GOAMUR — Global Observatory on Academic Metrics & University Rankings

Foundational Documents

The Manifesto & Framework

The two pillars of GOAMUR’s mission — read them in full, and join the global movement for academic metric integrity.

1. Preamble: The Changing Landscape of Academic Assessment

The Reality of Metric Proliferation: As highlighted by prominent global experts such as Angel Calderon (RMIT University, Australia), university rankings have continued to proliferate in recent years, with a near-universal recognition that they are unlikely to disappear. It would be valuable to acknowledge that rankings, despite their limitations, have contributed to greater transparency, international visibility, and institutional benchmarking. The issue is not necessarily the existence of rankings, but how they are designed, interpreted, and used.

Consequently, the challenge for the global academic community is to move beyond passive reaction and toward an era of informed engagement. GOAMUR is established to equip governments, university leaders, media, and society with the analytical tools to engage with rankings and academic data responsibly and ethically. In addition to the integrity challenges, we recognize the significant expansion and democratization of knowledge production, which necessitates a parallel evolution in how we demonstrate trust in academia.

The Indicator Dependency: Modern higher education and global science have developed a systemic dependence on digital indicators (h-index, impact factors, and various institutional rankings). While rankings have contributed to international visibility, institutional benchmarking, and increased awareness of performance, their current design and usage often overshadow the broader missions of higher education.

The Dual Pathology: This over-reliance has triggered a dual crisis. At the individual level, it fuels a “publication race” characterized by paper mills, citation cartels, and predatory journals. At the institutional level, it drives a “reputation race” involving metadata manipulation, emergence of fake mirror rankings, and the misuse of persistent identifiers. It is important to note that research is only one fraction of the vital roles universities play in society.

The Structural Way Forward: We must seek to decouple the systemic dependency on narrow bibliometric and reputation data. University rankings should be viewed as voluntary, contextualized benchmarking tools rather than drivers of state funding or policy. We advocate for a shift from passive compliance toward an international governance system for data collection, definition, storage, and regulation that engenders confidence and trust.

The Evolution of Oversight: Traditional oversight frameworks have proven insufficient against the rise of sophisticated digital anomalies. GOAMUR advances from voluntary guidelines toward independent, evidence-based empirical data auditing and algorithmic accountability to protect the global academic ecosystem.

Our Lineage and Evolution: The GOAMUR Manifesto is a global initiative modelled after and advancing the core philosophies of historic initiatives, such as the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), the Leiden Manifesto, and the Stockholm Declaration. It allows universities, research integrity bodies, and scholars to officially sign and unite to advocate for computational reproducibility and algorithmic transparency.

2. Our Mission

GOAMUR acts as an independent, evidence-based observatory. We audit, detect, and analyze practices involving academic metrics and rankings, advocating for systemic improvements based on our findings.

3. The Core Pillar: The Reproducibility Principle

Scientific Consensus: Any academic ranking must ensure full reproducibility of its calculations.

Open Data: Developers are encouraged to publish their methodology and primary data matrices. Transparency is the prerequisite for validity.

Critical Scrutiny: We urge policymakers and institutions to exercise critical scrutiny over all rankings. As providers increasingly rely on AI tools, we must ensure these systems do not introduce opaque risks to data reliability.

4. The Principle of Ranking Diversity

The Fallacy of Homogenization: Globalization, market mechanisms, and global university rankings have contributed to the homogenization of curricula and the outcomes of research and educational activities. Global rankings, by disregarding the contextual specificities of diverse institutions and failing to capture multidimensional institutional performance, often promote a narrow model of the university, thereby inadvertently delegitimizing other essential institutional forms.

The Call for Ranking Diversity: Just as we defend linguistic and publication diversity (bibliodiversity), we must defend ranking diversity. We encourage regional and professional associations to launch evaluation systems that are pluralistic, decentralized, and fundamentally adapted to the specific socio-economic missions and profiles of the institutions they evaluate. This involves restructuring subject typologies, which are arbitrary in nature and not universally accepted, so that they better reflect natural academic disciplines and the specific characteristics of various institutional roles.

