Objective: The purpose of this research was to conduct a systematic review of studies on university rankings in Iran's higher education to provide an overview of the challenges faced by Iranian universities in international academic ranking systems and propose strategies for improving and enhancing the position and ranking of these universities.
Method: The research was conducted using a qualitative method of systematic review. Relevant research articles were collected through electronic searches. The process of identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion of the sample for study was carried out through the PRISMA protocol. In the conducted searches, 35 studies were identified for systematic review, and after removing duplicates and the performed screenings, a final total of 35 research studies that meet the inclusion criteria were analyzed.
Results: In the analysis of the challenges faced by Iranian universities in international rankings, the findings showed that the challenges in ranking Iranian universities are categorized into 6 areas: incompatibility of ranking systems with the local conditions of Iran, weaknesses of Iranian universities in online publishing, problems related to indicators, structural problems, documentation, and university responsibilities. Furthermore, the proposed strategies are collected into 4 categories: education and research, structural and organizational aspects, scientific documentation, and webometrics.
Conclusion: The Result of this study indicate that improving the position of Iranian universities in global ranking systems is not merely a numerical goal, but a natural consequence of institutional, cultural, and social reconstruction.