ISI Highly Cited Researchers

ISI Highly Cited Researchers
Name	ISI Highly Cited Researchers
Established	2001
Publisher	Clarivate
Country	United States

ISI Highly Cited Researchers are annual compilations identifying researchers whose publications rank among the top 1% by citations for field and year, produced by Clarivate using Thomson Reuters' citation indices. The lists influence academic recognition, recruitment, and funding, and intersect with major universities, research institutes, and national research assessment exercises. They attract attention from institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and funding bodies such as the National Institutes of Health, European Research Council, and Wellcome Trust.

Overview

The lists highlight individuals across subject categories tracked by the Web of Science Core Collection, including fields associated with publishers like Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley. Prominent names often overlap with laureates from Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and Nobel Prize in Physics, as well as recipients of the Lasker Award, Fields Medal, and Turing Award. Recipients are frequently affiliated with institutions such as California Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, Peking University, Tsinghua University, University of Tokyo, Imperial College London, and University of California, Berkeley.

Methodology and Selection Criteria

Clarivate's methodology uses citation databases including Science Citation Index Expanded and Social Sciences Citation Index to compute citation thresholds. Selection relies on citation metrics associated with authors like Eugene Garfield and analytic frameworks related to the Journal Citation Reports and Eigenfactor. The process accounts for author name disambiguation challenges noted in studies by researchers at University of Leiden, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Chicago, and interacts with identifier systems such as ORCID and ResearcherID.

Historical Development and Updates

Origins trace to the citation work of Eugene Garfield and the founding of Institute for Scientific Information. Annual lists have evolved alongside corporate changes involving Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics and with the expansion of the Web of Science platform. Periodic methodological changes have been reported in conjunction with conferences like the International Conference on Scientometrics and Informetrics and journals such as Scientometrics and Journal of Informetrics.

Geographic and Institutional Distribution

Coverage reveals strong representation from universities and institutes in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Germany, and Japan. Top-affiliated organizations often include National Institutes of Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Max Planck Society, CNRS, and Riken. Distribution analyses compare concentrations at Yale University, Princeton University, University of California, San Francisco, Johns Hopkins University, ETH Zurich, University of Toronto, and Seoul National University.

Influence and Criticism

The lists influence hiring at institutions such as Columbia University and UCLA and affect rankings produced by Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings. Critics from scholars at King's College London, University of Amsterdam, and University of Minho have raised concerns paralleling debates over h-index and metrics-based assessment reported in Nature (journal) and Science (journal). Controversies involve comparisons to initiatives like the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and discussions at bodies including the Royal Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Notable Lists and Examples

Annual lists often highlight figures associated with breakthroughs recognized alongside awards such as the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Crafoord Prize, and national honors like the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Examples include researchers affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute, Salk Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as well as high-profile scholars from Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and Weizmann Institute of Science.

Impact on Careers and Funding Decisions

Inclusion can affect career trajectories at universities including University of Michigan, University of Washington, Duke University, University of Edinburgh, and Monash University. Funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and national ministries reference citation indicators in evaluations. Debates over reliance on such lists intersect with reform efforts like those advocated by COPE and participants in Open Science movements.

Category:Science and technology lists