World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
American Journal of Science
H-index 16

American Journal of Science

0002-9599

Published by: American Journal of Science

https://www.ajsonline.org/

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Earth Science 223 142 93 16

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 159
Documents by Best Scientists*: 103
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 14
SCIMAGO H-index: 133
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.273
Impact Factor: 2.5

Overview

Top Research Topics at American Journal of Science?

The journal is mainly concerned with subjects like Geochemistry, Paleontology, Archaeology, Mineralogy and Geomorphology. The in-depth study on Geochemistry also explores topics in the intersecting field of Petrology.

  • Geochemistry (17.68%)
  • Paleontology (12.26%)
  • Archaeology (7.72%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Volcanic rock series in island arcs and active continental margins (1993 citations)
  • Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus transport by world rivers (1729 citations)
  • The carbonate-silicate geochemical cycle and its effect on atmospheric carbon dioxide over the past 100 million years (1647 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at American Journal of Science:

The journal publications are organized to reinforce research efforts on Geochemistry, Paleontology, Mineralogy, Geomorphology and Petrology. The journal papers focus on Geochemistry research which is adjacent to topics in Carbonate. The journal papers hold forums on Mineralogy that merge themes from other disciplines such as Quartz and Analytical chemistry.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Quantum mechanics
  • Ecology
  • Paleontology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal investigates studies in Geochemistry, Zircon, Metamorphism, Craton and Paleontology. It focuses on Geochemistry as well as the interrelated topic of Permian. Topics in Zircon were tackled in line with various other fields like Subduction, Basement (geology), Igneous rock and Geochronology.

It addresses concerns in Subduction which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Plate tectonics and Crust. The research on Metamorphism featured in it combines topics in other fields like Volcanic rock, Granulite, Proterozoic, Gneiss and Archean. The featured Supercontinent studies mainly concentrate on Mozambique Belt but also cover areas of interest in Paleozoic.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Deciphering paleogeography from orogenic architecture: constructing orogens in a future supercontinent as thought experiment (2 citations)
  • Reconstructing lost plates of the Panthalassa Ocean through paleomagnetic data from circum-Pacific accretionary orogens (1 citations)
  • Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of TTG granitoids from the Daqingshan Complex of the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton (1 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in American Journal of Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Othniel Charles Marsh (80 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Edward W. Berry (40 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Robert A. Berner (40 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Charles Schuchert (27 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • James Dwight Dana (27 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in American Journal of Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Yale University (56 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Harvard University (34 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • United States Geological Survey (30 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (24 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
  • Stanford University (18 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 6.67% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 28.57% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 17.86% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 21.43% of all publications and 32.14% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Top Publications

  • Carbon isotopes in clastic rocks and the Neoproterozoic carbon cycle

    Donald E. Canfield;Andrew H. Knoll;Simon W. Poulton;Guy M. Narbonne

    (2020)
    62 Citations
  • The effects of diagenesis on lithium isotope ratios of shallow marine carbonates

    Mathieu Dellinger;Mathieu Dellinger;Dalton S. Hardisty;Noah J. Planavsky;Benjamin C. Gill

    (2020)
    52 Citations
  • A case of Ampferer-type subduction and consequences for the Alps and the Pyrenees

    Anders McCarthy;Julie Tugend;Julie Tugend;Geoffroy Mohn;Lorenzo Candioti

    (2020)
    48 Citations
  • Thermodynamic constraints on the geochemistry of low-temperature, continental, serpentinization-generated fluids

    James Andrew M. Leong;Everett L. Shock

    (2020)
    44 Citations
  • Late Neoarchean magmatic – metamorphic event and crustal stabilization in the North China Craton

    Mingguo Zhai;Lei Zhao;Xiyan Zhu;Yanyan Zhou

    (2021)
    38 Citations
  • A combined geochronological and paleomagnetic study on ∼1220 Ma mafic dikes in the North China Craton and the implications for the breakup of Nuna and assembly of Rodinia

    Jikai Ding;Shihong Zhang;Hanqing Zhao;Hanbiao Xian

    (2020)
    27 Citations
  • Continuous continental growth as constrained by the sedimentary record

    Christopher J. Spencer

    (2020)
    26 Citations
  • On carbon burial and net primary production through Earth's history

    (2022)
    26 Citations
  • Reconsidering the uplift history and peneplanation of the northern Lhasa terrane, Tibet

    Miquela Ingalls;David B. Rowley;Brian S. Currie;Albert S. Colman

    (2020)
    25 Citations
  • Constraints on surface temperature 3.4 billion years ago based on triple oxygen isotopes of cherts from the Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, and the problem of sample selection

    Donald R. Lowe;Daniel E. Ibarra;Daniel E. Ibarra;Nadja Drabon;C. Page Chamberlain

    (2020)
    22 Citations

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Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal