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Government institution · Washington · United States

Smithsonian Institution

In research, Smithsonian Institution stands highest in Environmental Science (#169 of 3,334 worldwide), Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics (#14 of 269 worldwide) and Life Sciences (#361 of 6,403 worldwide), 2022-now. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Paleontology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics and Ecological Modeling (Paleontology is 56.0× its share of world research).

si.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#754
of 22,385 · #515 all time
Rank in United States
#178
of 3,332
Research works
24k
▼ 12% vs 2018-21
Citations
893k
37.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
11.4%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.20×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
36%
world 40%
International
32%
world 18%
Smithsonian Institution

What is Smithsonian Institution 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
Environmental ScienceField #169 of 3,334 11.7%637 #114
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsSubfield #14 of 269 11.7%298 #20
Life SciencesDomain #361 of 6,403 11.2%803 #295
Physical SciencesDomain #664 of 10,670 11.1%1,164 #663
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #231 of 3,157 10.8%507 #143
EcologySubfield #50 of 600 11.6%290 #39
Earth and Planetary SciencesField #112 of 1,088 11.5%352 #148
Social SciencesDomain #1,044 of 9,585 13.1%376 #505
Nature and Landscape ConservationSubfield #15 of 90 11.5%124 #23
PaleontologySubfield #7 of 37 9.9%167 #14

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Smithsonian Institution 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. Environmental Science#114 #169
  2. Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics#20 #14
  3. Life Sciences#295 #361
  4. Physical Sciences#663 #664
  5. Agricultural and Biological Sciences#143 #231
  6. Ecology#39 #50
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences#148 #112
  8. Social Sciences#505 #1,044
  9. Nature and Landscape Conservation#23 #15
  10. Paleontology#14 #7
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 Smithsonian Institution work in?

In 2022-now, 47% of research at Smithsonian Institution is in Physical Sciences, 33% in Life Sciences. Its largest fields are Environmental Science (26%), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (21%), Earth and Planetary Sciences (14%). It does 2.5× the world's share of Life Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 1,330 fractional works · 46.8% of its workEnvironmental Science: 725 fractional works · 25.5% of its workEcology: 334 fractional works · 11.7% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 136 fractional works · 4.8% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 132 fractional works · 4.7% of its workEcological Modeling: 46 fractional works · 1.6% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 26 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 16 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 11 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPollution: 7 fractional works · 0.2% of its workWater Science and Technology: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 396 fractional works · 14.0% of its workPaleontology: 192 fractional works · 6.8% of its workOceanography: 93 fractional works · 3.3% of its workAtmospheric Science: 38 fractional works · 1.3% of its workGeophysics: 30 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEarth-Surface Processes: 20 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeology: 10 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeochemistry and Petrology: 10 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 69 fractional works · 2.4% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 62 fractional works · 2.