The original aim of the Ranking was to promote Web
publication. Supporting Open Access initiatives, electronic access to
scientific publications and to other academic material are our primary
targets. However web indicators are very useful for ranking purposes too
as they are not based on number of visits or page design but on the
global performance and visibility of the universities.
As other rankings focused only on a few relevant
aspects, specially research results, web indicators based ranking
reflects better the whole picture, as many other activities of
professors and researchers are showed by their web presence.
The Web covers not only only formal
(e-journals, repositories) but also informal scholarly communication.
Web publication is cheaper, maintaining the high standards of quality of
peer review processes. It could also reach much larger potential
audiences, offering access to scientific knowledge to researchers and
institutions located in developing countries and also to third parties
(economic, industrial, political or cultural stakeholders) in their own
community.
The Webometrics ranking has a larger coverage
than other similar rankings (see table below). The ranking is not only
focused on research results but also in other indicators which may
reflect better the global quality of the scholar and research
institutions worldwide.
We intend to motivate both institutions and scholars to have a web presence that reflect accurately their activities.
If
the web performance of an institution is below the expected position
according to their academic excellence, university authorities should
reconsider their web policy, promoting substantial increases of the
volume and quality of their electronic publications. Candidate students should use additional
criteria if they are trying to choose university. webometrics Ranking
correlates well with quality of education provided and academic
prestige, but other non-academic variables need to be taken into
account.