect51.com #Connect51 #ResearchManagement #ResearchImpact #OpenAlex #ResearchOffice

Todd

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