All citation-based metrics used in the ranking were derived from data collected on January 12, 2026. The focal bibliometric metric utilized to determine a scientist’s position within the ranking is the D-index (Discipline H-index). This index is a specialized adaptation of the classic H-index that considers only the publications and citations relevant to the specific discipline under examination—in this case, Ecology and Evolution—ensuring that the metric more accurately reflects scholarly impact within the studied field.
Scope of Research and Inclusion Criteria
To develop a robust and representative list, a total of 279,971 scientist profiles, identified from a variety of bibliometric data sources, were examined across all scientific disciplines. Among these, specifically 2,000 scientists whose work primarily targets Ecology and Evolution research were closely evaluated.
A key inclusion criterion for the ranking is that a researcher's D-index must be at least 30, ensuring only candidates with a substantial disciplinary impact are considered. Additionally, a majority of the researcher’s tier publications must be clearly rooted in the area of Ecology and Evolution. Besides bibliometric performance, a scientist’s awards and other notable achievements within the field were also taken into account as supplementary qualitative measures.
The D-index threshold is dynamically set as an increment of 10, scaled according to the total estimated number of researchers per discipline. This approach guarantees that the ranking consistently captures the top 1% of active scholars at the forefront of Ecology and Evolution research. Moreover, to ensure disciplinary specificity, the difference between a scientist’s general H-index and their D-index was restricted to 30% or less, maintaining a close alignment between general and discipline-specific impact.
Verification and Validation Practices
Understanding the complexities and limitations inherent in raw bibliometric data, the research team behind this ranking rigorously conducted manual verification of all scientist profiles. Each profile was cross-correlated against multiple trustworthy sources of publications to confirm the integrity and accuracy of the data.
While not directly influencing the position in the ranking, we also regard the number of publications in prominent journals and conference proceedings as valuable secondary indicators of a scientist’s substantive contributions to the Ecology and Evolution research community.
The principal ranking metric—researchers’ D-index—is computed on curated data obtained from OpenAlex and CrossRef, which remain the most prominent and accessible bibliometric databases for the global research community. We invite readers and stakeholders to explore in greater detail the comprehensive reasoning and processes involved by visiting our methodology page.
Research.com’s Mission and Vision
At Research.com, our mission is to foster greater awareness and understanding of the scientific landscape by motivating researchers, academic institutions, companies, and policymakers worldwide to trace where leading experts are advancing the boundaries of knowledge. By creating transparent, meticulously curated rankings of top scientists across disciplines and regions, including here in New Caledonia, we aim to provide the global scientific community with clear insights on the foremost experts defining their fields.
Through such efforts, we empower decision-makers and foster collaborations that ultimately enhance the impact and visibility of scientific research while supporting a robust ecosystem of innovation and scholarly excellence.
