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University · Mthatha · South Africa

Walter Sisulu University

In research, Walter Sisulu University stands highest in Social Sciences (#687 of 10,521 worldwide), Social Sciences (#437 of 6,365 worldwide) and Education (#160 of 1,892 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Management of Technology and Innovation, Accounting and Education — Management of Technology and Innovation is 5.5× its share of world research.

wsu.ac.zaROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#2,669
of 28,054 · #7,313 all time
Rank in South Africa
#15
of 87
Research works
3.6k
▲ 125% vs 2013–17
Citations
23k
6.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
22.1%
record average 16.5%
Open access
80%
world 28%

What is Walter Sisulu 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 #687 of 10,521 24.1%1,206 #1890
Social SciencesField #437 of 6,365 26.3%616 #1358
EducationSubfield #160 of 1,892 31.9%294 #666
Economics, Econometrics and FinanceField #393 of 1,775 29.0%167 #1325
Physical SciencesDomain #3,367 of 12,888 21.4%458 #8423
Business, Management and AccountingField #686 of 2,578 16.5%222 #1794
Economics and EconometricsSubfield #353 of 1,272 29.6%129 #1180
Information SystemsSubfield #398 of 1,291 26.4%86 #1271
Health SciencesDomain #4,219 of 11,982 14.5%302 #6778
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #1,028 of 2,578 21.0%119 #2112

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Walter Sisulu 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#1,890 #687
  2. Social Sciences#1,358 #437
  3. Education#666 #160
  4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance#1,325 #393
  5. Physical Sciences#8,423 #3,367
  6. Business, Management and Accounting#1,794 #686
  7. Economics and Econometrics#1,180 #353
  8. Information Systems#1,271 #398
  9. Health Sciences#6,778 #4,219
  10. Sociology and Political Science#2,112 #1,028
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 Walter Sisulu University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Management of Technology and Innovation takes 5.5× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Management of Technology and InnovationSubfield · 34.5 works5.5×
  2. AccountingSubfield · 59.9 works4.7×
  3. EducationSubfield · 294.4 works4.6×
  4. Economics and EconometricsSubfield · 129.4 works3.9×
← 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: 0.67× its world share, 66 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.23× its world share, 25 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.50× its world share, 10 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.20× its world share, 7 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.63× its world share, 5 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.34× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.31× its world share, 10 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.90× its world share, 146 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.13× its world share, 4 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.17× its world share, 22 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.29× its world share, 91 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.88× its world share, 91 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.57× its world share, 41 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.63× its world share, 40 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.22× its world share, 10 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.13× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.44× its world share, 79 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.53× its world share, 210 worksMedicineNursing: 1.03× its world share, 10 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.32× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.00× its world share, 60 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 3.32× its world share, 222 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 2.49× its world share, 50 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 3.75× its world share, 167 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.43× its world share, 90 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.34× its world share, 616 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Economics, Econometrics and Finance, 3.8×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Walter Sisulu University?

Ranked on the composite score, Olanrewaju Oladimeji, Newman Wadesango and Emeka E. Obioha lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Walter Sisulu University.

  1. 1 Olanrewaju Oladimeji South Africa · #66,237 worldwide 2.8k citations · 25 works
  2. 2 Newman Wadesango South Africa · #636,628 worldwide 69 citations · 58 works
  3. 3 Emeka E. Obioha South Africa · #688,379 worldwide 34 citations · 30 works
  4. 4 Adebola O. Oyedeji South Africa · #804,351 worldwide 51 citations · 29 works
  5. 5 Nteboheng Patricia Mefi South Africa · #948,500 worldwide 3 citations · 16 works
  6. 6 Thenjiwe Meyiwa South Africa · #1,093,869 worldwide 27 citations · 15 works
  7. 7 Samson Nambei Asoba South Africa · #1,132,594 worldwide 4 citations · 17 works
  8. 8 B Meel South Africa · #1,188,511 worldwide 9 citations · 18 works
  9. 9 Rahul Shukla South Africa · #1,249,528 worldwide 33 citations · 32 works
  10. 10 Teke Apalata South Africa · #1,256,271 worldwide 9 citations · 20 works
All ranked researchers at Walter Sisulu University

Which keywords describe research at Walter Sisulu University?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Higher Education, Economic Growth, Educational Technology, Technology Integration, Education, Social Capital, Professional Development and Student Perceptions.

