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Academic benchmarking tools play a vital role in assessing top-cited research by utilizing diverse data sources, normalization methods, and timeframes. These tools enable tailored comparisons of publications, allowing researchers, institutions, and policymakers to evaluate the impact and relevance of scholarly work effectively. This post examines key metrics that quantify influence within top-cited research. 23 Apr 2025 [2 min read] |
SciVal: Outputs in Top Citation Percentiles
The metric “Outputs in Top Citation Percentiles” in SciVal reflects the number of publications from a given entity that have reached a certain citation threshold, placing them as the top 1%, 5%, 10%, or 25% most cited papers among publications of the same year within the Scopus database. This count can change when filters such as Publication Type are applied. When the field-weighted option for “Outputs in Top Citation Percentiles” is selected, the percentile thresholds are based on the normalized metric Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI), which allows for citation impact comparison across different disciplines.
InCites: Documents in Top 1% / Top 10%
Similarly, “Documents in Top 1% / Top 10%” in InCites also measures highly cited publications but differs in scope and methodology. InCites draws data from the Web of Science Core Collection (excluding the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)) and provides results that are normalized by default. The top 1% or 10% designation is calculated based on citations by subject category, publication year, and document type, as defined by the Average Percentile.
Essential Science Indicators (ESI): Highly Cited Papers
Highly Cited Papers in ESI is another metric that identifies publications in the top 1% of citations. While it is synonymous with “Documents in Top 1%” in InCites, they differ in publication coverage, subject schema, time period, and document types, despite both using data from the Web of Science Core Collection. ESI categorizes research into 22 broad fields and counts citations over a rolling 10-year window. Highly Cited Papers represent the top 1% of cited works within their specific ESI field and publication year. Publication counts are based on journals indexed in the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) and Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), while citation counts also include the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI). The metric includes regular scientific articles and review articles.
Below is a comparison table for the three metrics. By selecting the appropriate metric based on data sources and preferences, users can gain valuable insights into their research performance and strategic positioning within the academic landscape.
| SciVal: Outputs in Top Citation Percentiles (link) | InCites: Documents in Top 1% / Top 10% (link) | ESI: Highly Cited Papers (link) | |
| Data Source and Scope | Scopus, 1996 to present (link) | Web of Science Core Collection (excluding ESCI), 1980 to present (link) | Web of Science Core Collection (SCIE, SSCI & AHCI), a rolling 10-year period (link) |
| Citation Threshold | Top 1%, 5%, 10% or 25% by publication year | Top 1% or 10% by subject category, publication year and document type | Top 1% by ESI research field and publication year |
| Normalization | Optional using FWCI | Normalized by subject category, publication year and document type | Normalized by ESI research field and publication year |
| Default Subject Classification | Scopus All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) (link) | Web of Science Research Areas (link) | 22 ESI Research Fields (link) |
| Document Type | All types | All types | Regular scientific articles and review articles |
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