A scientist's position in this ranking is determined by their D-index (Discipline H-index), a refined metric that considers only publications and citations pertinent to the specific discipline under analysis—in this case, Economics and Finance. This tailored approach ensures a discipline-focused evaluation of each researcher's academic impact.
Scope of Research and Qualification Criteria
The ranking evaluated a total of 279,971 scientist profiles identified across all scientific disciplines from a wide array of bibliometric sources. Within this extensive dataset, 4,000 scientists specializing in Economics and Finance were specifically examined for inclusion.
To qualify for the Economics and Finance ranking, each scientist needed to meet the following criteria:
- A minimum D-index of 30.
- A majority of the scientist’s tier publications had to fall within the Economics and Finance domain.
- Consideration of the scientist’s awards and notable achievements specifically in Economics and Finance.
The threshold for the D-index required to be considered a top researcher is adjusted in increments of 10 according to the estimated total number of scholars in each discipline. This approach ensures the inclusion of the top 1% of leading scholars by discipline. Additionally, there is a requirement for proximity between a scientist’s general H-index and their D-index to be approximately 30% or less, reinforcing a strong alignment between broader academic impact and discipline-specific impact.
Additional Verification Practices
At Research.com, we acknowledge that raw bibliometric data alone cannot serve as an absolute measure of a scholar’s contributions. Therefore, all scientist profiles included in the ranking underwent a manual verification process. Each profile was cross-correlated against publications from a diverse range of trustworthy and high-quality sources to ensure accuracy and authenticity.
While the number of papers published in prominent journals and conference proceedings is not directly factored into the ranking position, it is recognized as a valuable secondary indicator of a scientist’s influence and contribution within their field.
The final positions within the ranking were established using the D-index methodology based on information gathered from OpenAlex and CrossRef, which are considered the most prominent and well-regarded bibliometric databases available to the research community. For more detailed information on the methodology employed, we encourage the reader to visit our methodology page.
Research.com’s Agenda behind the Ranking
The mission of Research.com in creating this ranking is to inspire researchers, companies, and policymakers worldwide to explore the trajectories of leading experts in their respective fields. Our goal is to provide the global scientific community with a transparent and reliable overview of who the foremost experts are in specific research areas, across countries, and within academic institutions.
By facilitating this knowledge-sharing and recognition, we aim to foster stronger collaborations, accelerate scientific innovation, and strategically inform investment in research initiatives that can have the greatest impact.
