The University of Otago has been ranked first among New Zealand research institutions for the number of papers published in the prestigious Nature and Nature Research journals last year.
This success, involving a portfolio of several leading international interdisciplinary journals for science, further highlights Otago University's standing as a top New Zealand research institution.
The Nature Asia-Pacific journal rankings are updated via internet every week, and some ranking details for last year were not immediately available.
A ranking list initially issued in January showed Otago University as first in New Zealand, with nine papers and a "corrected count" of 2.25.
Massey University was second (two papers, corrected: 1.75) and GNS Science third (four and 1.28); and Auckland University fourth, (seven and 0.95).
The "corrected count" adjusts the publication tally to allow for several factors, including the number of authors cited in each research paper.
Prof Harlene Hayne, the Otago University research and enterprise deputy vice-chancellor, was delighted Otago had done so well in the Nature rankings, involving papers that were published as articles, letters or reviews.
The outcome reflected "the depth of talent we have here at Otago" and also showed the strong contribution which Otago scientists made to international research and progress in science, Prof Hayne said last week.
Research by scholars at the university's three main campuses, in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington, had been published in Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Genetics and Nature Geoscience.
The Otago research was in many disciplines, including marine science, physics, surgery, chemistry, microbiology and immunology and medicine.
