The Clarivate Analytics list of Highly Cited Researchers (HCRs) for 2018 identifies scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant influence through the publication of multiple highly cited papers during the last decade. The data derive from Essential Science Indicators (ESI), a component of InCites.
Highly cited papers – a definition
The list focuses on contemporary research achievement. Only highly cited papers in journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection between 2006-2016 were surveyed. Highly cited papers are defined as those that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and publication year. This percentile-based selection method removes the citation advantage of older papers relative to recently published ones.
Recognising cross-field influence
A new category in the 2018 report recognises researchers who have substantial influence across several fields.
“Breaking through the artificial walls of conventional disciplinary categories will help keep our Highly Cited Researcher list contemporary and relevant.”
Key findings
The 2018 list contains a total of 6,078 Highly Cited Researchers – 4,058 in 21 fields and 2,020 with exceptional performance across several fields.
Top ten countries
- US - 2639 HCR authors
- UK – 546
- China – 482
- Germany – 356
- Australia – 245
- Netherlands – 189
- Canada – 166
- France – 157
- Switzerland – 133
- Spain – 115
China (mainland) continues to move up the list and has overtaken Germany to reach the third spot on the top 10 country/region list.
Top five institutions
- Harvard University
- National Institute of Health (US)
- Stanford University
- Chinese Academy of Science
- Max Planck Society (Germany)
Governmental research institutions feature prominently, including the US National Institutes of Health, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Society.
Source: Clarivate.