Empowering Alternative Models: Therefore, moving away from the era of rigid and universal scales, we call upon independent regional, national, and professional university associations to actively design and launch their own tailored evaluation systems. Future academic metrics must be pluralistic, decentralized, and fundamentally adapted to the specific socio-economic missions and profiles of the institutions they evaluate, ensuring true fitness for purpose.

5. Advocating for Global, National, and Regional Sustainability

We reject the application of ‘one-size-fits-all’ global commercial metrics to evaluate university contributions to society. GOAMUR supports the establishment of independent, context-sensitive ranking systems. Frameworks must be designed to reflect localized needs, ensuring that institutions are valued for their real-world impact rather than their compliance with standardized commercial algorithms.

6. Call to Action: Layered Commitments

We invite academic institutions, ranking agencies, publishers and scientific journals, data aggregators, and regulators to join us through active stakeholder engagement:

For Ranking Administrators and Data Providers: Commit to transparency, publish verification data, adopt rigorous validation protocols using open APIs (ROR/ORCID), and commit to continuous methodological improvement.
For Academic Institutions: Exercise critical sovereignty by managing your own metadata at the source and utilizing evidence-based findings to contest inaccurate data.
For the Broad Academic Community: Practice metric hygiene, support open scientometrics that prioritize human judgment, and advocate for ethical, verifiable data practices.
For Publishers and Scientific Journals: Implement strict ethical standards, completely refrain from participating in the activities of “paper mills” and citation cartels, and ensure the transparency of peer-review processes to prevent the manipulation of scientometric indicators.
For Regulatory Bodies and International Organizations: Decouple policy from opaque “black box” rankings, mandate data integrity standards, and fund open academic infrastructure to ensure data remains a global public good.

Governance and Ownership of Academic Data

Reclaiming Data Sovereignty: Universities must retain ownership of their institutional metadata and practice responsible data governance. We reject models where public research outputs are captured by private oligopolies.
Algorithmic Accountability: We demand transparency regarding AI training and criteria. AI must support, not replace, qualitative human peer review.
Public Infrastructure: We advocate for non-commercial regulatory frameworks for higher education data. By shifting toward open, public science infrastructures, we can restore international confidence, guarantee algorithmic trust, and eliminate the vulnerabilities of the contemporary metric industry.

1. Background / Problem Statement

Modern higher education and global science face an unprecedented crisis of integrity, driven by an unhealthy dependency on unverified digital indicators and commercial ranking architectures.

Independent empirical research and critical investigations published in University World News (UWN) have exposed deep systemic flaws across the global academic ecosystem, which can be categorized into four interconnected areas:

1.1 Malpractices in Scientometrics and Authorship Integrity

The pressure to artificially inflate metrics has led to widespread violations of established authorship criteria. This includes the institutionalization of false affiliations to manipulate ranking positions (UWN, 2023), the rise of honorary or gift authorship, and the expansion of publication cartels designed to bypass rigorous peer review (UWN, 2026).

1.2 The Proliferation of Predatory and Weaponized Metrics

The commercialization of the higher education sector has catalyzed the emergence of predatory copycat ranking websites that exploit institutional anxieties for financial gain (UWN, 2026). Furthermore, global rankings inherently reward institutional visibility over actual academic value, and quantitative volume over qualitative depth, distorting the scholarly record and undermining the credibility of academic evaluation (UWN, 2025).

1.3 Methodological Inaccuracies and Structural Biases

Major ranking methodologies suffer from severe technical distortions. For instance, ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) systematically marginalizes vital applied fields of knowledge (UWN, 2026). Simultaneously, data mapping errors — such as inaccuracies in journal subject classifications by commercial providers like Elsevier, combined with narrow field definitions — result in deeply flawed institutional scores across prominent subject rankings (UWN, 2025).

1.4 Manipulation of Sustainability and Policy Distortions

The ranking race has contaminated specialized domains like sustainability metrics. Systematic literature reviews of frameworks like the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings reveal widespread self-selection reporting bias by participating states and institutions, transforming sustainability metrics into instruments for corporate greenwashing (UWN, 2025). Evidence-based indicators demonstrate that popular global sustainability rankings encourage purely symbolic, superficial achievements rather than driving substantive institutional change (UWN, 2026).

2. Mandate

A comprehensive consensus within the scientific literature strictly dictates that commercial rankings should not be used in formal research assessment or to guide state policy initiatives (UWN, 2024). At the same time, as highlighted by prominent global higher experts such as Angel Calderon (RMIT University, Australia), university rankings have continued to proliferate in recent years, alongside a near-universal recognition that they are unlikely to disappear any time soon. Consequently, the critical question for the global academic community is how best to respond to this trend, and how to equip university leaders, the media, and society more broadly with the analytical tools and capabilities to engage with rankings and academic data responsibly and ethically.

It is precisely to address this vital challenge and drive a fundamental paradigm shift that GOAMUR is established.

The Observatory will directly address these systemic failures by enforcing computational reproducibility, algorithmic accountability, and institutional diversity, while arming educational leaders with the objective, empirical tools required for ethical data engagement.

3. Mission, Vision & Values

3.1 Mission

The Observatory (GOAMUR) assumes the role of an independent watchdog dedicated to auditing, detecting, and policing all forms of manipulation and malpractice involving academic metrics and university rankings.

3.2 Vision

To become, in the medium term, a recognized academic reference for:

the annual critical analysis of major international rankings and their data integrity;
the production of a credible alternative composite index, cited in the scientometrics literature;
an advocacy role on behalf of higher education institutions in the Global South for fairer representation of their real academic performance.

3.3 Founding Values

Transparency: Every methodology, weighting, and data source is published in full (a “glass box” rather than a “black box”).
Reproducibility: Calculations are scripted and released as open code, so any researcher can reproduce the index.
Epistemic Pluralism: There is no single legitimate definition of “academic quality” — the GCI documents its value choices explicitly.
Contextual Equity: Indicators are normalized with respect to each institution’s economic and linguistic context.
Independence: No funding is conditioned on preferential treatment of any institution or country.

4. Expert Endorsement & Focus Areas

As highlighted by Professor Marwan Al-Raeei, Former Director of Ranking Office, Damascus University, Syria, the concept of establishing a Global Observatory on Academic Metrics and University Rankings stems from the growing recognition of the need for transparency, accountability, and standardization in the evaluation of higher education institutions worldwide.

As universities increasingly compete for global recognition, funding, and talent, the proliferation of ranking systems has both positive and negative implications, particularly concerning predatory institutions and unscrupulous ranking networks.

GOAMUR should focus on the following:

Enhance Transparency and Credibility: Current ranking systems often lack transparency about methodologies, data sources, and weighting criteria. An independent global observatory would scrutinize and standardize these aspects, ensuring rankings are credible and meaningful.
Combat Predatory and Fake Institutions: Predatory institutions often exploit ranking systems to falsely enhance their reputation, attracting students and funding under misleading pretenses. A global observatory can identify and flag such institutions, reducing their influence.
Promote Fair and Standardized Metrics: Different ranking agencies use varying criteria, leading to inconsistent assessments. An observatory could develop universally accepted metrics that reflect genuine academic quality, research impact, teaching quality, and societal contribution. To operationalize this commitment to fairness, GOAMUR will move beyond the constraints of monolithic commercial databases by integrating regional bibliometric sources (such as ASJP, AJOL, SciELO, and the ASEAN Citation Index). By incorporating these diverse data landscapes, the Observatory ensures that academic performance is evaluated through a culturally and geographically representative lens, effectively dismantling the biases inherent in “global-only” metrics.
Inform Policy and Institutional Improvement: Reliable data and transparent metrics support policymakers and universities in benchmarking performance, identifying areas for improvement, and fostering genuine academic excellence.
Address Ethical Concerns and Manipulation: Rankings are sometimes manipulated through gaming tactics. An observatory can monitor for such practices, discourage unethical behaviors, and promote integrity.

