The list of «Highly Cited Researchers» is published annually by Clarivate. The authors who got there are very authoritative in the world of science and scientometry, they are considered a kind of «research elite». Clarivate recently published such a list for 2021.
What is HCR?
The list of «Highly Cited Researchers» was first formed in 2001. Since 2016, it has been compiled annually by Clarivate based on data from the international scientometric database Web of Science. The list is formed according to the methodology of the Institute of Scientific Information.
The HCR also includes scientists of the so-called «Nobel class» – Clarivate Citation Laureates. In addition, Highly Cited Researchers is used in the development of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).
Features of Highly Cited Researchers in 2021
• This year's list includes 6,602 authors from more than 70 countries.
• 3774 researchers present works in certain disciplines, 2828 are the representatives of the interdisciplinary area.
• The leaders of the list are authors from the USA, although the position of this country is weakening: from 43.3% in 2018 to 39.7% in 2021. Of all the publications indexed in the Web of Science from 2010 to 2020, the share of American authors is 24.7%.
• The leading countries of the list also included China, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Switzerland.
• For the first time, the list of top-rated authors includes representatives of Bangladesh, Kuwait, Mauritius, Morocco, Georgia.
• Harvard University has become the leading scientific organisation.
«The Nobel level»
The 2021 ranking list includes 24 Nobel Prize Laureates. 5 of them received the Nobel Prize this year: David Julius (physiology and medicine), Ardem Patapoutian (physiology and medicine), David V.K. MacMillan (chemistry), David Card (economics), Guido Imbens (economics).
77 authors of the list were included in Clarivate Citation Laureates. They are recognised as scientists of the «Nobel level", who in the future may become Nobel Prize laureates.
Citation Leaders by Country:
1. The USA – 2622
2. Mainland China – 935
3. Great Britain – 492
4. Australia – 332
5. Germany – 331
6. The Netherlands – 207
7. Canada – 196
8. France – 146
9. Spain – 109
10. Switzerland – 102
Organisations with the highest number of citation leaders
1. Harvard University, the USA – 215
2. Chinese Academy of Sciences, China – 194
3. Stanford University, the USA – 122
4. National Institute of Health – 93
5. The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science, Germany – 70
6. Massachusetts University of Technology, USA – 64
7. University of California, Berkeley, the USA – 62
8. Tsinghua University, China – 58
9. University of California, San Diego, the USA – 56
10. Oxford University, the UK – 51
List of disciplines
The disciplines according to which the most cited researchers are determined meet the Essential Science Indicators (ESI). This identifier includes 21 disciplines. However, some of the works from the list of the most cited did not correspond unambiguously to any of these categories but were at the «junction of sciences».
Because of this, some researchers have entered the citation rating in two or more disciplines. The record-holder was Professor Rob Knight from the University of California, who became one of the most cited in four ESI disciplines at once: biology and biochemistry; environment/ecology; microbiology; molecular biology and genetics.
Citation ratings today are a tool for determining the influence of countries, organisations, and individual researchers around the world. In addition to Highly Cited Researchers, there are many citation ratings both within the country and around the world. Leading positions can be obtained by publishing high-quality scientific materials. These positions provide credibility, global recognition, and also have a favourable impact on financing, material benefits.
If you need to increase the citation level or publish a paper in journals of international databases, the Scientific Publications company will be happy to help you!
Leave a request on the website or contact us in any way convenient for you. We are always glad to cooperate!
