The 2nd edition of Research.com ranking of the best scholars in the
discipline of Social Sciences and Humanities was created using data
derived from multiple data sources including OpenAlex and
CrossRef. The bibliometric data for evaluating the citation-based metrics were
acquired on 21-12-2022. Position in the ranking is based on a
researcher’s D-index (Discipline H-index), which
takes into account only papers and citation
metrics for an examined discipline.
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The range of our Social Sciences and Humanities research
Research.com’s best scholars ranking is a credible
account of leading scholars from the discipline of
Social Sciences and Humanities, based on a detailed
analysis of 166,880 researchers determined
from various bibliometric data sources. For the discipline of
Social Sciences and Humanities, over 15317 scientists were
investigated.
What is D-index approval threshold for Social Sciences and Humanities
The D-index threshold for approving a scientist to be
evaluated is placed at 30 if
most of their publications are in the discipline of Social Sciences and Humanities. The
approval requirements for scientists to be
considered into the ranking of top scholars are based on the D-index, proportion
of the contributions made within the given discipline
in addition to the awards and achievements of the researchers. The
D-index threshold for including leading scholars is
set as an increment of 10 depending on the total number of scientists
projected for each area od study whilst
ensuring that the top 1% of best scientists are
added into the list. We estimate a proximity of
30% or less between a scholar’s general H-index and their D-index.
Additional verification practices
Since our primary mission is to make sure that only
credible scientists are included in
our ranking we realize that metrics are never
meant to be a full tool to quantify the
contributions of researchers. For that reason
we manually inspect each profile and cross-correlate it against publications in a
varied range of reliable sources. Although it’s not a
factor impacting a researcher’s position in
Research.com ranking, the amount of documents published in
well-known journals and conference proceedings should form a
valuable secondary implication of their contribution to research in a
given discipline. Position in the ranking is
established using each scholar’s D-index
with the help of information gathered from OpenAlex and
CrossRef, which are the most credible and well-established bibliometric
databases of this kind accessible to the research community. A
detailed explanation of our research procedures
can be found on our
methodology page.
Our agenda
Our aim is to inspire scholars,
businessmen and administrative bodies
worldwide to examine where prominent experts are heading
and to offer a way for the whole research community to
get to know who the leading experts in specific
disciplines, in different countries, or even within research
institutions are.
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Key findings for Social Sciences and Humanities
With 44 scholars South Africa ranks in spot 16
in the world.
As far as scientific affiliations are concerned, the affiliation with the highest number of top scholars in South Africa is University of Cape Town with 13 scholars affiliated with it being features in the Social Sciences and Humanities ranking. It is followed by University of Cape Town with 10 scientists. Ranking thirds is University of the Western Cape with 8 scholars.
Prominent scholars featured in South Africa are associated with South African Medical Research Council, University of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, University of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch University, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Human Sciences Research Council, University of the Free State, University of Johannesburg, University of Pretoria.
Professor Rachel Jewkes from South African Medical Research Council is featured as the best researcher in South Africa in our ranking with a D-index of 90. Ranking on the second place in South Africa is Lucy Gilson from University of Cape Town with a D-index of 87. The third place in South Africa is occupied by David Sanders from University of the Western Cape with a D-index of 74.
The average D-index for the top 3% researchers is 90 in comparison to an average of 46 for all 44 scientists included in our ranking.
The average number of published articles within the area of Social Sciences and Humanities for the top 3% of scientists in the ranking is 344 in comparison to an average of 209 for all 44 scholars.
The average number of citations for the top 3% scholars is 38698 against an average of 14014 for all 44 researchers.
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