5. Benefits for Developing Institutions

GOAMUR could offer numerous benefits for developing institutions in developing countries and has important implications for their growth and integration into the global academic community including the followings:

It provides standardized metrics for benchmarking and performance assessment, allowing universities to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement.
By understanding how they compare internationally, institutions can increase their visibility and recognition, attracting students, faculty, and potential partnerships.
The system supports informed decision-making through data-driven insights that guide strategic planning, resource allocation, and policy development aligned with institutional goals.
It also facilitates learning from top-performing universities by analyzing successful strategies and academic models, while tracking progress over time to motivate ongoing development efforts.
Access to global networks is another advantage, enabling developing institutions to connect with a broader academic community, foster collaborations, and exchange knowledge.

6. Competitiveness, Policy & Capacity Building

These rankings and metrics play a crucial role in enhancing competitiveness, encouraging institutions to raise quality standards and adopt innovative practices. Demonstrable performance metrics can improve prospects for securing funding, grants, and international collaborations. The data provided can inform national policies and accreditation processes, helping to align local standards with global benchmarks.

The observatory promotes capacity building by supporting the development of academic and administrative capabilities necessary for high-quality education and research. It also contributes to promoting equitable development by fostering transparency and accountability, which can help reduce disparities and support inclusive growth in higher education.

7. Conclusion

Overall, the Global Observatory on Academic Metrics and University Rankings is a vital tool for developing countries aiming to strengthen their higher education systems. It aids in benchmarking, strategic development, and increasing global engagement, playing a significant role in fostering institutional growth, improving quality, and integrating these institutions into the international academic landscape.

Sign the GOAMUR Manifesto

Add your name to the global call for transparent, accountable academic metrics.

Signatories

By signing, you endorse the principles of data sovereignty, algorithmic accountability, and institutional diversity set out in the GOAMUR Manifesto — and join scholars and institutions worldwide in demanding a fairer, more transparent academic ecosystem.

Thank you — your signature has been recorded.

Welcome to the global movement for academic metric integrity. Your endorsement strengthens the call for transparent, accountable, and diverse academic evaluation.

Governance & Global Voices

Meet the Team, Advisory Board, Partners & Global Voices

Leadership

Our Team

Strategic Guidance

International Advisory Board

Professor Ellen Hazelkorn

Joint managing partner at BH Associates education consultants, professor emeritus at Technological University Dublin, Ireland & Joint Editor, Policy Reviews in Higher Education.

Professor Atta-ur-Rahman

UNESCO Science Prize laureate and former coordinator general of COMSTECH (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) and former federal minister of education in Pakistan.

Professor Mohamed Hassan

President of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences and the former head of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in Italy.

Dr Savo Heleta

Researcher, internationalisation scholar, and analyst. Nelson Mandela University, South Africa.

Bouraoui Seyfallah

Professor of AI at the University of Science and Technology in Houari Boumediene, Algeria.

Professor Marwan Al-Raeei

Director of academic programmes at Distinction and Creativity Agency, Syria and Former Director of Ranking Office, Damascus University, Syria.

Dr Fernanda Leal

Secretary of International Relations at Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil.

The Role and Functions of the GOAMUR Advisory Board

The Role. The Advisory Board of GOAMUR serves as our supreme independent strategic, methodological, and ethical guiding body. The board is designed to ensure that the Observatory’s global outputs remain scientifically rigorous, politically neutral, and highly impactful.

The Functions

1. Strategic and Policy Guidance

Advising the core operational taskforce on high-level institutional expansion and global scaling strategies. Assisting in shaping the Observatory’s long-term roadmap for engagements with key transnational bodies (such as UNESCO, OECD, and global research funding alliances).

2. Methodological Oversight and Algorithmic Review

Acting as a high-level peer-review chamber for the data auditing models, Python-based automation frameworks, empirical preprints and research papers developed by the Observatory. Providing critical expertise on emerging systemic risks in the global higher education landscape, such as the deployment of automated AI models by commercial ranking providers.

3. Ethical Guardianship and Advocacy

Ensuring the absolute impartiality, data transparency, and scientific objectivity of GOAMUR’s investigative audits and public retractions. Championing the core principles of the GOAMUR Manifesto — specifically data sovereignty and institutional diversity (bibliodiversity) — within global policy discourses.

