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Research facility · Cape Town · South Africa

Scientific Services

In research, Scientific Services stands highest in Physical Sciences (#9,547 of 10,670 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Environmental Science (Environmental Science is 7.1× its share of world research).

scientificservices.co.zaROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#14,530
of 22,385 · #11,047 all time
Rank in South Africa
#54
of 75
Research works
930
▲ 38% vs 2018-21
Citations
19k
20.1 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
8.8%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.94×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
36%
world 40%
International
43%
world 18%
Scientific Services

What is Scientific Services 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
Physical SciencesDomain #9,547 of 10,670 8.8%69 #8975

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Scientific Services 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 Scientific Services work in?

In 2022-now, 53% of research at Scientific Services is in Physical Sciences, 19% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Environmental Science (35%), Medicine (15%), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (10%). It does 1.3× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 75 fractional works · 53.1% of its workEnvironmental Science: 50 fractional works · 35.3% of its workEcology: 13 fractional works · 9.5% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 9 fractional works · 6.3% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 7 fractional works · 4.9% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 4 fractional works · 2.9% of its workPollution: 4 fractional works · 2.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 3 fractional works · 2.1% of its workEcological Modeling: 3 fractional works · 1.8% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 2 fractional works · 1.7% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 2 fractional works · 1.6% of its workWater Science and Technology: 2 fractional works · 1.4% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEngineering: 11 fractional works · 7.9% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 4 fractional works · 3.0% of its workMechanical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAerospace Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputational Mechanics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workMechanics of Materials: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBuilding and Construction: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 4 fractional works · 2.8% of its workOceanography: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workPaleontology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAtmospheric Science: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGeochemistry and Petrology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGeology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workComputer Science: 3 fractional works · 2.2% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 0 fractional works · 0.4% of its workInformation Systems: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMaterials Science: 2 fractional works · 1.4% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workBiomaterials: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workRadiation: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemistry: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMathematics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNumerical Analysis: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemical Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnergy: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth Sciences: 27 fractional works · 19.2% of its workMedicine: 21 fractional works · 15.0% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workInfectious Diseases: 2 fractional works · 1.6% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSurgery: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEpidemiology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workDermatology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workRehabilitation: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workFamily Practice: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHepatology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workReproductive Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRheumatology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOncology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 1.7% of its workHealth Professions: 3 fractional works · 2.1% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth Information Management: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workRadiological and Ultrasound Technology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDentistry: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workPeriodontics: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workVeterinary: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmall Animals: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNursing: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLife Sciences: 24 fractional works · 16.9% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 14 fractional works · 10.0% of its workPlant Science: 5 fractional works · 3.5% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 3 fractional works · 1.9% of its workFood Science: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workInsect Science: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workForestry: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSoil Science: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAgronomy and Crop Science: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAquatic Science: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 8 fractional works · 5.4% of its workMolecular Biology: 3 fractional works · 2.1% of its workGenetics: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workCancer Research: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workBiophysics: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workStructural Biology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBiotechnology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workClinical Biochemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workImmunology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNeuroscience: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSocial Sciences: 15 fractional works · 10.8% of its workSocial Sciences: 9 fractional works · 6.5% of its workSociology and Political Science: 3 fractional works · 1.8% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workEducation: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workLaw: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workTransportation: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLinguistics and Language: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workUrban Studies: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workArts and Humanities: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workArcheology: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 0 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workPsychology: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workSocial Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDecision Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKScientificServices141fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences17%Physical Sciences53%Health Sciences19%Social Sciences11%

