Three LEPAMAP-PRODIS members among top-cited researchers

In a world flooded with scientific publications, assessing a researcher’s impact is no simple task. Many factors—some intangible, invisible, or difficult to quantify—play a role, especially if one does not know the researcher personally. However, within the scientific community, a common measure of research quality is citation frequency. This, however, often leads to confusion, as different citation indices can be selectively used or interpreted to suit various purposes.

To promote transparency and prevent citation misuse, a team of experts led by John P. A. Ioannidis (Stanford University) and Jeroen Baas (Elsevier) developed a publicly accessible database of the world's most-cited scientists. This database employs standardized and reliable criteria, incorporating key citation indicators such as the h-index, co-authorship-adjusted hm-index, and a composite c-score. It accounts for citations across different authorship positions and provides separate rankings for career-long and single-year impact. Selection is based on the top 100,000 scientists by c-score (with and without self-citations) or those ranking in the top 2% of their subfield. Additionally, the database offers insights into self-citations and field-specific percentiles across 22 scientific fields and 174 subfields.

The latest 2024 update, like its 2023 version, includes three members of the LEPAMAP-PRODIS Research Group—Marc Delgado-Aguilar, Quim Tarrés, and Pere Mutjé—who rank among the top 2% of most-cited researchers in the field of lignocellulosic materials. This recognition reflects the dedication of the LEPAMAP-PRODIS team. This recognition should be extended to the external collaborators, many of them being also featured in the ranking, and to our colleagues from the Universitat de Girona.