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEngineering: 60 fractional works · 2.1% of its workOcean Engineering: 14 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 9 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAerospace Engineering: 8 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMechanics of Materials: 7 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 23 fractional works · 0.8% of its workComputer Science: 32 fractional works · 1.1% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 13 fractional works · 0.5% of its workInformation Systems: 8 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 12 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMaterials Science: 17 fractional works · 0.6% of its workBiomaterials: 11 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 13 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMathematics: 9 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeometry and Topology: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnergy: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.0% of its workLife Sciences: 936 fractional works · 33.0% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 592 fractional works · 20.9% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 353 fractional works · 12.4% of its workPlant Science: 94 fractional works · 3.3% of its workInsect Science: 72 fractional works · 2.5% of its workAquatic Science: 27 fractional works · 0.9% of its workFood Science: 12 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAgronomy and Crop Science: 10 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSoil Science: 8 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 17 fractional works · 0.6% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 292 fractional works · 10.3% of its workGenetics: 128 fractional works · 4.5% of its workMolecular Biology: 112 fractional works · 4.0% of its workDevelopmental Biology: 14 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiotechnology: 11 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCell Biology: 9 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPhysiology: 7 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 11 fractional works · 0.4% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 33 fractional works · 1.2% of its workParasitology: 20 fractional works · 0.7% of its workImmunology: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 17 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 9 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 8 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 3 fractional works · 0.1% of its workSocial Sciences: 416 fractional works · 14.6% of its workSocial Sciences: 192 fractional works · 6.8% of its workSociology and Political Science: 57 fractional works · 2.0% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 37 fractional works · 1.3% of its workAnthropology: 37 fractional works · 1.3% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 14 fractional works · 0.5% of its workCultural Studies: 12 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEducation: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 31 fractional works · 1.1% of its workArts and Humanities: 139 fractional works · 4.9% of its workArcheology: 52 fractional works · 1.8% of its workMuseology: 16 fractional works · 0.6% of its workConservation: 16 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 16 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHistory: 11 fractional works · 0.4% of its workVisual Arts and Performing Arts: 7 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMusic: 6 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 9 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychology: 46 fractional works · 1.6% of its workSocial Psychology: 34 fractional works · 1.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 13 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 20 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 15 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 11 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDecision Sciences: 7 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth Sciences: 158 fractional works · 5.6% of its workMedicine: 121 fractional works · 4.2% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 34 fractional works · 1.2% of its workInfectious Diseases: 16 fractional works · 0.6% of its workReproductive Medicine: 14 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 9 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEpidemiology: 8 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 41 fractional works · 1.4% of its workHealth Professions: 17 fractional works · 0.6% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 13 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 4 fractional works · 0.1% of its workVeterinary: 16 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmall Animals: 15 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.0% of its workNursing: 3 fractional works · 0.1% of its workDentistry: 1 fractional works · 0.0% of its workALL ITS WORKSmithsonianInstitution2,841fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences33%Physical Sciences47%Health Sciences6%Social Sciences15%