▲ 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. Education108▲ 3.0×41 topics
  2. Educational Technology98▲ 4.0×27 topics
  3. Higher Education97▲ 8.7×22 topics
  4. Economic Growth89▲ 5.0×25 topics
  5. Sustainability85▲ 1.67×62 topics
  6. Globalization79▲ 1.94×56 topics
  7. Technology Integration70▲ 11×10 topics
  8. Social Capital68▲ 6.2×12 topics
  9. Sustainable Development66▲ 2.0×44 topics
  10. E-Learning62▲ 3.0×15 topics
  11. Online Learning59▲ 3.4×13 topics
  12. Renewable Energy57▲ 1.92×27 topics
  13. Corporate Governance55▲ 3.6×21 topics
  14. Innovation54▲ 2.5×32 topics
  15. Human Rights51▲ 2.4×30 topics
  16. Professional Development46▲ 11×10 topics
  17. Economic Development46▲ 2.7×16 topics
  18. Student Perceptions44▲ 11×7 topics
  19. Student Engagement43▲ 5.2×14 topics
  20. Leadership43▲ 4.3×22 topics
  21. Inequality41▲ 8.7×6 topics
  22. Governance41▲ 6.0×7 topics
  23. ICT40▲ 15×4 topics
  24. Risk Management39▲ 3.9×12 topics
  25. Teacher Professional Development39▲ 11×5 topics
  26. Student Satisfaction38▲ 9.7×2 topics
  27. Institutional Quality37▲ 17×3 topics
  28. Lifelong Learning37▲ 8.7×8 topics
  29. Urbanization37▲ 4.3×8 topics
  30. Knowledge Economy36▲ 16×6 topics
  31. Entrepreneurship35▲ 4.4×13 topics
  32. Reflective Practice34▲ 8.9×6 topics
  33. Fiscal Policy34▲ 7.5×5 topics
  34. Mobile Phones31▲ 34×1 topic
  35. financial access31▲ 38×1 topic
  36. Poverty Reduction28▲ 10×5 topics
  37. Vocational Education28▲ 15×4 topics
  38. Panel Data Analysis27▲ 8.2×3 topics
  39. Social Entrepreneurship27▲ 12×3 topics
  40. Poverty Alleviation27▲ 13×2 topics

Which research topics does Walter Sisulu University publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Economic Growth and Development, Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences, Education Systems and Policy and Online and Blended Learning.

Economic Growth and Deve…31Economic Growth and Development: 31 fractional worksEntrepreneurship Studies…27Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences: 27 fractional worksEducation Systems and Policy: 24 fractional worksOnline and Blended Learn…23Online and Blended Learning: 23 fractional worksLegal Issues in South Af…22Legal Issues in South Africa: 22 fractional worksEnergy, Environment, Economic Growth: 22 fractional worksFiscal Policy and Economic Growth: 20 fractional worksTeacher Education and Le…16Teacher Education and Leadership Studies: 16 fractional worksEducation and Critical Thinking Development: 16 fractional worksTechnology-Enhanced Education Studies: 16 fractional works
Information SystemsManagement of Technology and InnovationEducationLaw1 others

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

  1. 1 Economic Growth and Development Information Systems 31 works
  2. 2 Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences Management of Technology and Innovation 27 works
  3. 3 Education Systems and Policy Education 24 works
  4. 4 Online and Blended Learning Education 23 works
  5. 5 Legal Issues in South Africa Law 22 works
  6. 6 Energy, Environment, Economic Growth Economics and Econometrics 22 works
  7. 7 Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth Economics and Econometrics 20 works
  8. 8 Teacher Education and Leadership Studies Education 16 works
  9. 9 Education and Critical Thinking Development Education 16 works
  10. 10 Technology-Enhanced Education Studies Education 16 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 available79.8%not open20.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors14.3%domestic only85.7%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Walter Sisulu University's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 125% 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 Mthatha

All research institutions in Mthatha

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.