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Characterizing a scientific elite: the social characteristics of the most highly cited scientists in environmental science and ecology

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Listed:
  • John N. Parker

    (University of California, Santa Barbara)

  • Christopher Lortie

    (York University)

  • Stefano Allesina

    (University of Chicago)

Abstract

In science, a relatively small pool of researchers garners a disproportionally large number of citations. Still, very little is known about the social characteristics of highly cited scientists. This is unfortunate as these researchers wield a disproportional impact on their fields, and the study of highly cited scientists can enhance our understanding of the conditions which foster highly cited work, the systematic social inequalities which exist in science, and scientific careers more generally. This study provides information on this understudied subject by examining the social characteristics and opinions of the 0.1% most cited environmental scientists and ecologists. Overall, the social characteristics of these researchers tend to reflect broader patterns of inequality in the global scientific community. However, while the social characteristics of these researchers mirror those of other scientific elites in important ways, they differ in others, revealing findings which are both novel and surprising, perhaps indicating multiple pathways to becoming highly cited.

Suggested Citation

  • John N. Parker & Christopher Lortie & Stefano Allesina, 2010. "Characterizing a scientific elite: the social characteristics of the most highly cited scientists in environmental science and ecology," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 85(1), pages 129-143, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:scient:v:85:y:2010:i:1:d:10.1007_s11192-010-0234-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s11192-010-0234-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Barbosa, Fabiana G. & Schneck, Fabiana, 2015. "Characteristics of the top-cited papers in species distribution predictive models," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 313(C), pages 77-83.
    3. Wagner, Caroline S. & Whetsell, Travis A. & Mukherjee, Satyam, 2019. "International research collaboration: Novelty, conventionality, and atypicality in knowledge recombination," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5), pages 1260-1270.

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