Based on total citations. Data from Thomson Reuters's Essential Science Indicators^SM, January 1997 to December 2007.

The data above were extracted from Thomson Scientific’s Essential Science Indicators database. This database, currently covering the period January 1997 to December 2007, surveys only journal articles (original research reports and review articles) indexed by Thomson Scientific. Articles are assigned to a category based on the journals in which they were published and Thomson Scientific’s journal-to-category field definition scheme. Both articles tabulated and citation counts to those articles are for the period indicated. Naturally, scientists publishing large numbers of papers have a greater likelihood of collecting more citations than scientists publishing fewer papers. This ranking is by total citations. For articles with multiple authors, each author receives full, not fractional, citation credit. Another ranking could be based on citations per paper, which reveals weighted impact. A survey of the research interests of these scientists reveals all work in plant sciences, chiefly in genetics, biochemistry, and physiology, as well as in plant diversity, ecosystems, and improved crop yields.

Essential Science Indicators lists authors ranked in the top 1% for a field over a given period, based on total citations. For the current version, 4,084 authors are listed in the field of plant and animal science, meaning that a total of approximately 408,400 authors’ records were reviewed to obtain these results.

Visit Essential Science Indicators from Thomson Reuters for more information.

This item also appeared in the Times Higher Education magazine, reprinted with their permission.