World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
RNA
H-index 35

RNA

1355-8382

Published by: RNA Society

https://rnajournal.cshlp.org/

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Molecular Biology 35 110 167 27
Biology and Biochemistry 221 116 158 26

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 357
Documents by Best Scientists*: 392
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 16
SCIMAGO H-index: 196
SCIMAGO SJR: 2.512
Impact Factor: 5

Overview

Top Research Topics at RNA?

The main research concerns discussed in RNA are RNA, Genetics, Cell biology, Biochemistry and Molecular biology. Topics in RNA were tackled in line with various other fields like Messenger RNA and Computational biology. RNA primarily discusses Genetics topics, particularly RNA splicing, Intron, Gene, microRNA and Translation (biology).

While it focused on RNA splicing, it was also able to explore topics like Alternative splicing and Exon. The journal explores topics in Intron which can be helpful for research in disciplines like Group II intron and Small nuclear RNA. The studies on Cell biology discussed can also contribute to research in the domains of Polyadenylation, Gene expression, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, RNA interference and Gene silencing.

RNA links adjacent topics like Biochemistry with Stereochemistry. The journal focuses on Molecular biology but the discussions also offer insight into other areas such as Ribonucleoprotein, RNase P, RNA silencing and Transcription (biology). RNA explores research in Ribosome alongside concepts in Ribosomal RNA and other areas of study in Ribosomal protein and 23S ribosomal RNA.

  • RNA (45.23%)
  • Genetics (33.36%)
  • Cell biology (24.50%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Circular RNAs are abundant, conserved, and associated with ALU repeats (2298 citations)
  • Fast and effective prediction of microRNA/target duplexes (1824 citations)
  • A uniform system for microRNA annotation (1587 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at RNA:

The most cited papers focus largely on the fields of RNA, Genetics, Molecular biology, Cell biology and Biochemistry. The RNA study tackled in the most cited articles is a key component of adjacent topics in the area of Binding site. The journal publications deal with Molecular biology in conjunction with RNA interference and similar fields in Small interfering RNA.

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

  • Gene
  • DNA
  • Enzyme

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The aim of RNA is to expand the discussion of research in RNA, Cell biology, Computational biology, Messenger RNA and Gene. The discussions emphasized the topic of RNA in an attempt to further explore the field of Biochemistry. Cell biology research featured in it incorporates concerns from various other topics such as Alternative splicing, RNA splicing, Translation (biology), RNA-binding protein and Transcription (biology).

Issues in RNA splicing were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Intron and Exon. In the journal, researchers investigate the Intron study as part of research in the field of Genetics. Nucleic acid structure, Context (language use), Protein secondary structure, Genome and Function (biology) are some topics wherein Computational biology research discussed in RNA have an impact.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • The viral protein NSP1 acts as a ribosome gatekeeper for shutting down host translation and fostering SARS-CoV-2 translation. (40 citations)
  • Different tertiary interactions create the same important 3D features in a distinct flavivirus xrRNA. (13 citations)
  • RNA partitioning into stress granules is based on the summation of multiple interactions. (10 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 RNA (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Stewart Shuman (57 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
  • Eric Westhof (45 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Reinhard Lührmann (40 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Beate Schwer (32 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Roy Parker (29 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous 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 RNA (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Yale University (154 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute (147 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
  • Max Planck Society (129 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Centre national de la recherche scientifique (105 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Colorado Boulder (95 papers) published 3 papers 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, 11.68% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 20.66% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 13.22% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 15.70% of all publications and 50.41% 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

  • Overcoming the bottleneck to widespread testing: a rapid review of nucleic acid testing approaches for COVID-19 detection.

    Meagan N. Esbin;Oscar N. Whitney;Shasha Chong;Anna Maurer

    (2020)
    494 Citations
  • Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.

    Miguel Angel Rubio Gomez;Michael Ibba

    (2020)
    270 Citations
  • RNA genome conservation and secondary structure in SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-related viruses: a first look.

    Ramya Rangan;Ivan N. Zheludev;Rachel J. Hagey;Edward A. Pham

    (2020)
    265 Citations
  • Direct RNA sequencing enables m6A detection in endogenous transcript isoforms at base-specific resolution.

    Daniel A. Lorenz;Shashank Sathe;Jaclyn M. Einstein;Gene W. Yeo

    (2020)
    198 Citations
  • The viral protein NSP1 acts as a ribosome gatekeeper for shutting down host translation and fostering SARS-CoV-2 translation.

    Antonin Tidu;Aurélie Janvier;Laure Schaeffer;Piotr Sosnowski

    (2021)
    152 Citations
  • RNA-Puzzles Round IV: 3D structure predictions of four ribozymes and two aptamers

    Zhichao Miao;Zhichao Miao;Ryszard W. Adamiak;Ryszard W. Adamiak;Maciej Antczak;Maciej Antczak;Michał J. Boniecki

    (2020)
    134 Citations
  • FISH-quant v2: a scalable and modular tool for smFISH image analysis

    (2022)
    118 Citations
  • RNA in formation and regulation of transcriptional condensates.

    Phillip A Sharp;Arup K Chakraborty;Jonathan E Henninger;Richard A Young

    (2021)
    86 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Pursuing a Chemistry degree in the USA opens doors to various career paths beyond traditional lab roles. For those interested in the healthcare industry, exploring the steps to become a pharmacist can be a valuable direction, combining scientific knowledge with patient care.

Additionally, Chemistry graduates may find opportunities in healthcare administration and coding. Becoming a Certified Professional Coder is one such path, and understanding the cpc salary and career prospects can help in making an informed decision.

For those interested in sales within the pharmaceutical industry, the role of a pharmaceutical sales representative is worth considering. Researching the drug rep salary and career paths can highlight potential benefits and growth opportunities.

Finally, Chemistry students looking to transition into patient care without a traditional nursing background can explore online nursing programs for non nurses. These programs offer flexible pathways to enter nursing and expand career options in the healthcare sector.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles