Five disciplines at Shanxi University (SXU) were among the top 1 percent of Essential Science Indicators (ESI), an international database revealing emerging science trends, according to statistics released on Jan 21.

The number of disciplines from SXU included in the ESI ranking was first among universities in North China's Shanxi province.

The five disciplines are chemistry, engineering, materials science, environment/ecology and physics.

ESI is a basic analysis and evaluation tool launched by Thomson Reuters Group in 2001 to measure scientific research performance and track scientific development trends. It has become one of the important indicator tools commonly used to evaluate the international academic level and influence of universities, academic institutions, countries and regions worldwide.

Shanxi University has attached great importance to discipline development in recent years. The promotion of its ESI ranking marked a landmark achievement of the university's discipline development.