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 Science72525.5%
    2. Earth and Planetary Sciences39614.0%
    3. Physics and Astronomy692.4%
    4. Engineering602.1%
    5. Computer Science321.1%
    6. Materials Science170.6%
    7. Chemistry130.4%
    8. Mathematics90.3%
    9. Energy60.2%
    10. Chemical Engineering10.0%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences59220.9%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology29210.3%
    3. Immunology and Microbiology331.2%
    4. Neuroscience170.6%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics30.1%
    1. Social Sciences1926.8%
    2. Arts and Humanities1394.9%
    3. Psychology461.6%
    4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance200.7%
    5. Business, Management and Accounting110.4%
    6. Decision Sciences70.2%
    1. Medicine1214.2%
    2. Health Professions170.6%
    3. Veterinary160.6%
    4. Nursing30.1%
    5. Dentistry10.0%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

What does Smithsonian Institution specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Paleontology takes 56.0× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. PaleontologySubfield · 191.8 works56×
  2. Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsSubfield · 353.1 works26×
  3. Ecological ModelingSubfield · 46.2 works21×
  4. Nature and Landscape ConservationSubfield · 136.3 works20×
  5. EcologySubfield · 333.5 works15×
  6. OceanographySubfield · 92.6 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: 4.39× its world share, 592 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.92× its world share, 292 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.16× its world share, 33 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.36× its world share, 17 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.26× its world share, 3 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.09× its world share, 1 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.29× its world share, 13 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.15× its world share, 32 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 8.90× its world share, 396 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.25× its world share, 6 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.14× its world share, 60 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 5.14× its world share, 726 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.17× its world share, 17 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.27× its world share, 9 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.10× its world share, 70 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.09× its world share, 1 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.23× its world share, 17 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.22× its world share, 120 worksMedicineNursing: 0.24× its world share, 3 worksNursingVeterinary: 4.09× its world share, 16 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.69× its world share, 139 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.12× its world share, 11 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.24× its world share, 7 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.33× its world share, 20 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.54× its world share, 46 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.54× its world share, 192 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 8.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Earth and Planetary Sciences8.90×396 works
  2. Environmental Science5.14×726 works
  3. Agricultural and Biological Sciences4.39×592 works
  4. Veterinary4.09×16 works
  5. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.92×292 works
  6. Arts and Humanities1.69×139 works
  7. Immunology and Microbiology1.16×33 works
  8. Physics and Astronomy1.10×70 works
  9. Psychology0.54×46 works
  10. Social Sciences0.54×192 works
  11. Neuroscience0.36×17 works
  12. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.33×20 works
  13. Chemistry0.29×13 works
  14. Mathematics0.27×9 works
  15. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.26×3 works
  16. Energy0.25×6 works
  17. Nursing0.24×3 works
  18. Decision Sciences0.24×7 works
  19. Health Professions0.23×17 works
  20. Medicine0.22×120 works
  21. Materials Science0.17×17 works
  22. Computer Science0.15×32 works
  23. Engineering0.14×60 works
  24. Business, Management and Accounting0.12×11 works
  25. Chemical Engineering0.09×1 works
  26. Dentistry0.09×1 works

Who are the top researchers at Smithsonian Institution?

Ranked on the quality score, Nancy Knowlton, Anna K. Behrensmeyer and Scott L. Wing lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Smithsonian Institution.

  1. 1 Nancy Knowlton United States · #15,939 worldwide 42k citations · 214 works
  2. 2 Anna K. Behrensmeyer United States · #35,146 worldwide 15k citations · 215 works
  3. 3 Scott L. Wing United States · #66,738 worldwide 20k citations · 302 works
  4. 4 David L. Swofford United States · #66,949 worldwide 26k citations · 76 works
  5. 5 Ted R. Schultz United States · #77,919 worldwide 11k citations · 152 works
  6. 6 Terry L. Erwin United States · #89,994 worldwide 9.5k citations · 73 works
  7. 7 Noreen Tuross United States · #119,361 worldwide 8.8k citations · 123 works
  8. 8 Matthew T. Carrano United States · #136,165 worldwide 6.8k citations · 102 works
  9. 9 Elizabeth Cottrell United States · #137,606 worldwide 7k citations · 251 works
  10. 10 Logan Kistler United States · #150,117 worldwide 3.1k citations · 95 works
All ranked researchers at Smithsonian Institution

What are the most cited papers from Smithsonian Institution?

The most cited paper from Smithsonian Institution is "The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields" (Paul DiMaggio, Walter W. Powell, 1983), with 37,882 citations. Next come "The worldwide leaf economics spectrum" (9,121) and "Structural absorption by barbule microstructures of super black bird of paradise feathers" (7,502).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 The Iron Cage Revisited: Institutional Isomorphism and Collective Rationality in Organizational Fields Paul DiMaggio, Walter W. Powell · American Sociological Review Apr 1983 37,882
2 The worldwide leaf economics spectrum Ian J. Wright et al. · Nature Open access Apr 2004 9,121
3 Structural absorption by barbule microstructures of super black bird of paradise feathers Dakota E. McCoy, Teresa J. Feo, Todd Alan Harvey et al. · Nature Communications Open access 27 Dec 2017 7,502
4 Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems Jeremy B. C. Jackson, Michael Xavier Kirby, Wolfgang Berger et al. · Science 27 Jul 2001 6,683
5 NONPOINT POLLUTION OF SURFACE WATERS WITH PHOSPHORUS AND NITROGEN Stephen R. Carpenter, N. F. Caraco, David L. Correll et al. · Ecological Applications Aug 1998 5,882
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Smithsonian Institution?

