Conceptualization, Design, and Construction of a Visibility Ranking System for Higher Education Institutions

Creating a foundation for the successful presence of institutions in the scientific, industrial, and societal spheres requires their visibility to researchers, employers, institutions, policymakers, and the general public. On the other hand, visibility is considered the starting point for institutions to play an active role in national and global arenas and is of great importance as one of the main pillars of higher education institutions. One way to enhance the visibility of higher education institutions is to provide a mechanism that allows these institutions to compete with each other in terms of visibility. Evaluation, comparison, and ranking are mechanisms that can drive institutions to adopt tools and strategies for greater visibility. The aim of this research is to identify the indicators and metrics for measuring visibility within a comprehensive framework and to construct a ranking system in this area. The current research seeks to achieve several key objectives: Identification and validation of indicators and metrics for measuring the academic visibility of higher education institutions in Iran; Weighting the indicators and metrics for measuring the academic visibility of higher education institutions in Iran; Defining a profile and determining the sources for collecting data on the indicators and metrics for measuring the academic visibility of higher education institutions; Designing and implementing a system for assessing and monitoring the academic visibility of higher education institutions in Iran; Identifying the national ranking of higher education institutions in Iran based on their visibility.