Citation Rankings
Highly Cited Researchers
Social Sciences / Sociology Highly Cited Researchers Citation 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
2
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 1
Virginia Braun
University of Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand
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
345
22
Ranking Based On Selection: 2
Mark Granovetter
Stanford University
Stanford, United States
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
196,307
44,404
0.226
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,009
425
27
Ranking Based On Selection: 3
Walter W Powell
Stanford University
Stanford, United States
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
547
9
Ranking Based On Selection: 4
Alejandro Portes
Princeton University
Princeton, United States
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
6
1
Ranking Based On Selection: 5
Boaventura De Sousa Santos
Universidade de Coimbra
Coimbra, Portugal
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
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
646
12
Ranking Based On Selection: 7
Paul Dimaggio
Princeton University
Princeton, United States
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
121
2
Ranking Based On Selection: 8
John Urry
Lancaster University
Lancaster, United Kingdom
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
144,785
41,975
0.290
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,662
134
2
Ranking Based On Selection: 9
C Wright Mills
University of Sussex
Brighton, United Kingdom
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
137
9
Ranking Based On Selection: 10
Nikolas Rose
King's College London
London, United Kingdom
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
137,273
37,109
0.270
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
1,899
864
16
Ranking Based On Selection: 11
Douglas S Massey
Princeton University
Princeton, United States
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
129,164
35,629
0.276
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,006
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
1,069
53
Ranking Based On Selection: 13
John W Meyer
Stanford University
Stanford, United States
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
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
1,162
23
Ranking Based On Selection: 15
Emanuel Schegloff
University of California Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
112,891
28,919
0.256
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
2,620
1,242
11
Ranking Based On Selection: 16
Thomas Dietz
Michigan State University
East Lansing, United States
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
207
28
Ranking Based On Selection: 17
Trisha Greenhalgh
University of Oxford
Oxford, United Kingdom
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
1,301
13
Ranking Based On Selection: 18
Thomas D Cook
Northwestern University
Evanston, United States
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
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
1,414
17
Ranking Based On Selection: 20
Glen H Elder Jr
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
103,048
25,794
0.250
* Total Citation Counts Rankings
Rankings
3,043
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
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
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
1,939
27
Ranking Based On Selection: 24
Howard E Aldrich
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States
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
377
8
Ranking Based On Selection: 25
Bob Jessop
Lancaster University
Lancaster, United Kingdom
Citation Metrics
Total
Last 6 Years
Last 6 Years / Total
79,769
23,217
0.291
Political economy
social theory
state theory
governance