The number of professors is increasing rapidly

The number of disqualified candidates

A list of 1,537 candidates for the professor/associate professor titles was submitted, but only 1,226 candidates were recognized by professorship councils at different levels as meeting the standards to be eligible for the titles. 

The proportion was 79.8 percent, which was 3.3 percent higher than that in 2016. The proportion of candidates not shortlisted in 2017 was lower than that of 2016 – 20.2 percent vs 23.5 percent.

However, the proportion of disqualified candidates is not a reasonable indicator that can show the quality of candidates. The candidates were assessed in accordance with fixed standards and did not have to compete with each other to obtain titles.

There is an unwritten rule about the proportion of disqualified candidates. The proportion has always hovered around 20-26 percent in the last five years.

The number of ISI/Scopus articles

Official statistics show that 1,226 candidates were recognized as meeting standards for both the professor and associate professor titles in 2017. The total number of ISI/Scopus articles was 5,316. The figures were 712 and 2,504, respectively, in 2016. This means that every recognized candidate in 2017 had 4.3 published articles, higher than 3.5 articles in 2016.

However, this does not mean the quality of candidates in 2017 was better than in 2016.

The problem was that the 5,316 articles in 2017 were written by only 588 candidates, or 48 percent of total candidates. This means that 52 percent of candidates did not have any ISI/Scopus article.

Of the 2017 candidates, some had 150-160 articles each.

The proportion was 63 percent in 2016.

The number of candidates not meeting standards

The list of disqualified candidates caught public attention. Analysts found the names of some candidates with high numbers of ISI/Scopus and high H-index on the list.

However, the real quality of the candidates remained questionable because there was not enough information about all candidates. Some analysts have said that profiles of all 1,537 candidates should be publicized.

The number of professors/associate professors recognized

The number of 1,226 candidates awarded the professor/associate professor titles in 2017 showed a 1.7 times increase compared with 2016. This was the biggest increase so far.

Analysts have questioned the sharp rise in the number of professors/associate professors recognized this year. Are universities and academies seriously lacking professors/associate professors, and do they urgently need more to serve in 2018?

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