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University · Lismore · Australia

Southern Cross University

In research, Southern Cross University stands highest in Social Sciences (#583 of 10,521 worldwide), Social Sciences (#512 of 6,365 worldwide) and Education (#208 of 1,892 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Oceanography, Ecology and Health — Oceanography is 9.0× its share of world research.

scu.edu.auROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#1,980
of 28,054 · #2,329 all time
Rank in Australia
#41
of 391
Research works
7.8k
▼ 9% vs 2013–17
Citations
178k
23.0 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
29.8%
record average 16.5%
Open access
37%
world 28%

What is Southern Cross 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
Social SciencesDomain #583 of 10,521 34.2%555 #613
Social SciencesField #512 of 6,365 37.4%321 #641
EducationSubfield #208 of 1,892 47.0%98 #360
PsychologyField #253 of 2,181 31.8%143 #510
Health SciencesDomain #1,402 of 11,982 24.9%288 #1401
MedicineField #2,391 of 10,443 23.2%177 #3882
Physical SciencesDomain #3,326 of 12,888 26.5%391 #3144
Environmental ScienceField #957 of 3,551 25.0%198 #694
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #1,212 of 3,409 33.8%77 #1257
Life SciencesDomain #2,872 of 7,800 31.5%134 #3819

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Southern Cross 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. Social Sciences#613 #583
  2. Social Sciences#641 #512
  3. Education#360 #208
  4. Psychology#510 #253
  5. Health Sciences#1,401 #1,402
  6. Medicine#3,882 #2,391
  7. Physical Sciences#3,144 #3,326
  8. Environmental Science#694 #957
  9. Agricultural and Biological Sciences#1,257 #1,212
  10. Life Sciences#3,819 #2,872
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 Southern Cross University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Oceanography takes 9.0× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. OceanographySubfield · 34.4 works9.0×
  2. EcologySubfield · 68.4 works6.4×
  3. HealthSubfield · 20.6 works5.1×
← 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: 1.18× its world share, 77 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.45× its world share, 33 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.34× its world share, 5 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.81× its world share, 18 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.40× its world share, 2 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.11× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.18× its world share, 4 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.51× its world share, 55 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2.61× its world share, 56 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.44× its world share, 6 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.28× its world share, 58 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 2.92× its world share, 198 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.13× its world share, 6 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.15× its world share, 2 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.17× its world share, 5 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.20× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 2.61× its world share, 94 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.67× its world share, 177 worksMedicineNursing: 1.81× its world share, 12 worksNursingVeterinary: 1.85× its world share, 3 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.03× its world share, 41 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.61× its world share, 27 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.75× its world share, 10 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.47× its world share, 14 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 3.42× its world share, 143 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.85× its world share, 321 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Psychology, 3.4×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Southern Cross University?

Ranked on the composite score, William Boyd, Caroline A Sullivan and Bradley D. Eyre lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Southern Cross University.

  1. 1 William Boyd Australia · #1,045 worldwide 1.7k citations · 117 works
  2. 2 Caroline A Sullivan Australia · #20,597 worldwide 1.3k citations · 38 works
  3. 3 Bradley D. Eyre Australia · #44,561 worldwide 646 citations · 62 works
  4. 4 Betty Weiler Australia · #61,378 worldwide 393 citations · 84 works
  5. 5 Isaac R. Santos Australia · #67,193 worldwide 525 citations · 66 works
  6. 6 Peter L. Harrison Australia · #68,456 worldwide 459 citations · 51 works
  7. 7 Stephen P Myers Australia · #75,143 worldwide 158 citations · 40 works
  8. 8 Zafar U. Ahmed Australia · #81,581 worldwide 272 citations · 51 works
  9. 9 Christian J. Sanders Australia · #88,162 worldwide 329 citations · 34 works
  10. 10 James F. Donnelly Australia · #93,725 worldwide 81 citations · 34 works
All ranked researchers at Southern Cross University

Which keywords describe research at Southern Cross University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Mental Health, Ocean Acidification, Population Dynamics, Well-being, Reflective Practice, Marine Ecosystems and Coastal Protection.

