GLOBAL: Universities spread data from fake ranking sites – Study (Uni World News 27.05.26)
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20260527101141173
"The emergence of a network of “predatory” websites mimicking the official Webometrics Ranking of World Universities has led to the spread of fraudulent data across official university reports in 29 countries in Africa, Arab states, Asia and Europe, according to a recent study." Article by Wagdy Sawahel for University World News, 27 May 2026. You can find the original study in preprint here: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202605.0875. What is confusing is that the original Webometrics ranking site (webometrics.info) no longer exists, and the rankings can now only be accessed via a preprint site. Moreover - even in the most recent ranking from January 2026 (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.31132501.v1) - the old, no longer valid URL is still cited. Even the Spanish Cybermetrics Lab, which publishes the rankings, still displays the old—and no longer valid—URL on its official website. Such outdated and unmaintained information naturally makes it easier for fraudulent websites to step in and fill the void. [Summary: Information provided by the editors of the site and supplemented by the editors of Education Worldwide]
Release date: 03.06.2026
Update: 03.06.2026
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