4. Institutional and Geopolitical Connectivity

Helping bridge the gap between the Observatory’s technical findings and senior university leadership, ministries of education, and international regulatory authorities. Facilitating cross-regional dialogues to protect vulnerable academic ecosystems (particularly in the Global South and developing nations) from predatory metric architectures.

Operational Commitment

To respect our board members’ immense professional schedules, the Advisory Board operates as a lean, low-burden consultative body. Engagement will primarily consist of biannual virtual strategic briefings, asynchronous feedback on landmark policy papers/manifestos, and high-level consensus-building on crucial global statements.

Collaboration

Partner Network

Become a GOAMUR Partner

GOAMUR welcomes partnerships with universities, research institutes, policy organizations, and academic networks worldwide.

If your institution shares our commitment to academic integrity, transparent metrics, and fair representation in global rankings, we invite you to collaborate.

Global Endorsement

Voices of Support

Arshin Adib-Moghaddam Professor in Global Thought and Comparative Philosophies, Co-Director of SOAS Centre for AI Futures, University of London & Member of UNESCO Inclusive Policy Lab

This Observatory is one of the most important initiatives that I have seen in recent times. Every colleague, student and higher education decision-maker should heed the advice given here. Since the beginning of History, scholarship has been a marker of social cohesion and human security. For the first time, due to the massive failure of contemporary politicians, we are witnessing the rapid deterioration of our standards and the social contract we are tasked to uphold. This crucial intervention promises to reset the dynamic between scholars, society and government. Therefore, it has my full support.

Professor Ellen Hazelkorn Joint managing partner at BH Associates education consultants, professor emeritus at Technological University Dublin, Ireland & Joint Editor, Policy Reviews in Higher Education

I think it is important to put rankings into a broader context from the start. They are just one (small) part of a much larger and fast-growing global knowledge intelligence business. Sadly, removing rankings has proven far more difficult than critics have suggested, even at a time when the underlying values of rankings are being called into question. We have made far too little meaningful progress regarding the development of accountability and transparency systems. What we should be seeking is the development of an international governance system around data collection, definition, storage, dissemination, and most importantly, ownership and regulation that engenders confidence and trust. I think GOAMUR is an innovative and important development in this direction.

Dr Savo Heleta Researcher, internationalisation scholar, and analyst. Nelson Mandela University, South Africa

This is a very important initiative. International rankings and research metrics have been popular for many years, shaping the priorities of many universities, administrators, academics and researchers. Yet, at the same time, the rankings have been highly problematic, with most being driven by profits and lacking transparency and measuring things that are not necessarily providing a credible picture of global higher education. In addition, many institutions, academics and researchers have found ways to ‘game’ the system or have relied on fraudulent data and platforms. Due to all this, it is of utmost importance to create a platform that will engage with all this in a critical, comprehensive and transparent way. After reading the GOAMUR framework and manifesto, I think that this is the platform that is needed — a platform that will observe, follow and interrogate academic and research metrics and university rankings, highlight the problems, challenges and malpractices, and contribute to systematic and structural improvements and reforms. In addition, I see this as an educational platform for academics, researchers and university administrators, providing important evidence and information on all-things rankings and academic metrics and indicators.

Professor Mohamed Hassan President of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences & former head of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy

The GOAMUR Manifesto advocates for a paradigm shift in how universities in the Global South are evaluated. It emphasises that many global university rankings are based on Western-oriented indicators, which often overlook the priorities and contributions of universities in developing countries. This results in a disadvantage for universities that are crucial in addressing local and regional challenges. The manifesto proposes the development of regional ranking systems, designed specifically for the Global South. These systems should not only recognize excellence in education and research but also evaluate universities based on their societal contributions, their roles in addressing local and regional issues, and their impacts on sustainable development. By incorporating these measures, universities can be acknowledged for their genuine impact on society and valued for the difference they make in the lives of their communities and the development of their nations.

Dr Sakhr Alhuthali Higher education expert at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia & visiting researcher at Imperial College London

The real challenge is not the university ranking methodologies, but ensuring the integrity of the data and practices behind them. An independent, non-profit platform such as GOAMUR could strengthen confidence in rankings by providing transparent, rapid oversight of research integrity and ranking-related concerns. This is particularly timely as AI and growing concerns about research misconduct make independent accountability more important than ever. While some institutional operational data will always be difficult to verify, greater transparency and scrutiny provided by GOAMUR can significantly improve the credibility of global rankings. I encourage the global scientific community to support and collaborate in realising the goals that GOAMUR has set.