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

▲ 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 Change558▲ 7.2×88 topics
  2. Biodiversity359▲ 17×31 topics
  3. Invasive Species276▲ 23×21 topics
  4. Biogeography274▲ 35×20 topics
  5. Conservation254▲ 21×23 topics
  6. Population Dynamics213▲ 29×12 topics
  7. Molecular Phylogeny204▲ 44×12 topics
  8. Phylogeny195▲ 41×17 topics
  9. Evolution184▲ 24×16 topics
  10. Phylogenetic Analysis168▲ 19×16 topics
  11. Habitat Fragmentation165▲ 27×5 topics
  12. Global Change149▲ 20×7 topics
  13. DNA Barcoding140▲ 28×9 topics
  14. Taxonomy136▲ 33×14 topics
  15. Ecosystem Services122▲ 11×12 topics
  16. Morphology119▲ 23×9 topics
  17. Cretaceous96▲ 137×2 topics
  18. Marine Ecosystems95▲ 61×2 topics
  19. Conservation Biology92▲ 30×4 topics
  20. Ecosystem Functioning91▲ 16×7 topics
  21. Ecology86▲ 18×9 topics
  22. Phylogenetics82▲ 58×3 topics
  23. Ocean Acidification81▲ 38×3 topics
  24. Genetic Diversity76▲ 6.2×19 topics
  25. Biological Invasions76▲ 29×3 topics
  26. Plant-Animal Interactions74▲ 33×1 topic
  27. Pollinator Decline74▲ 33×1 topic
  28. Ecosystem72▲ 24×4 topics
  29. Trophic Cascades71▲ 27×2 topics
  30. Adaptive Radiation68▲ 75×2 topics
  31. Benthic Communities68▲ 39×2 topics
  32. Marine Biodiversity68▲ 39×2 topics
  33. Habitat Selection68▲ 33×2 topics
  34. Fisheries65▲ 52×2 topics
  35. Community Ecology63▲ 26×2 topics
  36. Diversification60▲ 48×2 topics
  37. Biological Control60▲ 14×9 topics
  38. Dinosaur54▲ 135×1 topic
  39. Paleontology54▲ 135×1 topic
  40. Ecosystem Resilience54▲ 12×5 topics

Which research topics does Smithsonian Institution publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Plant and animal studies, Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology, Evolution and Paleontology Studies and Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies.

Plant and animal studies74Plant and animal studies: 74 fractional worksPaleontology and Evoluti…54Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology: 54 fractional worksEvolution and Paleontology Studies: 51 fractional worksCoral and Marine Ecosystems Studies: 48 fractional worksWildlife Ecology and Conservation: 47 fractional worksIchthyology and Marine Biology: 47 fractional worksSpecies Distribution and Climate Change: 46 fractional worksEcology and Vegetation D…45Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies: 45 fractional worksMarine Biology and Ecology Research: 42 fractional worksFossil Insects in Amber: 41 fractional works
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsPaleontologyEcologyNature and Landscape Conservation2 others

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

  1. 1 Plant and animal studies Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 74 works
  2. 2 Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology Paleontology 54 works
  3. 3 Evolution and Paleontology Studies Paleontology 51 works
  4. 4 Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies Ecology 48 works
  5. 5 Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Ecology 47 works
  6. 6 Ichthyology and Marine Biology Nature and Landscape Conservation 47 works
  7. 7 Species Distribution and Climate Change Ecological Modeling 46 works
  8. 8 Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies Nature and Landscape Conservation 45 works
  9. 9 Marine Biology and Ecology Research Oceanography 42 works
  10. 10 Fossil Insects in Amber Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 41 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 available36.1%not open63.9%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors31.8%domestic only68.2%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Smithsonian Institution's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 12% lower 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 Smithsonian Institution as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.011% in 2024.

still counting0.025%0.050%0.075%Smithsonian Institution0.012% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Smithsonian Institution 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%all institutions10.0% in 2025Smithsonian Institution9.7% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 19.6% in 1997.

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Smithsonian Institution on Science Explorer

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

Overall

Subfields

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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