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. Environmental Science5035.3%
    2. Engineering117.9%
    3. Earth and Planetary Sciences42.8%
    4. Computer Science32.2%
    5. Materials Science21.4%
    6. Physics and Astronomy21.3%
    7. Chemistry11.0%
    8. Mathematics10.6%
    9. Chemical Engineering00.3%
    10. Energy00.2%
    1. Medicine2115.0%
    2. Health Professions32.1%
    3. Dentistry10.9%
    4. Veterinary10.6%
    5. Nursing10.5%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1410.0%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology85.4%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology10.7%
    4. Neuroscience10.4%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics00.3%
    1. Social Sciences96.5%
    2. Arts and Humanities21.3%
    3. Economics, Econometrics and Finance21.3%
    4. Psychology21.1%
    5. Decision Sciences10.4%
    6. Business, Management and Accounting00.2%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Scientific Services specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Environmental Science takes 7.1× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Environmental ScienceField · 49.8 works7.1×
← 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: 2.10× its world share, 14 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.02× its world share, 8 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.74× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.27× its world share, 1 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.83× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.90× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.66× its world share, 2 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.28× its world share, 3 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.81× its world share, 4 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.24× its world share, 0 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.53× its world share, 11 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 7.10× its world share, 50 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.41× its world share, 2 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.48× its world share, 1 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.60× its world share, 2 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 1.88× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.81× its world share, 3 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.78× its world share, 21 worksMedicineNursing: 0.98× its world share, 1 worksNursingVeterinary: 4.38× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.45× its world share, 2 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.06× its world share, 0 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.39× its world share, 0 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.61× its world share, 2 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.37× its world share, 2 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.51× its world share, 9 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Environmental Science, 7.1×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Environmental Science7.10×50 works
  2. Veterinary4.38×1 works
  3. Agricultural and Biological Sciences2.10×14 works
  4. Dentistry1.88×1 works
  5. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.81×4 works
  6. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.02×8 works
  7. Nursing0.98×1 works
  8. Chemical Engineering0.90×0 works
  9. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.83×0 works
  10. Health Professions0.81×3 works
  11. Medicine0.78×21 works
  12. Immunology and Microbiology0.74×1 works
  13. Chemistry0.66×2 works
  14. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.61×2 works
  15. Physics and Astronomy0.60×2 works
  16. Engineering0.53×11 works
  17. Social Sciences0.51×9 works
  18. Mathematics0.48×1 works
  19. Arts and Humanities0.45×2 works
  20. Materials Science0.41×2 works
  21. Decision Sciences0.39×0 works
  22. Psychology0.37×2 works
  23. Computer Science0.28×3 works
  24. Neuroscience0.27×1 works
  25. Energy0.24×0 works
  26. Business, Management and Accounting0.06×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Scientific Services?

Ranked on the quality score, Ian A. Rushworth, Mitchell Finger and L. J. Comrie lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Scientific Services.

  1. 1 Ian A. Rushworth South Africa · #2,272,735 worldwide 608 citations · 18 works
  2. 2 Mitchell Finger South Africa · #2,327,393 worldwide 186 citations · 17 works
  3. 3 L. J. Comrie South Africa · #2,888,734 worldwide 643 citations · 78 works
  4. 4 Judy A Northill South Africa · #3,168,592 worldwide 146 citations · 81 works
  5. 5 Hugh H. Kolb South Africa · #3,438,636 worldwide 628 citations · 25 works
  6. 6 F.R. Barber South Africa · #3,706,654 worldwide 292 citations · 18 works
  7. 7 Tiberius Ignat South Africa · #3,793,442 worldwide 146 citations · 27 works
  8. 8 James R. Cutler South Africa · #3,981,468 worldwide 118 citations · 18 works
  9. 9 Tlou B. Chokwe South Africa · #4,099,310 worldwide 646 citations · 29 works
  10. 10 R. J. Aston South Africa · #4,191,239 worldwide 535 citations · 20 works
All ranked researchers at Scientific Services

What are the most cited papers from Scientific Services?

The most cited paper from Scientific Services is "Determinants of woody cover in African savannas" (Mahesh Sankaran et al., 2005), with 1,992 citations. Next come "Toward Principles for Enhancing the Resilience of Ecosystem Services" (1,247) and "The Critical Success Index as an Indicator of Warning Skill" (891).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Determinants of woody cover in African savannas Mahesh Sankaran et al. · Nature Open access Dec 2005 1,992
2 Toward Principles for Enhancing the Resilience of Ecosystem Services Reinette Biggs, Maja Schlüter‬, Duan Biggs et al. · Annual Review of Environment and Resources ReviewOpen access 10 Aug 2012 1,247
3 The Critical Success Index as an Indicator of Warning Skill Joseph T. Schaefer · Weather and Forecasting Open access Dec 1990 891
4 A Prospective Study of Sudden Cardiac Death among Children and Young Adults Richard D. Bagnall et al. · New England Journal of Medicine Open access 23 Jun 2016 854
5 How successful are plant species reintroductions? Sandrine Godefroid, Carole Piazza, Graziano Rossi et al. · Biological Conservation 31 Oct 2010 702
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Scientific Services?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Biodiversity, Invasive Species, Conservation, Ecosystem, Habitat Fragmentation, Global Change and Population Dynamics.

