Science Explorer Interactive view Map
University · Northfield · United States

St. Olaf College

In research, St. Olaf College stands highest in Social Sciences (#3,619 of 10,521 worldwide), Arts and Humanities (#696 of 1,998 worldwide) and Social Sciences (#4,999 of 6,365 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Philosophy — Philosophy is 22.7× its share of world research.

wp.stolaf.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#10,704
of 28,054 · #7,874 all time
Rank in United States
#1,451
of 4,192
Research works
2.3k
▼ 11% vs 2013–17
Citations
24k
10.4 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
14.8%
record average 16.5%
Open access
20%
world 28%

What is St. Olaf College 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 #3,619 of 10,521 15.9%147 #2558
Arts and HumanitiesField #696 of 1,998 16.0%61 #838
Social SciencesField #4,999 of 6,365 15.8%69 #2320

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where St. Olaf College 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).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Social Sciences#2,558 #3,619
  2. Arts and Humanities#838 #696
  3. Social Sciences#2,320 #4,999
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does St. Olaf College specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Philosophy takes 22.7× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. PhilosophySubfield · 22.9 works23×
← 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: 0.46× its world share, 5 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.27× its world share, 16 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.53× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.95× its world share, 4 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 0.41× its world share, 0 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.91× its world share, 3 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.51× its world share, 9 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.08× its world share, 4 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.31× its world share, 1 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.14× its world share, 5 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.79× its world share, 9 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.25× its world share, 2 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 2.97× its world share, 8 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.95× its world share, 5 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.36× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.45× its world share, 3 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.25× its world share, 11 worksMedicineNursing: 0.53× its world share, 1 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 8.94× its world share, 61 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.09× its world share, 1 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.29× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.50× its world share, 8 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.14× its world share, 8 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.33× its world share, 69 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Arts and Humanities, 8.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at St. Olaf College?

Ranked on the composite score, William E. Mann, Steven Hahn and Robert M. Hanson lead among researchers whose main affiliation is St. Olaf College.

  1. 1 William E. Mann United States · #82,995 worldwide 78 citations · 42 works
  2. 2 Steven Hahn United States · #143,008 worldwide 107 citations · 23 works
  3. 3 Robert M. Hanson United States · #174,819 worldwide 380 citations · 18 works
  4. 4 Charles Taliaferro United States · #220,440 worldwide 65 citations · 65 works
  5. 5 Robert W. Jenson United States · #261,314 worldwide 28 citations · 36 works
  6. 6 Gary S. De Krey United States · #268,897 worldwide 62 citations · 19 works
  7. 7 Lynn Arthur Steen United States · #339,301 worldwide 61 citations · 34 works
  8. 8 Anthony Rudd United States · #345,388 worldwide 31 citations · 32 works
  9. 9 Rosamond Faith United States · #494,397 worldwide 36 citations · 17 works
  10. 10 Christopher L. Chiappari United States · #519,379 worldwide 14 citations · 17 works
All ranked researchers at St. Olaf College

Which keywords describe research at St. Olaf College?

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

▲ 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. Religion23▲ 21×19 topics
  2. History18▲ 11×14 topics
  3. Philosophy18▲ 17×14 topics
  4. Ethics15▲ 13×16 topics
  5. Literature15▲ 12×16 topics
  6. Globalization14▲ 3.1×27 topics
  7. Culture14▲ 11×12 topics
  8. Nationalism12▲ 11×11 topics
  9. Colonialism11▲ 10×17 topics
  10. Gender11▲ 8.8×17 topics
  11. Human Rights10▲ 3.9×14 topics
  12. Climate Change9▲ 1.48×33 topics
  13. Identity9▲ 5.3×14 topics
  14. Society8▲ 18×6 topics
  15. Feminism7▲ 11×7 topics
  16. Politics6▲ 10×7 topics
  17. Social Justice6▲ 4.3×10 topics
  18. Divine Providence6▲ 168×2 topics
  19. Neoliberalism6▲ 6.7×8 topics
  20. Cultural Identity5▲ 4.4×8 topics
  21. Health5▲ 5.6×7 topics
  22. Problem of Evil5▲ 255×1 topic
  23. Theodicy5▲ 255×1 topic
  24. Empathy5▲ 19×4 topics
  25. Higher Education5▲ 4.1×7 topics
  26. Social History5▲ 26×3 topics
  27. Modernization5▲ 12×3 topics
  28. Theology5▲ 22×3 topics
  29. Democracy5▲ 5.8×9 topics
  30. Public Opinion5▲ 17×4 topics
  31. Cultural Studies5▲ 5.2×6 topics
  32. Federalism5▲ 30×2 topics
  33. Cultural History4▲ 15×4 topics
  34. American founding4▲ 59×1 topic
  35. Constitutional government4▲ 59×1 topic
  36. Christianity4▲ 29×3 topics
  37. Race4▲ 15×7 topics
  38. Responsibility4▲ 39×4 topics
  39. Alchemy4▲ 46×2 topics
  40. Religious Studies4▲ 61×2 topics

Which research topics does St. Olaf College publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Theology and Philosophy of Evil, American Constitutional Law and Politics, Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices and Medieval Literature and History.

Theology and Philosophy …5Theology and Philosophy of Evil: 5 fractional worksAmerican Constitutional …4American Constitutional Law and Politics: 4 fractional worksReligious Studies and Spiritual Practices: 4 fractional worksMedieval Literature and History: 3 fractional worksChinese history and philosophy: 3 fractional worksLiterature, Film, and Journalism Analysis: 3 fractional worksBiblical Studies and Int…3Biblical Studies and Interpretation: 3 fractional worksKierkegaardian Philosophy and Influence: 3 fractional worksIndian and Buddhist Studies: 2 fractional worksRace, History, and Ameri…2Race, History, and American Society: 2 fractional works
PhilosophyPolitical Science and International RelationsClassicsSociology and Political Science2 others

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

  1. 1 Theology and Philosophy of Evil Philosophy 5 works
  2. 2 American Constitutional Law and Politics Political Science and International Relations 4 works
  3. 3 Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices Philosophy 4 works
  4. 4 Medieval Literature and History Classics 3 works
  5. 5 Chinese history and philosophy Sociology and Political Science 3 works
  6. 6 Literature, Film, and Journalism Analysis Literature and Literary Theory 3 works
  7. 7 Biblical Studies and Interpretation Religious studies 3 works
  8. 8 Kierkegaardian Philosophy and Influence Philosophy 3 works
  9. 9 Indian and Buddhist Studies Religious studies 2 works
  10. 10 Race, History, and American Society Sociology and Political Science 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 available19.9%not open80.1%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors5.0%domestic only95.0%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has St. Olaf College's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 11% lower 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 Northfield

All research institutions in Northfield

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.