World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Rural Sociology
H-index 7

Rural Sociology

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Social Sciences and Humanities 1010 8 10 5

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 15
Documents by Best Scientists*: 16
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 0
SCIMAGO H-index: 82
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.721
Impact Factor: 1.9

Overview

Top Research Topics at Rural Sociology?

Rural Sociology primarily tackles Rural area, Economic growth, Socioeconomics, Agriculture and Rural sociology. The journal holds forums on Rural area that merges themes from other disciplines such as Poverty, Demography, Development economics, Population growth and Metropolitan area. Topics in Economic growth explored in it were investigated in conjunction with research in Rural history, Rural settlement, Demographic economics and Rural economics.

It focuses on Socioeconomics research which is adjacent to topics in Socioeconomic status. The majority of Agriculture studies presented zero in on Agricultural productivity. The study on Rural sociology presented is investigated in conjunction with research in Social science.

  • Rural area (24.91%)
  • Economic growth (22.70%)
  • Socioeconomics (14.65%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • A Theory of Access. (1420 citations)
  • The diffusion of hybrid seed corn in two Iowa communities (1143 citations)
  • Definitions of community : Areas of Agreement (866 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Rural Sociology:

The journal publications are mainly concerned with subjects like Economic growth, Rural area, Rural sociology, Socioeconomics and Poverty. The journal articles explore research in Rural area alongside concepts in Metropolitan area and other areas of study in Human capital. The Rural sociology study featured in the journal papers falls within the wider field of Agriculture.

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 topics of Political economy, Socioeconomics, Rurality, Agriculture and Gender studies are the focal point of discussions in Rural Sociology. While Political economy is the key highlight in Rural Sociology, it also covered some subjects on Populism and State (polity). The research on Socioeconomics tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Community benefit, Rural area, Rural youth, Diversity (politics) and Rural school.

It focused on works that combine different research areas such as Rural area and Twenty-First Century. Rural Sociology tackles studies in Ethnology and the interrelated subject of Liminality and Young adult to gain insights into Rurality. The journal addresses concerns in Agriculture which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Neoliberalism (international relations), Climate change, Natural resource economics, Economy and State capitalism.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • The Nature and Nuance of Climate Change Skepticism in the United States (2 citations)
  • Unsettling Resilience: Colonial Ecological Violence, Indigenous Futurisms, and the Restoration of the Elwha River* (2 citations)
  • Settler Colonialism and Rural Environmental Injustice: Water Inequality on the Navajo Nation* (2 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 Rural Sociology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Daniel T. Lichter (20 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Richard S. Krannich (16 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • A. E. Luloff (15 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Diane K. McLaughlin (15 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Thomas A. Lyson (13 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 Rural Sociology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Pennsylvania State University (143 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Cornell University (79 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (57 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Iowa State University (50 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Brigham Young University (44 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition, 2 less than 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, 3.45% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 35.71% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 12.50% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 7.14% of all publications and 44.64% 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.

Educational Background and Training of Contributors

Significant contribution for the papers published in the journal is made by academics and researchers from multiple disciplines. These contributors generally have an extensive educational background and receive specific training which equips them to produce such high-quality research. Depending on the nature of the research, contributors often have advanced degrees such as Masters or Doctorates in sociology, economics, agriculture, and related fields.

For instance, those focusing on rural sociology may be required to have a deep understanding of sociological theories and methods, along with specialized knowledge in rural societies and agriculture. Similarly, contributors focusing on economic growth and socioeconomics research would typically have a background in economics and might have special training in data analysis, economic modeling, and economic theory.

Continuing education and professional development are also crucial in staying abreast with the latest methodologies, research techniques, and emerging trends in their respective fields. Many contributors also have teaching roles, where they not only educate the next generation of researchers but also continuously grow and learn in their capacity as educators.

Moreover, aspiring researchers and academics who are interested in specializing in fields like marital counseling often must meet specific educational and training requirements relevant to their region. For example, to gain insights into the specific requirements for becoming an expert in the field of marital counseling in Oklahoma, you may refer to the link Marriage counseling education requirements in Oklahoma.

Overall, the level of education, training, and ongoing professional development of contributors significantly influence the quality of research and academic discourse that is propagated through the Rural Sociology journal.

Top Publications

  • Agriculture, Pesticide Use, and Economic Development: A Global Examination (1990–2014)

    John Hedlund;Stefano B. Longo;Richard York

    (2020)
    97 Citations
  • Income Inequality across the Rural-Urban Continuum in the United States, 1970-2016.

    Brian C. Thiede;Jaclyn L. W. Butler;David L. Brown;Leif Jensen

    (2020)
    31 Citations
  • Reacting to the Rural Burden: Understanding Opposition to Utility‐Scale Solar Development in Upstate New York ☆

    (2023)
    18 Citations
  • Bonding Social Capital of Rural Women in Southwest Iran: Application of Social Network Analysis*

    (2022)
    11 Citations
  • Inter-County Migration and the Spatial Concentration of Poverty: Comparing Metro and Nonmetro Patterns*

    Daniel T. Lichter;Domenico Parisi;Michael C. Taquino

    (2021)
    8 Citations
  • “Do you Know What's Underneath your Feet?”: Underground Landscapes & Place‐Based Risk Perceptions of Proposed Shale Gas Sites in Rural British Communities☆

    (2023)
    4 Citations
  • A Sociology of Empathy and Shared Understandings: Contextualizing Beliefs and Attitudes on Why People Use Opioids

    (2022)
    2 Citations
  • Agriculture, Pesticide Use, and Economic Development: A Cross-National Analysis (1990-2014)

    John Hedlund;Stefano Longo;Richard York

    (2020)
    0 Citations
  • Uneven Growth and Unexpected Drivers of Ethnoracial Diversity across Nonmetropolitan and Metropolitan America☆

    (2024)
    0 Citations
  • Rural–Urban/Suburban Differences in the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Delinquency<sup>☆</sup>

    (2024)
    0 Citations

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