Who are some of the best and brightest scientific minds of our time?
Thomson Reuters answers this question, as it has in the past, by analyzing data using its Web of
Science and InCites platforms to determine which researchers have produced work that is most
frequently acknowledged by peers.
These highly cited researchers were determined by analyzing at citation data over the last 11 years to identify those who published the highest impact work (2002—2012 and 2012—2013). These individuals are influencing the future direction of their fields, and of the world.
Within this collection of most highly cited researchers is a small subset of individuals who have published the greatest number of hot papers during 2012-2013. Hot papers are ranked in the top .1% by citations for their field. In addition to being highly cited over the last decade, these individuals have produced recent work, within the last two years, that’s made a notable impact on their peers. They are the authors of multiple hot papers, the publishers of research and experiments that fellow scientists find groundbreaking and influential.
The second section of researchers lists some 3,200 individuals who published the greatest number of highly cited papers in one of 21 broad fields, 2002-2012. Highly cited papers rank in the top 1% by citations for their field and year of publication. Both hot papers and highly cited papers are featured in the Essential Science Indicators database of Thomson Reuters.
It is precisely this type of recognition, recognition by peers, in the form of citations, that makes their status meaningful. The identification of these individuals is rooted in the collective, objective opinions of the scientific community. Fellow scientists, through their citations, give credit to these people and their work.
Everyone acknowledged in this book is a person of influence in the sciences and social sciences. They are the people who are on the cutting edge of their fields. They are performing and publishing work that their peers recognize as vital to the advancement of their science. These researchers are, undoubtedly, among the most influential scientific minds of our time.