A researcher’s position in the ranking is determined using the Discipline H-index, or D-index, a refined metric that accounts exclusively for papers and citation metrics within the Earth Science discipline. This approach guarantees that the evaluation pertains precisely to each scientist’s impact and contributions specific to their field, rather than relying on general or cross-disciplinary measures.
Scope of Research and Inclusion Criteria
The ranking encompasses a broad and rigorous scope of research evaluation. A total of 279,971 scientist profiles, identified across a variety of bibliometric data sources and covering all academic disciplines, were meticulously examined. Within this extensive dataset, 2,300 scientists specializing in Earth Science were identified and considered for inclusion in this ranking.
To qualify for consideration, a scientist must have a D-index of at least 30, ensuring that only researchers with significant discipline-specific impact are included. Additionally, the majority of their tier publications must be classified within the Earth Science domain. Beyond bibliometric thresholds, the ranking also integrates consideration of notable awards and achievements relevant to Earth Science, underscoring the importance of recognized scholarly excellence in the field.
The D-index thresholds are dynamically set in increments of 10 based on the total estimated number of scholars per discipline, with a design to guarantee that the top 1% of leading scholars are captured. Furthermore, a proximity constraint is applied, requiring that the difference between a scientist’s general H-index and their D-index remains at 30% or less, ensuring consistency between overall influence and discipline-specific impact.
Additional Verification Practices
The methodological rigor behind this ranking acknowledges that raw bibliometric data alone cannot serve as an absolute measure of scholarly output or quality. To address this, all scientist profiles were manually verified. This verification process involved cross-correlating publication records with a diverse range of trustworthy and authoritative sources to confirm accuracy and affiliation.
While a researcher’s number of papers published in prominent journals and conference proceedings is not a direct factor influencing the ranking position, such outputs serve as valuable secondary signals of a scientist’s contributions to Earth Science research.
The final position in the ranking is established strictly based on each researcher’s D-index derived from the data harvested from OpenAlex and CrossRef—two of the most prominent, well-recognized bibliometric databases accessible to the research community. For a comprehensive understanding of the detailed methodology, readers are encouraged to visit our methodology page.
Research.com’s Mission Behind the Ranking
At Research.com, our mission is to motivate researchers, corporations, and policymakers worldwide to actively examine trends and directions in scientific expertise. This ranking serves as a transparent and trusted resource enabling the global scientific community to identify and engage with leading experts in highly specialized areas of study, across various countries and within diverse research institutions.
By fostering greater visibility of top scholars in Earth Science within Indonesia, we aspire to facilitate collaboration, funding decisions, and strategic planning that enhance the advancement of this critical scientific discipline. The meticulous and transparent creation of this ranking reflects our commitment to accuracy, credibility, and meaningful impact.
