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Archive · London · United Kingdom

British Museum

In research, British Museum stands highest in Social Sciences (#1,450 of 10,521 worldwide) and Arts and Humanities (#1,251 of 1,998 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Archeology — Archeology is 85.0× its share of world research.

britishmuseum.orgROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#5,887
of 28,054 · #2,642 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#227
of 1,094
Research works
4.9k
▲ 8% vs 2013–17
Citations
87k
17.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
30.3%
record average 16.5%
Open access
19%
world 28%

What is British Museum 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 #1,450 of 10,521 28.6%106 #509
Arts and HumanitiesField #1,251 of 1,998 27.3%61 #426

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where British Museum 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).

What does British Museum specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Archeology takes 85.0× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. ArcheologySubfield · 39.3 works85×
← 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: 1.11× its world share, 8 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.49× its world share, 4 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Chemistry: 0.28× its world share, 1 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.20× its world share, 2 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 8.04× its world share, 19 worksEarth and Planetary …Engineering: 0.14× its world share, 3 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.39× its world share, 3 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.12× its world share, 1 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.33× its world share, 1 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.08× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.16× its world share, 5 worksMedicineArts and Humanities: 13.74× its world share, 61 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.47× its world share, 2 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.55× its world share, 2 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.32× its world share, 2 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.04× its world share, 40 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Arts and Humanities, 13.7×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at British Museum?

Ranked on the composite score, Michael Hughes, Chris Humphries and Paul Craddock lead among researchers whose main affiliation is British Museum.

  1. 1 Michael Hughes United Kingdom · #37,496 worldwide 264 citations · 75 works
  2. 2 Chris Humphries United Kingdom · #61,082 worldwide 286 citations · 46 works
  3. 3 Paul Craddock United Kingdom · #72,776 worldwide 191 citations · 33 works
  4. 4 H. I. Bell United Kingdom · #83,968 worldwide 61 citations · 53 works
  5. 5 Peter Whitehead United Kingdom · #84,196 worldwide 130 citations · 65 works
  6. 6 Harold Mattingly United Kingdom · #87,930 worldwide 65 citations · 45 works
  7. 7 Colin Patterson United Kingdom · #98,967 worldwide 258 citations · 32 works
  8. 8 R. D. Barnett United Kingdom · #123,622 worldwide 93 citations · 26 works
  9. 9 Kenneth P. Oakley United Kingdom · #163,716 worldwide 108 citations · 26 works
  10. 10 H. R. Ellis Davidson United Kingdom · #170,770 worldwide 45 citations · 28 works
All ranked researchers at British Museum

Which keywords describe research at British Museum?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Cultural Heritage, Archaeology, Raman Spectroscopy, Agricultural Origins, Radiocarbon Dating, Hyperspectral Imaging, Archaeological Science and X-Ray Fluorescence.

▲ 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. Cultural Heritage25▲ 29×12 topics
  2. Archaeology21▲ 100×10 topics
  3. Raman Spectroscopy10▲ 34×2 topics
  4. Agricultural Origins10▲ 198×1 topic
  5. Radiocarbon Dating10▲ 198×1 topic
  6. Hyperspectral Imaging10▲ 23×2 topics
  7. Archaeological Science10▲ 302×1 topic
  8. X-Ray Fluorescence10▲ 302×1 topic
  9. Religion10▲ 13×8 topics
  10. Cultural Exchange9▲ 46×7 topics
  11. Climate Change9▲ 2.2×11 topics
  12. Urban Development9▲ 16×4 topics
  13. Conservation8▲ 12×9 topics
  14. Archaeological Evidence7▲ 94×2 topics
  15. Cultural Sustainability6▲ 74×2 topics
  16. Mediterranean6▲ 39×4 topics
  17. History5▲ 4.7×9 topics
  18. Bronze Age5▲ 75×3 topics
  19. Satellite Imagery5▲ 24×2 topics
  20. Semitic Languages5▲ 72×2 topics
  21. Arabia5▲ 101×1 topic
  22. Byzantine5▲ 101×1 topic
  23. Environmental Monitoring5▲ 8.1×1 topic
  24. Museum Environments5▲ 154×1 topic
  25. Aerial Survey5▲ 150×1 topic
  26. LiDAR5▲ 68×1 topic
  27. Social Organization5▲ 146×2 topics
  28. Linguistics4▲ 18×2 topics
  29. Late Antiquity4▲ 54×3 topics
  30. Demography4▲ 60×2 topics
  31. Hominin Genetics4▲ 128×1 topic
  32. Paleolithic Archaeology4▲ 128×1 topic
  33. Ancient Egypt4▲ 284×1 topic
  34. Coptic Language4▲ 284×1 topic
  35. Ancient Rome4▲ 78×1 topic
  36. Greek Literature4▲ 78×1 topic
  37. Rituals4▲ 30×3 topics
  38. Cultural Interaction4▲ 97×2 topics
  39. Holocene4▲ 21×3 topics
  40. Trade4▲ 30×3 topics

Which research topics does British Museum publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Archaeology and ancient environmental studies, Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis, Conservation Techniques and Studies and Archaeology and Historical Studies.

Archaeology and ancient environmental studies: 10 fractional worksCultural Heritage Materials Analysis: 10 fractional worksConservation Techniques and Studies: 5 fractional worksArchaeology and Historical Studies: 5 fractional worksArchaeological Research and Protection: 5 fractional worksPleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology: 4 fractional worksAncient Egypt and Archae…4Ancient Egypt and Archaeology: 4 fractional worksClassical Antiquity Stud…4Classical Antiquity Studies: 4 fractional worksCultural Heritage Manage…4Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation: 4 fractional worksEurasian Exchange Networks: 3 fractional works
PaleontologyArcheologyConservationSpace and Planetary Science1 others

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

  1. 1 Archaeology and ancient environmental studies Paleontology 10 works
  2. 2 Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Archeology 10 works
  3. 3 Conservation Techniques and Studies Conservation 5 works
  4. 4 Archaeology and Historical Studies Archeology 5 works
  5. 5 Archaeological Research and Protection Space and Planetary Science 5 works
  6. 6 Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology Anthropology 4 works
  7. 7 Ancient Egypt and Archaeology Archeology 4 works
  8. 8 Classical Antiquity Studies Anthropology 4 works
  9. 9 Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation Archeology 4 works
  10. 10 Eurasian Exchange Networks Anthropology 3 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 available18.6%not open81.4%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors12.0%domestic only88.0%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has British Museum's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 8% 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.