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School of Information Systems and Management Researchers Rank No. 5 in the World

By Keith Morelli

TAMPA (February 3, 2021) -- The researchers in the Muma College of Business’ School of Information Systems and Management were ranked No. 5 in the world in 2020 for the number of publications in IS journals, according to a ranking recently released by the University of Texas at Dallas. The UTD 24 ranking counts only publications in the top 24 IS journals.

The USF researchers have made significant strides over the past three years. From 2018-20, they ranked No. 19 and from 2019-20, No. 12.

“The UTD 24 is a focused ranking of business schools purely based on publications in top 24 journals in the discipline,” said Kaushik Dutta, professor and director of the School of Information Systems and Management. “Unlike other rankings, which are quite a bit impacted by the history and perceived reputation, UTD 24 rank is objective in nature. Therefore, it is becoming the standard research ranking of business schools.”

Dutta said he was not surprised by the announcement.

“Muma College of Business faculty members have been publishing high-quality research for years. The recent focus towards UTD 24 publications has helped us to achieve this rank,” he said. “This ranking has a direct impact on the reputation of the college in the business school community. This reputation build-up is the key to influencing the college’s ranking in other, more general ranking systems.”

Last month UTD announced that overall, researchers with the USF Muma College of Business ranked No. 38 on its nationwide survey of scholarly publications in the nation’s leading business journals.

"The UTD ranking is one of the most prestigious rankings that focuses on research quality and productivity," said G.J. de Vreede, associate dean of research and professional programs with the Muma College of Business. "It defines the elite 24 journals for the main business school disciplines, including accounting, marketing, management and information systems. These journals are extremely selective in what they publish, so seeing our IS faculty taking the No. 5 place is a truly outstanding accomplishment.

The IS researchers in the Muma College of Business have been steadily increasing their publication rates in UTD journals, so achieving a high ranking was not really a surprise, he said. "Yet, being ranked 5th and being among schools that have much larger research budgets that we do underscores the phenomenal accomplishment of the faculty. 

"This ranking will impact the college as a whole as it bolsters our reputation as a premier research college," de Vreede said. "Our increased reputation will attract stronger PhD applicants, stronger faculty applications when we have openings, and will position us better in national and international research collaborations."

Dutta said the implications are clear.

“It demonstrates,” he said, “that the Muma College of Business is one of the leading business schools in the country.”