Citation Rankings
Highly Cited Researchers

World Highly Cited Researchers CitationSocial Sciences / Sociology Rankings 2025

The Citation Rankings (Highly Cited Researchers) highlight the most cited and influential researchers across a vast range of scientific fields, covering 197 main and sub-disciplines, including the Art and Humanities Citation Rankings and Social Sciences and Humanities Citation Rankings. This service, offered exclusively by AD Scientific Index, aims to provide a balanced perspective by excluding data from CERN and other statistical sources that disproportionately favor certain researchers, particularly in the social sciences and humanities. This unique approach addresses the advantages researchers with multi-author publications and CERN involvement hold over others. Furthermore, citation rankings help uncover rule violations and unethical practices within the research community. For more detailed citation analyses, explore the Scientists Last 6 Years Citation Index, Universities Total Citations Rankings 2025, and Universities Last 6 Years Citations Rankings 2025.

* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :1
New Zealand
Virginia Braun
health
gender & sexuality
gendered bodies
food studies
qualitative research
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
337,409
268,947
0.797
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :2
United States
Mark Granovetter
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
196,307
44,404
0.226
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :3
United States
Walter W Powell
Sociology of organizations
economic sociology
networks
governance
institutions
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
178,688
47,221
0.264
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :4
United States
Alejandro Portes
Sociology
immigration
development
migration
social capital
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
161,018
35,585
0.221
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :5
Portugal
Boaventura De Sousa Santos
Sociologia
Epistemologia
Direitos Humanos
Estudos Pós-Coloniais
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
155,954
65,764
0.422
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :6
United States
Loã¯C Wacquant
sociology
punishment
social theory
embodiment
ethnography
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
149,125
50,250
0.337
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :7
United States
Paul Dimaggio
sociology of culture
economic sociology
stratification
organizations
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
148,070
43,918
0.297
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :8
United Kingdom
John Urry
sociology
mobility
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
144,785
41,975
0.290
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :9
United Kingdom
C Wright Mills
Sociology
sociological theory
social theory
political sociology
social psychology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
138,404
34,771
0.251
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :10
United Kingdom
Nikolas Rose
Sociology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
137,273
37,109
0.270
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :11
United States
Douglas S Massey
Sociology
Demography
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
129,164
35,629
0.276
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :12
United States
David Finkelhor
child maltreatment
criminology
victimology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
125,384
35,061
0.280
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :13
United States
John W Meyer
sociology of education
organization theory
globalization
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
117,092
29,835
0.255
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :14
United Kingdom
David Silverman
qualitative research
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
113,245
33,547
0.296
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :15
United States
Emanuel Schegloff
Conversation analysis
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
112,891
28,919
0.256
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :16
United States
Thomas Dietz
climate change
human ecology
environmental sociology
macro energy systems
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
109,398
45,208
0.413
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :17
United Kingdom
Trisha Greenhalgh
Primary Health Care
Innovation
Global Health
Medical Sociology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
109,394
59,026
0.540
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :18
United States
Thomas D Cook
research methods
evaluation
social psychology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
107,005
25,816
0.241
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :19
Italy
Gosta Esping Andersen
Social demography
social stratification
comparative social policy
family dynamics
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
105,937
24,580
0.232
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :20
United States
Glen H Elder Jr
Life Course
Sociology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
103,048
25,794
0.250
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :21
United States
Murray Straus
criminology
family
measurement
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
101,223
16,780
0.166
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :22
United States
Dillman Don A
survey methods
research methods
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
100,255
21,212
0.212
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :23
United States
David A Snow
Collective Behavior and Social Movements. Homelessness
Culture
Framing Processes
Qualitative Methods
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
91,640
25,842
0.282
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :24
United States
Howard E Aldrich
sociology
entrepreneurship
organizations
social inequality
organizational sociology
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
86,129
20,294
0.236
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Ranking Based On Selection :25
United Kingdom
Bob Jessop
Political economy
social theory
state theory
governance
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
79,769
23,217
0.291
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
142
New Zealand
2
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 1
Virginia Braun
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
337,409
268,947
0.797
health
gender & sexuality
gendered bodies
food studies
qualitative research
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
847
United States
345
22
Ranking Based On Selection: 2
Mark Granovetter
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
196,307
44,404
0.226
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,009
United States
425
27
Ranking Based On Selection: 3
Walter W Powell
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
178,688
47,221
0.264
Sociology of organizations
economic sociology
networks
governance
institutions
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,241
United States
547
9
Ranking Based On Selection: 4
Alejandro Portes
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
161,018
35,585
0.221
Sociology
immigration
development
migration
social capital
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,317
Portugal
6
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 5
Boaventura De Sousa Santos
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
155,954
65,764
0.422
Sociologia
Epistemologia
Direitos Humanos
Estudos Pós-Coloniais
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,433
United States
634
20
Ranking Based On Selection: 6
Loã¯C Wacquant
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
149,125
50,250
0.337
sociology
punishment
social theory
embodiment
ethnography
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,460
United States
646
12
Ranking Based On Selection: 7
Paul Dimaggio
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
148,070
43,918
0.297
sociology of culture
economic sociology
stratification
organizations
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,534
United Kingdom
121
2
Ranking Based On Selection: 8
John Urry
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
144,785
41,975
0.290
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,662
United Kingdom
134
2
Ranking Based On Selection: 9
C Wright Mills
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
138,404
34,771
0.251
Sociology
sociological theory
social theory
political sociology
social psychology
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,691
United Kingdom
137
9
Ranking Based On Selection: 10
Nikolas Rose
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
137,273
37,109
0.270
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,899
United States
864
16
Ranking Based On Selection: 11
Douglas S Massey
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
129,164
35,629
0.276
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,006
United States
924
2
Ranking Based On Selection: 12
David Finkelhor
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
125,384
35,061
0.280
child maltreatment
criminology
victimology
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,274
United States
1,069
53
Ranking Based On Selection: 13
John W Meyer
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
117,092
29,835
0.255
sociology of education
organization theory
globalization
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,433
United Kingdom
190
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 14
David Silverman
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
113,245
33,547
0.296
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,445
United States
1,162
23
Ranking Based On Selection: 15
Emanuel Schegloff
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
112,891
28,919
0.256
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,620
United States
1,242
11
Ranking Based On Selection: 16
Thomas Dietz
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
109,398
45,208
0.413
climate change
human ecology
environmental sociology
macro energy systems
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,621
United Kingdom
207
28
Ranking Based On Selection: 17
Trisha Greenhalgh
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
109,394
59,026
0.540
Primary Health Care
Innovation
Global Health
Medical Sociology
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,733
United States
1,301
13
Ranking Based On Selection: 18
Thomas D Cook
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
107,005
25,816
0.241
research methods
evaluation
social psychology
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,786
Italy
162
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 19
Gosta Esping Andersen
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
105,937
24,580
0.232
Social demography
social stratification
comparative social policy
family dynamics
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,952
United States
1,414
17
Ranking Based On Selection: 20
Glen H Elder Jr
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
103,048
25,794
0.250
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
3,043
United States
1,455
3
Ranking Based On Selection: 21
Murray Straus
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
101,223
16,780
0.166
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
3,094
United States
1,486
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 22
Dillman Don A
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
100,255
21,212
0.212
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
3,676
United States
1,742
10
Ranking Based On Selection: 23
David A Snow
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
91,640
25,842
0.282
Collective Behavior and Social Movements. Homelessness
Culture
Framing Processes
Qualitative Methods
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
4,102
United States
1,939
27
Ranking Based On Selection: 24
Howard E Aldrich
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
86,129
20,294
0.236
sociology
entrepreneurship
organizations
social inequality
organizational sociology
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
4,665
United Kingdom
377
8
Ranking Based On Selection: 25
Bob Jessop
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
79,769
23,217
0.291
Political economy
social theory
state theory
governance