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National Archives

In research, National Archives stands highest in Social Sciences (#8,574 of 10,521 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Arts and Humanities — Arts and Humanities is 12.3× its share of world research.

nationalarchives.gov.ukROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#22,799
of 28,054 · #20,655 all time
Rank in United Kingdom
#847
of 1,094
Research works
766
▲ 62% vs 2013–17
Citations
2.9k
3.7 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
7.8%
record average 16.5%
Open access
36%
world 28%

What is National Archives 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 #8,574 of 10,521 6.9%130 #4882

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where National Archives 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 National Archives specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Arts and Humanities takes 12.3× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Arts and HumanitiesField · 59.0 works12×
← 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: 0.36× its world share, 3 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.12× its world share, 1 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Neuroscience: 0.09× its world share, 0 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 0.14× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.25× its world share, 1 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.13× its world share, 15 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.25× its world share, 3 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.05× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.21× its world share, 5 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.33× its world share, 3 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.13× its world share, 1 worksMaterials SciencePhysics and Astronomy: 0.27× its world share, 1 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.21× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.33× its world share, 2 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.07× its world share, 2 worksMedicineNursing: 0.14× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 12.26× its world share, 59 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.46× its world share, 2 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.02× its world share, 2 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.47× its world share, 5 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.35× its world share, 2 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.84× its world share, 60 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Arts and Humanities, 12.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at National Archives?

Ranked on the composite score, Tim Padfield⊚, Carl Ludwig Lokke and Philip C. Brooks lead among researchers whose main affiliation is National Archives.

  1. 1 Tim Padfield⊚ United Kingdom · #243,320 worldwide 71 citations · 32 works
  2. 2 Carl Ludwig Lokke United Kingdom · #533,711 worldwide 22 citations · 16 works
  3. 3 Philip C. Brooks United Kingdom · #760,900 worldwide 16 citations · 15 works
  4. 4 Henry Putney Beers United Kingdom · #852,608 worldwide 5 citations · 16 works
  5. 5 Richard Wood United Kingdom · #1,104,619 worldwide 0 citations · 19 works
All ranked researchers at National Archives

Which keywords describe research at National Archives?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: History, Nationalism, Metadata Standards, Archives, Digital Preservation, Cultural Heritage, Gender and Culture.

▲ 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. History20▲ 17×19 topics
  2. Nationalism14▲ 19×16 topics
  3. Metadata Standards14▲ 422×2 topics
  4. Archives14▲ 668×1 topic
  5. Digital Preservation14▲ 574×1 topic
  6. Cultural Heritage13▲ 14×13 topics
  7. Gender13▲ 15×17 topics
  8. Culture11▲ 13×10 topics
  9. Literature11▲ 12×10 topics
  10. Identity10▲ 8.7×20 topics
  11. Globalization9▲ 2.8×17 topics
  12. Religion8▲ 10×9 topics
  13. Cultural Identity8▲ 9.2×8 topics
  14. Colonialism8▲ 10×16 topics
  15. Society8▲ 24×5 topics
  16. Philosophy7▲ 9.4×6 topics
  17. Urban Development6▲ 11×4 topics
  18. Eastern Europe5▲ 58×3 topics
  19. Soviet Union5▲ 56×3 topics
  20. Cultural Politics5▲ 49×2 topics
  21. Memory5▲ 12×8 topics
  22. Ethics5▲ 6.1×6 topics
  23. Medieval5▲ 77×2 topics
  24. Social Change5▲ 23×5 topics
  25. African Diaspora5▲ 73×2 topics
  26. Community4▲ 24×5 topics
  27. Ethnography4▲ 15×9 topics
  28. Manuscripts4▲ 121×1 topic
  29. Monasticism4▲ 164×1 topic
  30. Academic Achievement4▲ 14×2 topics
  31. Community Participation4▲ 6.5×4 topics
  32. Parental Involvement4▲ 14×2 topics
  33. Polish history4▲ 88×1 topic
  34. Polish minority4▲ 88×1 topic
  35. Eastern European culture3▲ 144×1 topic
  36. Inequality3▲ 8.7×4 topics
  37. Polish nobility3▲ 144×1 topic
  38. Slavery3▲ 83×2 topics
  39. Atlantic History3▲ 117×1 topic
  40. Transatlantic Slave Trade3▲ 117×1 topic

Which research topics does National Archives publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Digital and Traditional Archives Management, Medieval Literature and History, Polish Historical and Cultural Studies and Historical and Cultural Studies of Poland.

Digital and Traditional …14Digital and Traditional Archives Management: 14 fractional worksMedieval Literature and History: 4 fractional worksPolish Historical and Cultural Studies: 4 fractional worksHistorical and Cultural Studies of Poland: 3 fractional worksColonialism, slavery, and trade: 3 fractional worksDiverse Education Studies and Reforms: 3 fractional worksOral History, Memory, Narrative Analysis: 3 fractional worksDigital Humanities and Scholarship: 2 fractional worksAmerican Constitutional Law and Politics: 2 fractional worksScottish History and National Identity: 2 fractional works
ConservationClassicsPolitical Science and International RelationsHistory3 others

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

  1. 1 Digital and Traditional Archives Management Conservation 14 works
  2. 2 Medieval Literature and History Classics 4 works
  3. 3 Polish Historical and Cultural Studies Political Science and International Relations 4 works
  4. 4 Historical and Cultural Studies of Poland History 3 works
  5. 5 Colonialism, slavery, and trade Anthropology 3 works
  6. 6 Diverse Education Studies and Reforms Education 3 works
  7. 7 Oral History, Memory, Narrative Analysis History 3 works
  8. 8 Digital Humanities and Scholarship Literature and Literary Theory 2 works
  9. 9 American Constitutional Law and Politics Political Science and International Relations 2 works
  10. 10 Scottish History and National Identity History 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 available36.5%not open63.5%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors21.3%domestic only78.7%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has National Archives's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 62% 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.