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University · Xi'an · China

Northwest University

In research, Northwest University stands highest in Physical Sciences (#186 of 12,888 worldwide), Earth and Planetary Sciences (#41 of 1,209 worldwide) and Environmental Science (#186 of 3,551 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Algebra and Number Theory, Geophysics and Paleontology — Algebra and Number Theory is 9.7× its share of world research.

english.nwu.edu.cnROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#281
of 28,054 · #845 all time
Rank in China
#99
of 3,058
Research works
22k
▲ 72% vs 2013–17
Citations
304k
14.1 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
23.4%
record average 16.5%
Open access
24%
world 28%

What is Northwest University known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #186 of 12,888 20.3%3,766 #687
Earth and Planetary SciencesField #41 of 1,209 26.1%388 #317
Environmental ScienceField #186 of 3,551 32.7%432 #673
Social SciencesDomain #718 of 10,521 32.5%592 #1772
Life SciencesDomain #551 of 7,800 28.2%908 #1464
EngineeringField #470 of 6,636 18.8%1,110 #1082
Computer ScienceField #393 of 4,667 16.4%518 #1104
Atmospheric ScienceSubfield #30 of 301 30.3%92 #334
Economics, Econometrics and FinanceField #185 of 1,775 48.2%131 #871
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #401 of 3,579 24.8%506 #1127

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Northwest University sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Physical Sciences#687 #186
  2. Earth and Planetary Sciences#317 #41
  3. Environmental Science#673 #186
  4. Social Sciences#1,772 #718
  5. Life Sciences#1,464 #551
  6. Engineering#1,082 #470
  7. Computer Science#1,104 #393
  8. Atmospheric Science#334 #30
  9. Economics, Econometrics and Finance#871 #185
  10. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#1,127 #401
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does Northwest University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Algebra and Number Theory takes 9.7× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Algebra and Number TheorySubfield · 36.2 works9.7×
  2. GeophysicsSubfield · 137.3 works6.7×
  3. PaleontologySubfield · 44.6 works6.3×
  4. GeologySubfield · 42.5 works5.4×
  5. Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided DesignSubfield · 25.1 works5.2×
  6. Geochemistry and PetrologySubfield · 29.3 works4.9×
  7. Earth and Planetary SciencesField · 388.5 works4.2×
  8. Mathematical PhysicsSubfield · 38.1 works4.1×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.87× its world share, 241 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.63× its world share, 506 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.84× its world share, 49 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.89× its world share, 84 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.36× its world share, 28 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 2.55× its world share, 52 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 2.88× its world share, 264 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.14× its world share, 518 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 4.25× its world share, 388 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 2.60× its world share, 140 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.27× its world share, 1,110 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.49× its world share, 432 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 2.44× its world share, 497 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 2.37× its world share, 163 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.56× its world share, 202 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.34× its world share, 10 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.14× its world share, 22 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.44× its world share, 499 worksMedicineNursing: 1.20× its world share, 34 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.15× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.26× its world share, 44 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.58× its world share, 108 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.96× its world share, 54 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.05× its world share, 131 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.31× its world share, 55 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.27× its world share, 200 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 4.2×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Northwest University?

Ranked on the composite score, Honglin Yuan, Yunpeng Dong and Guowei Zhang lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Northwest University.

  1. 1 Honglin Yuan China · #65,675 worldwide 512 citations · 44 works
  2. 2 Yunpeng Dong China · #73,655 worldwide 566 citations · 61 works
  3. 3 Guowei Zhang China · #82,649 worldwide 787 citations · 26 works
  4. 4 Xueguang Qiao China · #92,604 worldwide 331 citations · 82 works
  5. 5 Liping Cao China · #105,805 worldwide 177 citations · 35 works
  6. 6 Ping Shi China · #114,119 worldwide 183 citations · 29 works
  7. 7 Yiqun Liu China · #125,267 worldwide 216 citations · 28 works
  8. 8 Ying‐Yong Zhao China · #130,128 worldwide 124 citations · 36 works
  9. 9 Xiao‐Feng Yang China · #140,516 worldwide 167 citations · 28 works
  10. 10 Qiangzhou Rong China · #154,977 worldwide 181 citations · 33 works
All ranked researchers at Northwest University

