Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA)

Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) (opens in a new window) was a nationwide assessment of Australia's research performance which highlighted national research strengths in disciplines of critical economic and social importance. For the purpose of ERA, research disciplines were assessed in two-digit and four digit classifications, with two-digit fields the broadest disciplinary classification. ERA was discontinued in 2022.

In the latest ERA evaluation in 2018, 85% of the University’s research was identified as ‘world standard or above’, and at the two-digit discipline level, 90% of our research was assessed at ‘world standard or above’. These results cement Western Sydney University’s standing as a world-class university with a growing international reach and a reputation for excellence.

Disciplines that scored a '5' rating, identifying them as 'well above world standard'

Two-digit Fields of Research: Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences; Biological Sciences; and Environmental Sciences.

Four-digit Fields of Research: Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Cultural Studies; Ecology; Ecological Applications; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Evolutionary Biology; Forestry Sciences; Microbiology; Nursing; Oncology and Carcinogenesis; Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences; Plant Biology; Soil Sciences; and Zoology.

Disciplines that scored a '4' rating, identifying them as 'above world standard'

Two-digit Fields of Research: Language, Communication and Culture; Mathematical Sciences; Medical and Health Sciences; and Psychology and Cognitive Sciences

Four-Digit Fields of Research: Applied Mathematics; Biochemistry and Cell Biology; Communication and Media Studies; Environmental Science and Management; Human Geography; Human Movement and Sports Science; Linguistics; Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry; Materials Engineering; Performing Arts and Creative Writing; Psychology; Pure Mathematics; Sociology; and Statistics.

Overview of Results

ERA RATING	4-DIGIT FIELDS OF RESEARCH		2-DIGIT FIELDS OF RESEARCH
5 WELL ABOVE WORLD STANDARD	Complementary and Alternative Medicine	Microbiology	Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences
	Cultural Studies	Nursing	Biological Sciences
	Ecological Applications	Oncology and Carcinogenesis	Environmental Sciences
	Ecology	Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
	Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Plant Biology
	Evolutionary Biology	Soils Sciences
	Forestry Sciences	Zoology
4 ABOVE WORLD STANDARD	Applied Mathematics	Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry	Language, Communication and Culture
	Biochemistry and Cell Biology	Materials Engineering	Mathematical Sciences
	Communication and Media Studies	Performing Arts and Creative Writing	Medical and Health Sciences
	Environmental Science and Management	Psychology	Psychology and Cognitive Sciences
	Human Geography	Pure Mathematics
	Human Movement and Sports Science	Sociology
	Linguistics	Statistics
3 WORLD STANDARD	Analytical Chemistry	Law	Built Environment and Design
	Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing	Literary Studies	Chemical Sciences
	Astronomical and Space Sciences	Mechanical Engineering	Education
	Building	Neurosciences	Engineering
	Civil Engineering	Other Studies in Human Society	History and Archaeology
	Clinical Sciences	Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine	Information and Computing Sciences
	Criminology	Philosophy	Law and Legal Studies
	Curatorial and Related Studies	Physical Chemistry (Incl. Structural)	Philosophy and Religious Studies
	Distributed Computing	Public Health and Health Services	Physical Sciences
	Education Systems	Social Work	Studies in Creative Art and Writing
	Film, Television and Digital Media	Specialist Studies in Education	Studies in Human Society
	Historial Studies