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University · Boston · United States

Boston University

In research, Boston University stands highest in Social Sciences (#65 of 9,585 worldwide), Health Sciences (#70 of 9,902 worldwide) and Medicine (#74 of 8,541 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Biophysics, Cognitive Neuroscience and Health (Biophysics is 4.6× its share of world research).

bu.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#122
of 22,385 · #119 all time
Rank in United States
#39
of 3,332
Research works
80k
▲ 3% vs 2018-21
Citations
3.4M
43.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
13.6%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.17×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
37%
world 40%
International
17%
world 18%
Boston University

What is Boston 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 #65 of 9,585 15.6%2,638 #48
Health SciencesDomain #70 of 9,902 13.9%3,632 #47
MedicineField #74 of 8,541 13.8%3,053 #50
Social SciencesField #95 of 5,988 15.9%1,127 #83
Life SciencesDomain #133 of 6,403 11.6%1,444 #121
Health ProfessionsField #41 of 1,895 13.9%456 #46
Economics, Econometrics and FinanceField #39 of 1,798 16.3%327 #46
PsychologyField #52 of 2,121 14.7%631 #47
Computer ScienceField #134 of 4,417 11.3%526 #157
Physical SciencesDomain #340 of 10,670 12.5%2,256 #227

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Boston 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 of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022-now. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Social Sciences#48 #65
  2. Health Sciences#47 #70
  3. Medicine#50 #74
  4. Social Sciences#83 #95
  5. Life Sciences#121 #133
  6. Health Professions#46 #41
  7. Economics, Econometrics and Finance#46 #39
  8. Psychology#47 #52
  9. Computer Science#157 #134
  10. Physical Sciences#227 #340
all time2022-now, better2022-now, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

Which fields of science does Boston University work in?

In 2022-now, 37% of research at Boston University is in Health Sciences, 26% in Social Sciences. Its largest fields are Medicine (31%), Social Sciences (11%), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (8%). It does 1.6× the world's share of Health Sciences.

Health Sciences: 4,068 fractional works · 36.8% of its workMedicine: 3,430 fractional works · 31.0% of its workSurgery: 324 fractional works · 2.9% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 320 fractional works · 2.9% of its workEpidemiology: 314 fractional works · 2.8% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 270 fractional works · 2.4% of its workPhysiology: 208 fractional works · 1.9% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 202 fractional works · 1.8% of its workOncology: 178 fractional works · 1.6% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 158 fractional works · 1.4% of its workInfectious Diseases: 158 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 141 fractional works · 1.3% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 112 fractional works · 1.0% of its workRheumatology: 97 fractional works · 0.9% of its workNeurology: 97 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 92 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 68 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEmergency Medicine: 66 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNephrology: 51 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 51 fractional works · 0.5% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 45 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGenetics: 44 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDermatology: 44 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHematology: 42 fractional works · 0.4% of its workRehabilitation: 34 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOrthopedics and Sports Medicine: 33 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOphthalmology: 32 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Informatics: 30 fractional works · 0.3% of its workReproductive Medicine: 30 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCritical Care and Intensive Care Medicine: 30 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 159 fractional works · 1.4% of its workHealth Professions: 498 fractional works · 4.5% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 319 fractional works · 2.9% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 44 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 36 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Information Management: 23 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacy: 23 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 52 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDentistry: 82 fractional works · 0.7% of its workOral Surgery: 29 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPeriodontics: 29 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 25 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNursing: 53 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 49 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.0% of its workVeterinary: 5 fractional works · 0.0% of its workSocial Sciences: 2,863 fractional works · 25.9% of its workSocial Sciences: 1,220 fractional works · 11.0% of its workSociology and Political Science: 458 fractional works · 4.1% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 143 fractional works · 1.3% of its workEducation: 128 fractional works · 1.2% of its workHealth: 111 fractional works · 1.0% of its workGender Studies: 85 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSafety Research: 52 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLaw: 41 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDemography: 41 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAnthropology: 37 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCommunication: 36 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 88 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPsychology: 696 fractional works · 6.3% of its workClinical Psychology: 298 fractional works · 2.7% of its workSocial Psychology: 170 fractional works · 1.5% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 110 fractional works · 1.0% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 61 fractional works · 0.6% of its workApplied Psychology: 43 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 13 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 351 fractional works · 3.2% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 242 fractional works · 2.2% of its workFinance: 78 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 31 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 249 fractional works · 2.2% of its workStrategy and Management: 61 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMarketing: 43 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 43 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAccounting: 34 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement Information Systems: 31 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 24 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 12 fractional works · 0.1% of its workArts and Humanities: 238 fractional works · 2.2% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 40 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhilosophy: 37 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHistory: 31 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 25 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMusic: 25 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 80 fractional works · 0.7% of its workDecision Sciences: 110 fractional works · 1.0% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 60 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 49 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPhysical Sciences: 2,487 fractional works · 22.5% of its workEngineering: 666 fractional works · 6.0% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 230 fractional works · 2.1% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 146 fractional works · 1.3% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 64 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAerospace Engineering: 37 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMechanical Engineering: 33 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMechanics of Materials: 24 fractional works · 0.2% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 23 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 110 fractional works · 1.0% of its workComputer Science: 589 fractional works · 5.3% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 241 fractional works · 2.2% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 81 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 76 fractional works · 0.7% of its workInformation Systems: 63 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 45 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSignal Processing: 24 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 59 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEnvironmental Science: 392 fractional works · 3.5% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 127 fractional works · 1.1% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 75 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEcology: 69 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 31 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 90 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 360 fractional works · 3.3% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 131 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 96 fractional works · 0.9% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 52 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 33 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 24 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 24 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematics: 143 fractional works · 1.3% of its workStatistics and Probability: 63 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 80 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMaterials Science: 120 fractional works · 1.1% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 62 fractional works · 0.6% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 25 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 33 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 105 fractional works · 0.9% of its workAtmospheric Science: 31 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 74 fractional works · 0.7% of its workChemistry: 77 fractional works · 0.7% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 31 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 46 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnergy: 25 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 22 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.0% of its workChemical Engineering: 10 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 1,652 fractional works · 14.9% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 876 fractional works · 7.9% of its workMolecular Biology: 507 fractional works · 4.6% of its workGenetics: 132 fractional works · 1.2% of its workCell Biology: 60 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCancer Research: 59 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiophysics: 58 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 60 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNeuroscience: 501 fractional works · 4.5% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 286 fractional works · 2.6% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 92 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNeurology: 56 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 67 fractional works · 0.6% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 149 fractional works · 1.3% of its workImmunology: 103 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 46 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 103 fractional works · 0.9% of its workPlant Science: 34 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 23 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 45 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 22 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKBoston University11kfractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences15%Physical Sciences22%Health Sciences37%Social Sciences26%

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. Health Sciences4,06836.8%
    1. Medicine3,43031.0%
    2. Health Professions4984.5%
    3. Dentistry820.7%
    4. Nursing530.5%
    5. Veterinary50.0%
  2. Social Sciences2,86325.9%
    1. Social Sciences1,22011.0%
    2. Psychology6966.3%
    3. Economics, Econometrics and Finance3513.2%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting2492.2%
    5. Arts and Humanities2382.2%
    6. Decision Sciences1101.0%
    1. Engineering6666.0%
    2. Computer Science5895.3%
    3. Environmental Science3923.5%
    4. Physics and Astronomy3603.3%
    5. Mathematics1431.3%
    6. Materials Science1201.1%
    7. Earth and Planetary Sciences1050.9%
    8. Chemistry770.7%
    9. Energy250.2%
    10. Chemical Engineering100.1%
  4. Life Sciences1,65214.9%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8767.9%
    2. Neuroscience5014.5%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology1491.3%
    4. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1030.9%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics220.2%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Boston University specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Biophysics takes 4.6× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. BiophysicsSubfield · 57.5 works4.6×
  2. Cognitive NeuroscienceSubfield · 286.2 works3.5×
  3. HealthSubfield · 110.8 works3.4×
  4. MusicSubfield · 25.4 works2.8×
  5. NeuroscienceField · 501.5 works2.8×
← 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: 0.20× its world share, 103 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.48× its world share, 876 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.34× its world share, 149 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 2.79× its world share, 502 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.56× its world share, 22 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.27× its world share, 10 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.44× its world share, 77 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.68× its world share, 589 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.60× its world share, 104 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.24× its world share, 25 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.40× its world share, 666 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.71× its world share, 392 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.31× its world share, 120 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.10× its world share, 143 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.46× its world share, 360 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 1.53× its world share, 82 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.71× its world share, 498 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 1.61× its world share, 3,430 worksMedicineNursing: 0.98× its world share, 53 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.34× its world share, 5 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.75× its world share, 238 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.70× its world share, 248 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.02× its world share, 110 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.48× its world share, 351 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 2.06× its world share, 696 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.87× its world share, 1,220 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Neuroscience, 2.8×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Neuroscience2.79×502 works
  2. Psychology2.06×696 works
  3. Health Professions1.71×498 works
  4. Medicine1.61×3,430 works
  5. Dentistry1.53×82 works
  6. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.48×876 works
  7. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.48×351 works
  8. Physics and Astronomy1.46×360 works
  9. Immunology and Microbiology1.34×149 works
  10. Mathematics1.10×143 works
  11. Decision Sciences1.02×110 works
  12. Nursing0.98×53 works
  13. Social Sciences0.87×1,220 works
  14. Arts and Humanities0.75×238 works
  15. Environmental Science0.71×392 works
  16. Business, Management and Accounting0.70×248 works
  17. Computer Science0.68×589 works
  18. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.60×104 works
  19. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.56×22 works
  20. Chemistry0.44×77 works
  21. Engineering0.40×666 works
  22. Veterinary0.34×5 works
  23. Materials Science0.31×120 works
  24. Chemical Engineering0.27×10 works
  25. Energy0.24×25 works
  26. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.20×103 works

Who are the top researchers at Boston University?

Ranked on the quality score, William B. Kannel, Emelia J. Benjamin and James J. Collins lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Boston University.

  1. 1 William B. Kannel United States · #310 worldwide 173k citations · 581 works
  2. 2 Emelia J. Benjamin United States · #799 worldwide 341k citations · 1,361 works
  3. 3 James J. Collins United States · #827 worldwide 118k citations · 591 works
  4. 4 Deepak N. Pandya United States · #1,348 worldwide 38k citations · 198 works
  5. 5 Ramachandran Srini Vasan United States · #1,401 worldwide 195k citations · 1,853 works
  6. 6 Philip A. Wolf United States · #1,958 worldwide 109k citations · 448 works
  7. 7 Ralph B. D’Agostino United States · #5,706 worldwide 255k citations · 1,805 works
  8. 8 Curtis E. Woodcock United States · #6,912 worldwide 48k citations · 340 works
  9. 9 Ranga B. Myneni United States · #7,034 worldwide 80k citations · 575 works
  10. 10 Joseph M. Massaro United States · #7,623 worldwide 74k citations · 555 works
All ranked researchers at Boston University

What are the most cited papers from Boston University?

The most cited paper from Boston University is "The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure The JNC 7 Report" (Aram V. Chobanian, 2003), with 25,591 citations. Next come "The electronic properties of graphene" (24,968) and "An integrated encyclopedia of DNA elements in the human genome" (19,751).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure The JNC 7 Report Aram V. Chobanian · JAMA 20 May 2003 25,591
2 The electronic properties of graphene Antonio H. Castro Neto, Francisco Javier Esteban Guinea, Nuno M. R. Peres et al. · Reviews of Modern Physics Open access 14 Jan 2009 24,968
3 An integrated encyclopedia of DNA elements in the human genome Ian Dunham et al. · Nature Open access442 authors Sep 2012 19,751
4 An automated labeling system for subdividing the human cerebral cortex on MRI scans into gyral based regions of interest Rahul S. Desikan, Florent Ségonne, Bruce R. Fischl et al. · NeuroImage 14 Mar 2006 14,405
5 Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risk Factors, 1990–2019 Gregory A. Roth et al. · Journal of the American College of Cardiology Open access679 authors Dec 2020 11,687
All 59 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Boston University?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, Mental Health, Public Health, Inflammation, Health Disparities, Risk Factors, Cardiovascular Disease and Quality of Life.

▲ 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. Epidemiology800▲ 1.81×131 topics
  2. Inflammation393▲ 1.67×82 topics
  3. Public Health386▲ 2.4×62 topics
  4. Mental Health384▲ 2.4×43 topics
  5. Machine Learning307▼ 0.83×87 topics
  6. Deep Learning288▼ 0.75×82 topics
  7. Risk Factors260▲ 2.1×37 topics
  8. Quality of Life258▲ 1.62×57 topics
  9. Cardiovascular Disease250▲ 1.98×38 topics
  10. Oxidative Stress241▲ 1.32×60 topics
  11. Climate Change224▼ 0.75×94 topics
  12. Treatment208▲ 1.55×51 topics
  13. Depression188▲ 1.93×24 topics
  14. Cancer187▲ 1.26×53 topics
  15. Health Disparities163▲ 5.7×9 topics
  16. Metabolic Syndrome159▲ 1.77×23 topics
  17. Mortality154▲ 2.5×13 topics
  18. Biomarkers150▲ 1.95×17 topics
  19. Diagnosis144▲ 1.40×40 topics
  20. Aging144▲ 2.4×18 topics
  21. Global Burden142▲ 2.4×12 topics
  22. Social Support138▲ 2.3×19 topics
  23. Genetics137▲ 1.75×24 topics
  24. Neurological Disorders133▲ 2.1×20 topics
  25. Resilience121▲ 2.2×15 topics
  26. Immune Response118▲ 1.87×22 topics
  27. Mortality Risk116▲ 4.4×6 topics
  28. Global Burden of Disease115▲ 4.2×4 topics
  29. Primary Care112▲ 2.7×15 topics
  30. Anxiety111▲ 2.1×12 topics
  31. Neuroinflammation109▲ 3.4×6 topics
  32. Neuroimaging104▲ 3.4×11 topics
  33. Health Equity102▲ 3.2×6 topics
  34. Substance Use Disorders84▲ 10×2 topics
  35. Antiretroviral Therapy84▲ 4.6×6 topics
  36. Psychiatric Disorders78▲ 5.2×4 topics
  37. Cognitive Decline73▲ 5.4×2 topics
  38. Health Care Utilization71▲ 5.9×3 topics
  39. Mortality Rates65▲ 6.2×2 topics
  40. Substance Abuse62▲ 8.2×2 topics

Which research topics does Boston University publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research, Opioid Use Disorder Treatment, Neural dynamics and brain function and Health disparities and outcomes.

Dementia and Cognitive I…58Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research: 58 fractional worksOpioid Use Disorder Trea…45Opioid Use Disorder Treatment: 45 fractional worksNeural dynamics and brain function: 43 fractional worksHealth disparities and outcomes: 42 fractional worksAlzheimer's disease research and treatments: 40 fractional worksOsteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms: 39 fractional worksSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes: 39 fractional worksHIV/AIDS Research and In…38HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions: 38 fractional worksClimate Change and Health Impacts: 35 fractional worksLGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy: 34 fractional works
Psychiatry and Mental healthPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational HealthCognitive NeuroscienceHealth6 others

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

  1. 1 Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research Psychiatry and Mental health 58 works
  2. 2 Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health 45 works
  3. 3 Neural dynamics and brain function Cognitive Neuroscience 43 works
  4. 4 Health disparities and outcomes Health 42 works
  5. 5 Alzheimer's disease research and treatments Physiology 40 works
  6. 6 Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms Rheumatology 39 works
  7. 7 Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes Epidemiology 39 works
  8. 8 HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions Infectious Diseases 38 works
  9. 9 Climate Change and Health Impacts Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis 35 works
  10. 10 LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy Social Psychology 34 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 available37.4%not open62.6%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors16.7%domestic only83.3%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Boston University's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 3% 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 Boston University as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.045% in 2024.

still counting0.050%0.10%0.15%Boston University0.040% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Boston 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 counting10%20%Boston University12.7% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 17.8% in 2004.

Other research institutions in Boston

All research institutions in Boston

Which institutions have research most like Boston University's?

Among the world's leading institutions, New York University has the research profile closest to Boston University's, with both strong in Neuroscience.

  1. 1 New York UniversityUnited States · Both strong in Neuroscience, Psychology, Medicine 0.94 Compare
  2. 2 University of TorontoCanada · Both strong in Neuroscience, Psychology, Health Professions 0.90 Compare
  3. 3 King's College LondonUnited Kingdom · Both strong in Neuroscience, Psychology, Health Professions 0.90 Compare
  4. 4 University of IowaUnited States · Both strong in Neuroscience, Psychology, Medicine 0.88 Compare
  5. 5 Indiana UniversityUnited States · Both strong in Neuroscience, Psychology, Medicine 0.88 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

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Boston University on Science Explorer

A card with Boston 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.

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Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where Boston University is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

Overall

Domains

Fields

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

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