We present a novel algorithm to rank smaller academic entities such as university departments or research groups within a research discipline. The Weighted Top Candidate (WTC) algorithm is a generalisation of an expert identification method. The axiomatic characterisation of WTC shows why it is especially suitable for scientometric purposes. The key axiom is stability – the selected institutions support each other's membership. The WTC algorithm, upon receiving an institution citation matrix, produces a list of institutions that can be deemed experts of the field. With a parameter we can adjust how exclusive our list should be. By completely relaxing the parameter, we obtain the largest stable set – academic entities that can qualify as experts under the mildest conditions. With a strict setup, we obtain a short list of the absolute elite. We demonstrate the algorithm on a citation database compiled from game theoretic literature published between 2008–2017. By plotting the size of the stable sets with respect to exclusiveness, we can obtain an overview of the competitiveness of the field. The diagram hints at how difficult it is for an institution to improve its position.

我们提出了一种新颖的算法，可以对研究学科内较小的学术实体（例如大学部门或研究小组）进行排名。加权最高候选人（WTC）算法是专家识别方法的概括。WTC的公理化特征表明了为什么它特别适合用于科学计量目的。关键公理是稳定性–选定的机构相互支持。WTC算法在收到机构引用矩阵后，会生成可以视为该领域专家的机构列表。使用参数，我们可以调整列表的排他性。通过完全放宽参数，我们可以获得最大的稳定集-在最温和的条件下有资格作为专家的学术实体。通过严格的设置，我们获得了绝对精英的简短列表。我们在引用数据库中论证了该算法，该数据库是根据2008-2017年间发表的游戏理论文献汇编而成的。通过绘制稳定集相对于排他性的大小，我们可以获得该领域竞争力的概况。该图暗示了机构改善其地位有多困难。