0
Article Tier 2 Remediation Sign in to save

Informetric Analysis of Highly Cited Papers in Environmental Sciences Based on Essential Science Indicators

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020 21 citations

AI summary Read the abstract

This bibliometric analysis examined the most highly cited papers in environmental sciences from 2009 to 2019, identifying leading journals, countries, and research themes. Microplastics and pollution were among the prominent and growing topics in top-cited environmental research.

Highly cited papers in the Essential Science Indicators database refer to papers with citations in the top 1% of all papers in a research field, and they are considered to be symbols of scientific excellence and top performance of the past ten years. This study provided an informetric analysis of 7791 highly cited papers in the environmental sciences category during 2009-2019. Informetric indicators and visualization tools were applied to evaluate and present the performances of journals, countries/territories, institutions, top cited papers, and research hotspots. The results showed that the cumulative number of publications has increased exponentially, suggesting strong development of the environmental sciences category. There were 211 journals publishing highly cited papers, with Energy & Environmental Science as the leading journal. The USA ranked first with the highest number of publications and occupied the core position in the collaboration network, while Mainland China took the first place in independent research output. Review articles have an obvious advantage in terms of achieving high citations. "Adsorption", "climate change", and "heavy metal" were the most frequent keywords, with "microplastic" rising rapidly as a new research frontier in recent years. Five research hotspots were visualized from highly cited papers via cluster analysis.

More Papers Like This

Article Tier 2

Scientometric analysis and scientific trends on microplastics research

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers performed a scientometric analysis of microplastics research using 2,872 publications from the Web of Science database spanning 2004 to 2020. The bibliometric analysis mapped contributing countries, institutions, key authors, trending keywords, and future research directions in the field. The study found that microplastics research has grown rapidly, with increasing attention to environmental pollution across various ecosystems.

Article Tier 2

A Comparative Bibliometric Analysis on Plastic Waste Recycling

AI summary Read the abstract

This bibliometric study maps ten years of global research on plastic waste recycling and circular economy using Scopus and Web of Science, identifying dominant themes, leading countries, and emerging directions. It is primarily a research-landscape analysis with minimal direct content on microplastic formation or health risks, making it only peripheral to microplastic science.

Review Tier 2

Structuring Environmental Pollution Research: A Bibliometric Synthesis of Review Literature, Thematic Priorities, and Geographic Patterns (1985–2024)

AI summary Read the abstract

Researchers performed a bibliometric analysis of 1,447 pollution review articles published between 1985 and 2024, identifying microplastics as one of four dominant thematic clusters alongside metals, wastewater, and sustainability, with China, India, and Brazil accounting for over 40% of total output and fragmented collaboration networks characterizing the field.

Article Tier 2

Micro(nano)plastics as Emerging Pollutants in Global Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Bibliometric Analysis

AI summary Read the abstract

This bibliometric analysis mapped the global landscape of micro- and nanoplastic research in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems using data from major scientific databases. Researchers identified key research trends, leading countries, and the most active institutions contributing to the field. The study reveals that while research output has surged in recent years, significant knowledge gaps remain around nanoplastics and their long-term ecological effects.

Article Tier 2

Characteristics of highly cited papers in Environmental sciences: Trends and authors

AI summary Read the abstract

This study analyzed characteristics and trends of highly cited papers in environmental sciences, finding that the growing incentive to publish high-impact work has influenced authorship patterns and raising questions about whether citation counts reliably reflect scientific quality.

Research digests by email

When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.

Email me about

Share this paper