▲ 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. Climate Change122▲ 3.3×66 topics
  2. Mental Health72▲ 3.6×37 topics
  3. Sustainability41▲ 1.24×53 topics
  4. Ocean Acidification40▲ 40×3 topics
  5. Public Health39▲ 1.96×41 topics
  6. Environmental Impact37▲ 1.59×37 topics
  7. Quality of Life31▲ 1.60×35 topics
  8. Well-being31▲ 5.9×13 topics
  9. Population Dynamics29▲ 8.5×10 topics
  10. Qualitative Research29▲ 2.5×18 topics
  11. Higher Education27▲ 3.7×15 topics
  12. Conservation27▲ 4.6×16 topics
  13. Resilience26▲ 4.0×13 topics
  14. Reflective Practice25▲ 10×7 topics
  15. Social Justice25▲ 3.2×20 topics
  16. Ecosystem Services25▲ 4.8×10 topics
  17. Biodiversity24▲ 2.4×22 topics
  18. Marine Ecosystems24▲ 34×2 topics
  19. Job Satisfaction23▲ 3.9×11 topics
  20. Coastal Protection23▲ 27×2 topics
  21. Social Support23▲ 3.0×15 topics
  22. Ethical Considerations22▲ 4.8×14 topics
  23. Invasive Species22▲ 3.9×17 topics
  24. Child Development22▲ 3.9×8 topics
  25. Trophic Cascades22▲ 17×2 topics
  26. Bleaching20▲ 45×1 topic
  27. Coral Reefs20▲ 45×1 topic
  28. Academic Achievement20▲ 8.6×10 topics
  29. Ecosystem Resilience20▲ 9.8×4 topics
  30. Benthic Communities20▲ 24×2 topics
  31. Marine Biodiversity20▲ 24×2 topics
  32. Evidence-Based Practice19▲ 11×7 topics
  33. Fisheries Sustainability18▲ 15×2 topics
  34. Self-Regulation18▲ 7.3×5 topics
  35. Climate Change Impacts18▲ 11×7 topics
  36. Health Equity17▲ 4.6×6 topics
  37. Student Voice15▲ 39×2 topics
  38. Kelp Forests14▲ 35×1 topic
  39. Seagrasses14▲ 35×1 topic
  40. Sea-Level Rise14▲ 8.6×4 topics

Which research topics does Southern Cross University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies, Marine and coastal plant biology, Marine and fisheries research and Early Childhood Education and Development.

Coral and Marine Ecosyst…20Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies: 20 fractional worksMarine and coastal plant…14Marine and coastal plant biology: 14 fractional worksMarine and fisheries res…12Marine and fisheries research: 12 fractional worksEarly Childhood Educatio…11Early Childhood Education and Development: 11 fractional worksComplementary and Alternative Medicine Studies: 10 fractional worksWildlife Ecology and Conservation: 9 fractional worksCoastal wetland ecosyste…9Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics: 9 fractional worksHigher Education Practises and Engagement: 8 fractional worksTeacher Education and Leadership Studies: 8 fractional worksIndigenous Health, Educa…8Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights: 8 fractional works
EcologyOceanographyGlobal and Planetary ChangeEducation2 others

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

  1. 1 Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies Ecology 20 works
  2. 2 Marine and coastal plant biology Oceanography 14 works
  3. 3 Marine and fisheries research Global and Planetary Change 12 works
  4. 4 Early Childhood Education and Development Education 11 works
  5. 5 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies Complementary and alternative medicine 10 works
  6. 6 Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Ecology 9 works
  7. 7 Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics Ecology 9 works
  8. 8 Higher Education Practises and Engagement Education 8 works
  9. 9 Teacher Education and Leadership Studies Education 8 works
  10. 10 Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights Health 8 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 available36.8%not open63.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors20.2%domestic only79.8%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Southern Cross University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 9% lower 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 Lismore

All research institutions in Lismore

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.