Which keywords describe research at Northwest University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Catalysis, Nanomaterials, Climate Change, Plate Tectonics, Remote Sensing, Deep Learning, Graphene and Semiconductor.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Deep Learning274▲ 1.37×82 topics
  2. Climate Change259▲ 1.65×84 topics
  3. Remote Sensing191▲ 2.6×35 topics
  4. Nanomaterials189▲ 3.1×16 topics
  5. Machine Learning189◆ 0.99×81 topics
  6. Catalysis166▲ 4.3×27 topics
  7. Biomedical Applications156▲ 2.2×34 topics
  8. Graphene137▲ 3.4×11 topics
  9. Nanoparticles135▲ 1.84×39 topics
  10. Cancer134▲ 1.71×56 topics
  11. Inflammation134◆ 1.10×81 topics
  12. Plate Tectonics113▲ 13×3 topics
  13. Metal-Organic Frameworks109▲ 4.5×6 topics
  14. Semiconductor107▲ 5.4×7 topics
  15. Water Splitting106▲ 4.9×4 topics
  16. Drug Delivery90▲ 2.9×16 topics
  17. Chemical Sensors83▲ 6.0×3 topics
  18. Tectonics83▲ 12×3 topics
  19. Urbanization82▲ 3.4×10 topics
  20. Biosensors81▲ 2.7×12 topics
  21. Land Use Change81▲ 4.5×7 topics
  22. CO2 Reduction80▲ 6.3×2 topics
  23. Hydrogen Production80▲ 5.1×6 topics
  24. Visible Light78▲ 5.8×3 topics
  25. Nanostructures78▲ 3.3×15 topics
  26. Solar Energy75▲ 4.0×5 topics
  27. Hyperspectral Imaging75▲ 4.5×7 topics
  28. Semiconductors73▲ 4.1×5 topics
  29. Photocatalyst73▲ 7.0×1 topic
  30. Plasmonic73▲ 7.0×1 topic
  31. Bioimaging69▲ 5.2×6 topics
  32. Thermodynamic Modeling67▲ 10×4 topics
  33. Nanocrystals67▲ 4.2×5 topics
  34. Geochronology64▲ 16×1 topic
  35. Zircon64▲ 16×1 topic
  36. Two-Dimensional Materials61▲ 4.5×4 topics
  37. Methane Storage56▲ 7.5×2 topics
  38. Pore Structure49▲ 6.8×3 topics
  39. Nanopores49▲ 8.7×2 topics
  40. Gas Permeability46▲ 7.8×2 topics

Which research topics does Northwest University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques, Geological and Geochemical Analysis, Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis and Energy, Environment, Economic Growth.

Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques: 73 fractional worksGeological and Geochemical Analysis: 64 fractional worksHydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis: 42 fractional worksEnergy, Environment, Economic Growth: 40 fractional worksAdvanced Fiber Optic Sensors: 33 fractional worksMetal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications: 32 fractional worksearthquake and tectonic …32earthquake and tectonic studies: 32 fractional worksHigh-pressure geophysics and materials: 32 fractional worksCatalytic Processes in Materials Science: 31 fractional worksAdvanced biosensing and …31Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques: 31 fractional works
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentGeophysicsMechanics of MaterialsEconomics and Econometrics4 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 73 works
  2. 2 Geological and Geochemical Analysis Geophysics 64 works
  3. 3 Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis Mechanics of Materials 42 works
  4. 4 Energy, Environment, Economic Growth Economics and Econometrics 40 works
  5. 5 Advanced Fiber Optic Sensors Electrical and Electronic Engineering 33 works
  6. 6 Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and Applications Inorganic Chemistry 32 works
  7. 7 earthquake and tectonic studies Geophysics 32 works
  8. 8 High-pressure geophysics and materials Geophysics 32 works
  9. 9 Catalytic Processes in Materials Science Materials Chemistry 31 works
  10. 10 Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques Molecular Biology 31 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available24.1%not open75.9%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors12.9%domestic only87.1%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Northwest University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 72% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Xi'an

All research institutions in Xi'an

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.