Citation Count (QS)

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Citation Count (QS)

Citations received by publications that meet the QS World University Rankings criteria.

The QS methodology applies the following exclusions when calculating the citation count:

1. Self-citations
   Self-citations are excluded at the author level, rather than at the journal or institution level.

2. Document types
   Citations to the following document types are excluded:

   • Abstract Report
   • Conference Review
   • Editorial
   • Erratum
   • Letter
   • Note
   • Press Release
   • Short Survey
   • Undefined
   • Retracted

3. Affiliation cap
   A variable affiliation cap is applied by faculty area. This excludes no more than 0.1% of publications in each faculty area.

Excluded Citations

The number of citations excluded from the Citation Count (QS) under the applicable QS criteria. These exclusions may include self-citations, citations associated with excluded document types, and citations affected by the affiliation-cap rule.

Total Citations

The sum of Citations (QS) and Excluded Citations.

Note: For the QS WUR 2024 ranking edition, this value represents excluded author-level self-citations only. From the 2025 ranking edition onward, it also includes citations associated with excluded document types and citations affected by the affiliation-cap rule, as explained above.

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