Relative Pairwise Ranking: A normalization-free ordinal ranking approach for multi-criteria decision-making
Published 2026-08-27
Keywords
- Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM);,
- relative rairwise ranking (RPR);,
- decision making; pairwise comparison
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
In Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods, selecting an appropriate data normalization technique is a complex process. An unsuitable normalization method may distort the intrinsic ranking of alternatives. To address this issue, this study proposes a normalization-free, ordinal pairwise ranking approach, referred to as Relative Pairwise Ranking (RPR). The method evaluates alternatives based on criterion-wise pairwise dominance and aggregates these outcomes using criterion weights, providing a scale-independent and interpretable ranking framework. The performance of the proposed approach is evaluated through illustrative examples and a real-world case study, supported by sensitivity and comparative analyses. The results indicate that RPR produces stable and consistent rankings across different weighting schemes and demonstrates robustness in the tested rank-reversal scenarios. These findings suggest that the proposed approach offers a practical alternative to normalization-based MCDM methods.
Article history: Received (March 14, 2025); Revised (May 14, 2026); Accepted (May 18, 2026); Published online (August 27, 2026)