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Futures
H-index 26

Futures

0016-3287

Published by: Elsevier

https://www.journals.elsevier.com/futures

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Social Sciences and Humanities 262 23 30 14
Business and Management 362 9 12 9

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 95
Documents by Best Scientists*: 91
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 4
SCIMAGO H-index: 105
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.12
Impact Factor: 3.8

Overview

Top Research Topics at Futures?

Futures contract, Futures studies, Social science, Economic growth and Environmental ethics are among the topics commonly tackled in the journal. While Futures contract is the focus of it, it also provided insights into the studies of Management science, Public relations and Economy. Studies on Social science discussed in it link to the field of Epistemology.

  • Futures contract (18.60%)
  • Futures studies (10.77%)
  • Social science (9.90%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Science for the post-normal age (2769 citations)
  • Scenarios: The art of strategic conversation (1646 citations)
  • The informal economy (1004 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Futures:

The main points discussed in the published articles deal with Futures contract, Management science, Futures studies, Epistemology and Social science. Aside from discussions in Futures contract, the journal articles also deal with the subject of Backcasting which intersects with Environmental resource management disciplines. The most cited articles focus on Management science but also tackle concerns of closely connected disciplines like

  • Process (engineering) and related Knowledge management,
  • Sustainable development which is related to area like Economic growth..

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

  • World War II
  • Law
  • China

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal covers a variety of subjects, including Futures contract, Futures studies, Corporate governance, Context (language use) and Epistemology. It explores issues in Futures contract which can be linked to other research areas like Public relations, Environmental ethics, Order (exchange), Literacy and Anticipation (artificial intelligence). Some problems in Futures studies that were presented in Futures overlapped with concepts under Engineering ethics, Government, Work (electrical), Field (Bourdieu) and Process (engineering).

The journal focuses on Corporate governance but sometimes tackles the closely related topic of Politics which is concerned with Political economy. The studies on Context (language use) discussed can also contribute to research in the domains of Term (time) and Face (sociological concept). Topics in Epistemology were tackled in line with various other fields like Reflexivity, Temporalities and Set (psychology).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Strategy for collectives and common goods: Coordinating strategy, long-term perspectives and policy domains in governance (9 citations)
  • Solar geoengineering: Scenarios of future governance challenges (5 citations)
  • Extending the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) to support local adaptation planning—A climate service for Flensburg, Germany (4 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 Futures (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Richard A. Slaughter (84 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Dennis Livingston (56 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Sohail Inayatullah (51 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Bruce Tonn (44 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • I.F. Clarke (38 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 Futures (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Strathclyde (60 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Turku (50 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Sussex (45 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Delft University of Technology (39 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Manchester (34 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous 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, 14.49% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 13.56% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 12.71% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 17.80% of all publications and 55.93% 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.

Career Opportunities in Fields of Futures Studies

Clarifying the professional benefits and career prospects of future researchers can further enhance the depth of an in-depth investigation of the Futures Journal. Given the rise in demand for professionals who are capable of navigating a world in constant evolution, a career in futures studies is becoming increasingly attractive. Futures Scholars have a wide range of career prospects that align with their intellectual interest. From recognized academic institutions to public organizations and private corporations, the knowledge gained in Futures studies is highly applicable and sought after.

Several career paths are available for those interested in this field, such as Futurist Consultants, Strategic Planners, Organizational Change Managers, and Convention and Workshop Facilitators, among others. It could also lead to an opportunity to become a licensed counselor, where you can use your skills to inspire change on individual and community levels. If you're interested in exploring this path, learn more about getting a counseling license in Illinois.

These career paths are exciting, dynamic, and critical in navigating the world of tomorrow. Armed with foresight and guided by the knowledge obtained from Futures studies, you can become an essential part of shaping the future.

Top Publications

  • Futures literacy and the diversity of the future

    Astrid C. Mangnus;Jeroen Oomen;Joost M. Vervoort;Joost M. Vervoort;Maarten A. Hajer

    (2021)
    84 Citations
  • Exploring global food system shocks, scenarios and outcomes.

    Hannah Hamilton;Roslyn Henry;Mark Rounsevell;Dominic Moran

    (2020)
    59 Citations
  • Transdisciplinarity: Synthesis towards a modular approach

    Ortwin Renn

    (2021)
    58 Citations
  • The engagement of home-based businesses in the digital economy

    Darja Reuschke;Colin Mason

    (2020)
    50 Citations
  • Strengthening foresight for governance of social-ecological systems: an interdisciplinary perspective

    (2022)
    44 Citations
  • Digital futures of small businesses and entrepreneurial opportunity

    Darja Reuschke;Colin Mason;Stephen Syrett

    (2021)
    38 Citations
  • Future space missions and human enhancement: Medical and ethical challenges

    Konrad Szocik;Mark Shelhamer;Martin Braddock;Francis A. Cucinotta

    (2021)
    36 Citations
  • Stakeholders’ preferences for the future of transport in Europe: Participatory evaluation of scenarios combining scenario planning and the multi-actor multi-criteria analysis

    Imre Keseru;Thierry Coosemans;Cathy Macharis

    (2021)
    34 Citations
  • How bad data quality can turn a simulation into a dissimulation that shapes the future

    (2022)
    33 Citations
  • Imagining transformation: Change agent narratives of sustainable futures

    (2022)
    32 Citations

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Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal