Science Explorer Interactive view Map
Archive · London · United Kingdom

British Library

In research, British Library stands highest in Social Sciences (#8,384 of 10,521 worldwide), 2022–2025.

bl.ukROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#23,658
of 28,054 · #6,404 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#892
of 1,094
Research works
1.6k
▲ 30% vs 2013–17
Citations
8.4k
5.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
12.5%
record average 16.5%
Open access
22%
world 28%

What is British Library known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Social SciencesDomain #8,384 of 10,521 13.5%75 #685

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where British Library 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 world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

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: 0.12× its world share, 1 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.11× its world share, 0 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksNeuroscienceChemistry: 0.22× its world share, 0 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.33× its world share, 10 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.81× its world share, 1 worksEarth and Planetary …Engineering: 0.10× its world share, 2 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.21× its world share, 1 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.10× its world share, 0 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.21× its world share, 0 worksPhysics and AstronomyHealth Professions: 0.45× its world share, 1 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.23× its world share, 4 worksMedicineNursing: 0.35× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 15.22× its world share, 42 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.47× its world share, 2 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.95× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.65× its world share, 1 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.49× its world share, 1 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.24× its world share, 27 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Arts and Humanities, 15.2×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at British Library?

Ranked on the composite score, Maurice Β. Line, Graham P. Cornish and Frances Harris lead among researchers whose main affiliation is British Library.

  1. 1 Maurice Β. Line United Kingdom · #110,851 worldwide 56 citations · 65 works
  2. 2 Graham P. Cornish United Kingdom · #400,542 worldwide 7 citations · 27 works
  3. 3 Frances Harris United Kingdom · #637,076 worldwide 4 citations · 18 works
  4. 4 Mia Ridge United Kingdom · #1,158,964 worldwide 0 citations · 16 works
  5. 5 David Newton United Kingdom · #1,308,152 worldwide 11 citations · 18 works
All ranked researchers at British Library

Which keywords describe research at British Library?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: History, Religion, Cultural Heritage, Gender, Culture, Literature, Colonialism and Nationalism.

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

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 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. History10▲ 14×17 topics
  2. Religion8▲ 16×10 topics
  3. Cultural Heritage7▲ 13×10 topics
  4. Culture7▲ 13×11 topics
  5. Gender7▲ 13×16 topics
  6. Literature6▲ 12×14 topics
  7. Colonialism6▲ 13×15 topics
  8. Nationalism6▲ 13×10 topics
  9. Identity5▲ 7.4×12 topics
  10. Archives5▲ 429×1 topic
  11. Digital Preservation5▲ 369×1 topic
  12. Philosophy5▲ 11×5 topics
  13. Conservation4▲ 11×4 topics
  14. Globalization4▲ 2.3×14 topics
  15. Society4▲ 24×7 topics
  16. Data Citation4▲ 91×2 topics
  17. Digital Repositories4▲ 147×2 topics
  18. Ethnomusicology4▲ 93×2 topics
  19. Cultural Sustainability3▲ 62×2 topics
  20. Cultural Exchange3▲ 27×4 topics
  21. Environmental Monitoring3▲ 7.9×1 topic
  22. Medieval3▲ 82×3 topics
  23. Museum Environments3▲ 150×1 topic
  24. Data Sharing3▲ 113×2 topics
  25. Urban Development3▲ 8.0×6 topics
  26. Cultural Studies3▲ 7.3×6 topics
  27. Indigenous Knowledge3▲ 29×2 topics
  28. Semantic Web3▲ 30×3 topics
  29. Bibliographic Framework2▲ 369×1 topic
  30. Environmental Sustainability2▲ 16×2 topics
  31. Ethnicity2▲ 7.0×6 topics
  32. Historiography2▲ 20×6 topics
  33. Linked Data2▲ 65×2 topics
  34. Resource Description and Access2▲ 369×1 topic
  35. Cultural Conservation2▲ 98×1 topic
  36. Ecomusicology2▲ 106×1 topic
  37. Manuscripts2▲ 113×2 topics
  38. Modernization2▲ 13×2 topics
  39. Gender Dynamics2▲ 22×4 topics
  40. Memory2▲ 8.7×4 topics

Which research topics does British Library publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Digital and Traditional Archives Management, Conservation Techniques and Studies, Library Science and Information Systems and Diverse Musicological Studies.

Digital and Traditional …5Digital and Traditional Archives Management: 5 fractional worksConservation Techniques and Studies: 3 fractional worksLibrary Science and Info…2Library Science and Information Systems: 2 fractional worksDiverse Musicological St…2Diverse Musicological Studies: 2 fractional worksIndian and Buddhist Studies: 2 fractional worksMuseums and Cultural Heritage: 2 fractional worksCultural Heritage Manage…2Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation: 2 fractional worksLibrary Science and Administration: 2 fractional worksResearch Data Management Practices: 2 fractional worksAfrican history and culture studies: 1 fractional works
ConservationInformation SystemsMusicReligious studies4 others

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

  1. 1 Digital and Traditional Archives Management Conservation 5 works
  2. 2 Conservation Techniques and Studies Conservation 3 works
  3. 3 Library Science and Information Systems Information Systems 2 works
  4. 4 Diverse Musicological Studies Music 2 works
  5. 5 Indian and Buddhist Studies Religious studies 2 works
  6. 6 Museums and Cultural Heritage Museology 2 works
  7. 7 Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Archeology 2 works
  8. 8 Library Science and Administration Library and Information Sciences 2 works
  9. 9 Research Data Management Practices Information Systems 2 works
  10. 10 African history and culture studies Anthropology 1 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 available21.7%not open78.3%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors8.9%domestic only91.1%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has British Library's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 30% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

Other research institutions in London

All research institutions in London

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.