Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
University · Abilene · United States

Abilene Christian University

In research, Abilene Christian University stands highest in Social Sciences (#4,150 of 9,585 worldwide) and Social Sciences (#3,046 of 5,988 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Arts and Humanities (Arts and Humanities is 4.9× its share of world research).

acu.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#8,172
of 22,385 · #8,138 all time
Rank in United States
#1,101
of 3,332
Research works
1.5k
▲ 14% vs 2018-21
Citations
23k
15.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
7.2%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.91×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
30%
world 40%
International
6%
world 18%
Abilene Christian University

What is Abilene Christian University known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022-now, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Social SciencesDomain #4,150 of 9,585 5.6%128 #4206
Social SciencesField #3,046 of 5,988 5.5%64 #3788

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Abilene Christian University sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no average mark, because the average differs by field (from about 6% in Dentistry to 21% in Economics).

Which fields of science does Abilene Christian University work in?

In 2022-now, 69% of research at Abilene Christian University is in Social Sciences, 17% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (37%), Arts and Humanities (14%), Psychology (11%). It does 2.7× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 172 fractional works · 68.8% of its workSocial Sciences: 93 fractional works · 36.9% of its workEducation: 32 fractional works · 12.8% of its workSociology and Political Science: 28 fractional works · 11.3% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 7 fractional works · 2.8% of its workGender Studies: 6 fractional works · 2.4% of its workHealth: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workCommunication: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workDemography: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSafety Research: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCultural Studies: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workLibrary and Information Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLaw: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPublic Administration: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeneral Social Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workArts and Humanities: 36 fractional works · 14.2% of its workReligious studies: 17 fractional works · 6.7% of its workPhilosophy: 5 fractional works · 2.1% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 5 fractional works · 1.8% of its workHistory: 2 fractional works · 1.0% of its workMuseology: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workArcheology: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workVisual Arts and Performing Arts: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychology: 27 fractional works · 10.9% of its workClinical Psychology: 11 fractional works · 4.4% of its workSocial Psychology: 9 fractional works · 3.5% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 5 fractional works · 2.0% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workApplied Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 11 fractional works · 4.3% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 5 fractional works · 2.1% of its workManagement Information Systems: 2 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAccounting: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 4 fractional works · 1.7% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 4 fractional works · 1.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDecision Sciences: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysical Sciences: 43 fractional works · 17.0% of its workComputer Science: 16 fractional works · 6.4% of its workComputer Science Applications: 5 fractional works · 2.2% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 4 fractional works · 1.5% of its workInformation Systems: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workHuman-Computer Interaction: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSignal Processing: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEngineering: 8 fractional works · 3.3% of its workAerospace Engineering: 3 fractional works · 1.3% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMechanical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMedia Technology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Science: 5 fractional works · 1.9% of its workEcology: 2 fractional works · 0.9% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPollution: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 3 fractional works · 1.4% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 3 fractional works · 1.0% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workChemistry: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workPaleontology: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEarth-Surface Processes: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMathematics: 3 fractional works · 1.0% of its workMathematical Physics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workStatistics and Probability: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMaterials Science: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 24 fractional works · 9.5% of its workMedicine: 14 fractional works · 5.7% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workSurgery: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workOncology: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrthopedics and Sports Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEpidemiology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysiology: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workHealth Professions: 8 fractional works · 3.1% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 4 fractional works · 1.5% of its workOccupational Therapy: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPhysical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation: 1 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNursing: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDentistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workVeterinary: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 12 fractional works · 4.7% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 5 fractional works · 2.2% of its workMolecular Biology: 2 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGenetics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiotechnology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCancer Research: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workCell Biology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 3 fractional works · 1.2% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNeuroscience: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 3 fractional works · 1.1% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workImmunology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workALL ITS WORKAbilene ChristianUniversity251fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences5%Physical Sciences17%Health Sciences9%Social Sciences69%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this institution does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences9336.9%
    2. Arts and Humanities3614.2%
    3. Psychology2710.9%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting114.3%
    5. Economics, Econometrics and Finance41.7%
    6. Decision Sciences20.7%
    1. Computer Science166.4%
    2. Engineering83.3%
    3. Environmental Science51.9%
    4. Physics and Astronomy31.4%
    5. Chemistry31.1%
    6. Earth and Planetary Sciences31.1%
    7. Mathematics31.0%
    8. Materials Science20.6%
    9. Energy00.1%
    10. Chemical Engineering00.0%
    1. Medicine145.7%
    2. Health Professions83.1%
    3. Nursing10.5%
    4. Dentistry00.1%
    5. Veterinary00.1%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology52.2%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences31.2%
    3. Neuroscience31.1%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology10.2%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics00.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Abilene Christian University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Arts and Humanities takes 4.9× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Arts and HumanitiesField · 35.6 works4.9×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.25× its world share, 3 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.40× its world share, 5 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.23× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.69× its world share, 3 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.02× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.72× its world share, 3 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.82× its world share, 16 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.71× its world share, 3 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.14× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.22× its world share, 8 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.39× its world share, 5 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.17× its world share, 2 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.86× its world share, 2 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.61× its world share, 3 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.27× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.16× its world share, 8 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.30× its world share, 14 worksMedicineNursing: 1.04× its world share, 1 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.49× its world share, 0 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 4.92× its world share, 36 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.34× its world share, 11 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.68× its world share, 2 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.81× its world share, 4 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 3.59× its world share, 27 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.92× its world share, 93 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Arts and Humanities, 4.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Arts and Humanities4.92×36 works
  2. Psychology3.59×27 works
  3. Social Sciences2.92×93 works
  4. Business, Management and Accounting1.34×11 works
  5. Health Professions1.16×8 works
  6. Nursing1.04×1 works
  7. Mathematics0.86×2 works
  8. Computer Science0.82×16 works
  9. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.81×4 works
  10. Chemistry0.72×3 works
  11. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.71×3 works
  12. Neuroscience0.69×3 works
  13. Decision Sciences0.68×2 works
  14. Physics and Astronomy0.61×3 works
  15. Veterinary0.49×0 works
  16. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.40×5 works
  17. Environmental Science0.39×5 works
  18. Medicine0.30×14 works
  19. Dentistry0.27×0 works
  20. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.25×3 works
  21. Immunology and Microbiology0.23×1 works
  22. Engineering0.22×8 works
  23. Materials Science0.17×2 works
  24. Energy0.14×0 works
  25. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.08×0 works
  26. Chemical Engineering0.02×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Abilene Christian University?

Ranked on the quality score, Joshua L. Willis, C. L. Silva and A. V. Kazantsev lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Abilene Christian University.

  1. 1 Joshua L. Willis United States · #816 worldwide 88k citations · 271 works
  2. 2 C. L. Silva United States · #47,794 worldwide 13k citations · 105 works
  3. 3 A. V. Kazantsev United States · #68,700 worldwide 11k citations · 108 works
  4. 4 D. Isenhower United States · #97,370 worldwide 17k citations · 286 works
  5. 5 L. Isenhower United States · #102,446 worldwide 7.2k citations · 94 works
  6. 6 L. Isenhower United States · #141,248 worldwide 9.9k citations · 82 works
  7. 7 James E. Prather United States · #168,649 worldwide 4.4k citations · 149 works
  8. 8 Brent N. Reeves United States · #199,241 worldwide 2.6k citations · 61 works
  9. 9 M. Rosati United States · #427,057 worldwide 2k citations · 28 works
  10. 10 N. Lewis United States · #604,584 worldwide 1.5k citations · 95 works
All ranked researchers at Abilene Christian University

What are the most cited papers from Abilene Christian University?

The most cited paper from Abilene Christian University is "Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger" (B. P. Abbott et al., 2016), with 14,545 citations. Next come "GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral" (9,794) and "Geostatistics for Natural Resources Evaluation" (4,138).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger B. P. Abbott et al. · Physical Review Letters Open access1,011 authors 11 Feb 2016 14,545
2 GW170817: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Neutron Star Inspiral B. P. Abbott et al. · Physical Review Letters Open access1,124 authors 16 Oct 2017 9,794
3 Geostatistics for Natural Resources Evaluation Timothy C. Coburn, Pierre Goovaerts · Technometrics Nov 2000 4,138
4 Gravitational Waves and Gamma-Rays from a Binary Neutron Star Merger: GW170817 and GRB 170817A B. P. Abbott et al. · The Astrophysical Journal Letters Open access1,154 authors 16 Oct 2017 3,599
5 GW151226: Observation of Gravitational Waves from a 22-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence B. P. Abbott et al. · Physical Review Letters Open access977 authors 15 Jun 2016 3,514
All 61 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Abilene Christian University?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Theology, Religion, Mental Health, Biblical Monotheism, Jewish Society, Student Engagement, Job Satisfaction and Diversity.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Mental Health15▲ 4.1×21 topics
  2. Theology12▲ 52×2 topics
  3. Religion12▲ 10×13 topics
  4. Biblical Monotheism11▲ 168×1 topic
  5. Jewish Society11▲ 168×1 topic
  6. Education10▲ 2.4×21 topics
  7. Student Engagement10▲ 10×8 topics
  8. Job Satisfaction9▲ 7.9×7 topics
  9. Globalization9▲ 1.75×20 topics
  10. Diversity8▲ 19×4 topics
  11. Gender8▲ 6.0×11 topics
  12. Social Support8▲ 5.9×7 topics
  13. Leadership7▲ 5.6×8 topics
  14. Social Justice7▲ 4.4×11 topics
  15. Online Learning6▲ 2.8×5 topics
  16. African Christianity6▲ 101×2 topics
  17. Academic Performance5▲ 25×3 topics
  18. Reflective Practice5▲ 11×5 topics
  19. Well-being5▲ 5.4×7 topics
  20. Ethics5▲ 4.0×12 topics
  21. Feminism5▲ 6.8×9 topics
  22. Learning Analytics5▲ 16×2 topics
  23. Resilience5▲ 4.0×8 topics
  24. Educational Inequality5▲ 31×3 topics
  25. Gender Differences5▲ 4.9×5 topics
  26. Spirituality5▲ 18×3 topics
  27. Career Development4▲ 15×4 topics
  28. Global Christianity4▲ 121×1 topic
  29. Short-Term Missions4▲ 121×1 topic
  30. Technology Integration4▲ 5.7×4 topics
  31. College Retention4▲ 85×1 topic
  32. First-Generation Students4▲ 85×1 topic
  33. Intersectionality4▲ 8.9×6 topics
  34. Academic Achievement4▲ 9.3×6 topics
  35. Community Development4▲ 8.8×5 topics
  36. NGOs4▲ 17×2 topics
  37. Human Resource Management4▲ 9.8×4 topics
  38. Civil Society4▲ 14×3 topics
  39. Organizational Behavior4▲ 9.4×2 topics
  40. Teacher Professional Development4▲ 8.9×3 topics

Which research topics does Abilene Christian University publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Biblical Studies and Interpretation, Christian Theology and Mission, Higher Education Research Studies and Religion, Society, and Development.

Biblical Studies and Int…11Biblical Studies and Interpretation: 11 fractional worksChristian Theology and Mission: 4 fractional worksHigher Education Research Studies: 4 fractional worksReligion, Society, and Development: 3 fractional worksTeacher Education and Leadership Studies: 3 fractional worksOnline and Blended Learning: 3 fractional worksMentoring and Academic D…3Mentoring and Academic Development: 3 fractional worksJob Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior: 3 fractional worksTeaching and Learning Programming: 3 fractional worksOnline Learning and Analytics: 2 fractional works
Religious studiesEducationSociology and Political ScienceSocial Psychology2 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Biblical Studies and Interpretation Religious studies 11 works
  2. 2 Christian Theology and Mission Religious studies 4 works
  3. 3 Higher Education Research Studies Education 4 works
  4. 4 Religion, Society, and Development Sociology and Political Science 3 works
  5. 5 Teacher Education and Leadership Studies Education 3 works
  6. 6 Online and Blended Learning Education 3 works
  7. 7 Mentoring and Academic Development Social Psychology 3 works
  8. 8 Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management 3 works
  9. 9 Teaching and Learning Programming Computer Science Applications 3 works
  10. 10 Online Learning and Analytics Computer Science Applications 2 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world's own shares: the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available30.2%not open69.8%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors6.0%domestic only94.0%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Abilene Christian University's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 14% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Abilene Christian University as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00097% in 2024.

still counting0.0020%0.0040%0.0060%Abilene Christian University0.00074% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Abilene Christian University over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year, against all institutions in the same year.

still counting5%10%15%all institutions10.0% in 2025Abilene Christian University4.7% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 14.7% in 2006.

Other research institutions in Abilene

All research institutions in Abilene

Share Abilene Christian University's ranking

Abilene Christian University on Science Explorer

A card with Abilene Christian University's standing and the fields it leads in, for a post or a slide. A link to this page previews as the same card.

Download the card

1200 × 630 PNG, sized for social posts, drawn from the latest snapshot.

Badges for a website1Each links back here and updates with every snapshot

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners have tabs of their own, above.

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about Abilene Christian University. Posts are plain text and can be reported.