In the past five years, the achievements of Azerbaijani universities in international ranking centers have attracted considerable attention. In particular, according to data provided by the QS database, a clear development dynamic of Azerbaijani universities can be observed. Among multidisciplinary universities, the progress of Baku State University, among economics-oriented institutions UNEC, and in the field of languages the Azerbaijan University of Languages (AUL), is consistently noted.

On March 25, the international ranking agency “Quacquarelli Symonds” (QS) published its latest subject rankings of the world’s best universities for 2026. According to these results, under the leadership of Academician Kamal Abdulla, the Azerbaijan University of Languages significantly improved its position in the field of “Modern Languages,” ranking within the 151–200 range. The university was also included in the “Linguistics” category for the first time, ranking in the 251–300 group. It should be noted that the top three positions in this ranking are held by the University of Oxford, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge.

For the preparation of this year’s rankings, QS analyzed the academic reputation and research performance of approximately 6,273 higher education institutions. Among them, 1,908 universities were evaluated across 55 narrow subject areas and 5 broad academic fields, resulting in more than 21,000 indicators. This demonstrates the large-scale and complex nature of QS subject rankings.

It should be emphasized that the Azerbaijan University of Languages is not only improving but demonstrating a strong development dynamic. While the university ranked in the 301–340 range in “Modern Languages” in 2023 and 2024, it advanced to the 201–250 range in 2025, and in 2026 further improved its position to be included among the top 200.

QS subject rankings are based on five main indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, H-index, and the international research collaboration index. These indicators allow for a comprehensive evaluation of both the research potential of higher education institutions and their position in the global academic environment.

Two of these five indicators are related to bibliometric activity. As the Scientific Library and Information Service Center of AUL, efforts are focused on increasing the visibility of the university’s researchers’ publications in reputable databases, monitoring their H-index, and conducting informational outreach activities. Trainings are organized for young scholars, researchers, master’s and doctoral students, providing information on scientometric and bibliometric tools, academic profile creation, and effective use of scientific platforms.

The university’s Scientific Library regularly informs researchers about the use of databases such as SCOPUS, Web of Science (WoS), and Google Scholar, including methods for increasing visibility, collaborating with academic journals, developing search skills, and proper bibliographic referencing.

The Scientific Library and Information Service Center of AUL carries out systematic activities aimed at increasing researchers’ activity on scientific platforms, creating academic profiles, and promoting scientometric knowledge.

According to available data, 143 articles by 128 authors affiliated with the university have been published in the Web of Science database. In the SCOPUS database, 107 articles by 82 authors from the university have been published. The number of citations and the growth dynamics of researchers’ H-index remain under constant monitoring.

Regular training sessions are also conducted to support researchers in creating academic profiles and uploading new data to Google Scholar. In this database, the academic community is led by Academician Kamal Abdulla, whose H-index of 18 and 504 citations represent the highest показатели.

The Scientific Library and Information Service Center of AUL also closely monitors the formation and updating of Azerbaijan’s national H-index ranking. The university’s achievements in this database are tracked, indicators are analyzed, and close cooperation is maintained with the university’s Science Department.

The achievements of the Azerbaijan University of Languages demonstrate the strengthening of its position in the international academic arena. To further develop these processes, the Analytical Information Service Department of the Scientific Library and Information Service Center focuses its daily activities on bibliometric research. It is expected that other university libraries will expand their activities in this direction as well.

The coordination of bibliometric activities among university libraries should be considered a requirement of the modern era.

Jamila Aliyeva
Director of the Scientific Library and Information Service Center of AUL