▲ 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. Climate Change19▲ 5.0×47 topics
  2. Biodiversity14▲ 13×16 topics
  3. Invasive Species12▲ 20×13 topics
  4. Conservation11▲ 19×15 topics
  5. Ecosystem8▲ 54×3 topics
  6. Habitat Fragmentation8▲ 26×4 topics
  7. Global Change8▲ 21×5 topics
  8. Population Dynamics7▲ 19×9 topics
  9. Sustainability7▲ 1.95×20 topics
  10. Environmental Impact6▲ 2.6×19 topics
  11. Species Richness6▲ 69×2 topics
  12. Biological Invasions6▲ 48×3 topics
  13. Community Ecology6▲ 51×2 topics
  14. Functional Diversity6▲ 77×1 topic
  15. Habitat Selection4▲ 44×2 topics
  16. Trophic Cascades4▲ 31×2 topics
  17. Animal Movement4▲ 51×1 topic
  18. Occupancy Rates4▲ 51×1 topic
  19. Conservation Biology4▲ 24×4 topics
  20. Toxicity3▲ 5.6×8 topics
  21. Biodiversity Conservation3▲ 6.2×9 topics
  22. Ecosystem Resilience3▲ 14×5 topics
  23. Ecosystem Services3▲ 5.3×7 topics
  24. Health Effects3▲ 3.4×11 topics
  25. Biogeography3▲ 7.1×8 topics
  26. Vibration Control3▲ 31×2 topics
  27. Model Evaluation3▲ 15×2 topics
  28. Ecological Niche2▲ 30×1 topic
  29. Species Distribution Modeling2▲ 30×1 topic
  30. Subwavelength Imaging2▲ 40×2 topics
  31. Wave Propagation2▲ 16×2 topics
  32. Environmental Impacts2▲ 6.2×5 topics
  33. Soil Properties2▲ 9.5×4 topics
  34. Acoustic Metamaterials2▲ 43×1 topic
  35. Ecosystem Functioning2▲ 7.7×7 topics
  36. Phononic Crystals2▲ 43×1 topic
  37. Remediation2▲ 20×2 topics
  38. Sagebrush2▲ 102×1 topic
  39. Wildlife Habitat2▲ 102×1 topic
  40. Phylogeny2▲ 8.4×3 topics

Which research topics does Scientific Services publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Species Distribution and Climate Change and Acoustic Wave Phenomena Research.

Ecology and Vegetation D…6Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies: 6 fractional worksWildlife Ecology and Conservation: 4 fractional worksSpecies Distribution and Climate Change: 2 fractional worksAcoustic Wave Phenomena Research: 2 fractional worksRangeland and Wildlife Management: 2 fractional worksFire effects on ecosystems2Fire effects on ecosystems: 2 fractional worksRangeland Management and Livestock Ecology: 2 fractional worksHeavy metals in environment: 1 fractional worksPharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts: 1 fractional worksWildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation: 1 fractional works
Nature and Landscape ConservationEcologyEcological ModelingBiomedical Engineering3 others

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

  1. 1 Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies Nature and Landscape Conservation 6 works
  2. 2 Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Ecology 4 works
  3. 3 Species Distribution and Climate Change Ecological Modeling 2 works
  4. 4 Acoustic Wave Phenomena Research Biomedical Engineering 2 works
  5. 5 Rangeland and Wildlife Management Ecology 2 works
  6. 6 Fire effects on ecosystems Global and Planetary Change 2 works
  7. 7 Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law 2 works
  8. 8 Heavy metals in environment Pollution 1 works
  9. 9 Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts Pollution 1 works
  10. 10 Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation Ecology 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 available35.8%not open64.2%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors43.1%domestic only56.9%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Scientific Services's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 38% 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 Scientific Services as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00062% in 2024.

still counting0.0025%0.0050%0.0075%Scientific Services0.00061% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Scientific Services 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 2025Scientific Services5.7% in 20252020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 14.9% in 2015.

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Scientific Services on Science Explorer

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