Dr Narimane Hadj-Hamou Founder and CEO of the Center for Learning Innovations and Customized Knowledge Solutions (CLICKS), United Arab Emirates

While I fully support the need for greater transparency, methodological rigor, and responsible use of rankings, I believe many would also consider rankings to have made a valuable contribution to benchmarking, visibility, and institutional improvement. Acknowledging both their strengths and limitations may help position GOAMUR as a balanced, evidence-informed observatory rather than an initiative perceived primarily as opposing rankings.

Besigomwe Kenneth Researcher at Makerere University, Uganda

GOAMUR presents a relevant and forward-looking response to the challenges surrounding the use of academic metrics and university rankings. Its objectives of promoting transparency, accountability, reproducibility, and ethical engagement with academic data address important concerns within contemporary higher education. The principles of methodological openness, data integrity, and context-sensitive evaluation provide a valuable foundation for advancing more responsible and credible approaches to academic assessment. The initiative’s success will depend on continued commitment to rigorous evidence, inclusivity, and collaboration across the global higher education community.

Professor Abdul Benahnia El Hassania Higher Institute of Engineering, Morocco

As an educator, international researcher, and specialist in higher education and academic quality, I strongly believe that initiatives promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making are essential to the future of global higher education. GOAMUR addresses a critical gap by encouraging responsible interpretation of university ranking data while fostering evidence-based evaluation and informed institutional leadership. The observatory’s commitment to empirical research, integrity, and actionable policy recommendations represents a timely and valuable contribution to the international academic community. I am confident that GOAMUR has the potential to become an influential platform for advancing ethical practices, strengthening research credibility, and supporting universities in making data-driven decisions that genuinely serve educational excellence. This will definitely help in the reform of education in the developing countries and it would also be beneficial to the Arab and African nations as well as all others of course.

Professor Marwan Al-Raeei Director of academic programmes at Distinction and Creativity Agency, Syria & Former Director of Ranking Office, Damascus University

The concept of establishing a Global Observatory on Academic Metrics and University Rankings (GOAMUR) stems from the growing recognition of the need for transparency, accountability, and standardization in the evaluation of higher education institutions worldwide. As universities increasingly compete for global recognition, funding, and talent, the proliferation of ranking systems has both positive and negative implications, particularly concerning predatory institutions and unscrupulous ranking networks. In my opinion, such GOAMUR network is very significant where there is a need for such system in enhancing transparency and credibility, combating predatory and fake institutions, promoting fair and standardized metrics, informing policy and institutional improvement, and addressing ethical concerns and manipulation. GOAMUR is also a vital tool for developing countries aiming to strengthen their higher education systems. It aids in benchmarking, strategic development, and increasing global engagement, playing a significant role in fostering institutional growth, improving quality, and integrating these institutions into the international academic landscape.

Dr Fernanda Leal Secretary of International Relations at Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil

I had the opportunity to review the material — albeit somewhat briefly — and the content makes a great deal of sense to me. I agree with all the points raised on the manifesto and framework of GOAMUR. I would simply like to suggest highlighting the following: by disregarding the contextual specificities of different higher education institutions around the world in their criteria and indicators, university rankings end up promoting a specific model of university, thereby delegitimizing other institutional forms. For instance, Latin American public universities are very strong in “university extension” (outreach) — an important university function that connects the institution with local societal needs — yet the vast majority of rankings do not include indicators related to extension activities. Just a point for reflection. Congratulations on the initiative.

Democratizing Academic Metrics. Unpacking the Black Boxes of Global Rankings.

Live Observatory Data

About GOAMUR

Our Mission

Our Vision

Our Values

GOAMUR Focus Areas

Enhance Transparency & Credibility

Combat Predatory & Fake Institutions

Promote Fair & Standardized Metrics

Inform Policy & Institutional Improvement

Address Ethical Concerns & Manipulation