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University · Cullowhee · United States

Western Carolina University

In research, Western Carolina University stands highest in Social Sciences (#2,557 of 9,585 worldwide), Social Sciences (#2,411 of 5,988 worldwide) and Physical Sciences (#6,586 of 10,670 worldwide), 2022-now.

wcu.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#4,901
of 22,385 · #5,902 all time
Rank in United States
#668
of 3,332
Research works
3.9k
▼ 24% vs 2018-21
Citations
72k
18.2 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
7.3%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.86×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
24%
world 40%
International
6%
world 18%
Western Carolina University

What is Western Carolina University 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
Social SciencesDomain #2,557 of 9,585 7.2%306 #2829
Social SciencesField #2,411 of 5,988 7.1%155 #2520
Physical SciencesDomain #6,586 of 10,670 6.4%156 #8944
Health SciencesDomain #7,645 of 9,902 7.6%61 #10159
EngineeringField #5,296 of 5,901 6.5%61 #6645

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Western Carolina University 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. Social Sciences#2,829 #2,557
  2. Social Sciences#2,520 #2,411
  3. Physical Sciences#8,944 #6,586
  4. Health Sciences#10,159 #7,645
  5. Engineering#6,645 #5,296
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 Western Carolina University work in?

In 2022-now, 54% of research at Western Carolina University is in Social Sciences, 27% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (27%), Engineering (10%), Psychology (10%). It does 2.2× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 347 fractional works · 54.2% of its workSocial Sciences: 172 fractional works · 26.8% of its workSociology and Political Science: 52 fractional works · 8.0% of its workEducation: 44 fractional works · 6.8% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 13 fractional works · 2.1% of its workSafety Research: 10 fractional works · 1.6% of its workGender Studies: 10 fractional works · 1.6% of its workAnthropology: 9 fractional works · 1.5% of its workCommunication: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workLaw: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workCultural Studies: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDemography: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPublic Administration: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workLibrary and Information Sciences: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPsychology: 66 fractional works · 10.3% of its workSocial Psychology: 26 fractional works · 4.0% of its workClinical Psychology: 23 fractional works · 3.5% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 6 fractional works · 1.0% of its workApplied Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workArts and Humanities: 47 fractional works · 7.4% of its workHistory: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPhilosophy: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 7 fractional works · 1.0% of its workArcheology: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workVisual Arts and Performing Arts: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workConservation: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMusic: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workReligious studies: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 39 fractional works · 6.0% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workStrategy and Management: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workMarketing: 7 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAccounting: 6 fractional works · 0.9% of its workManagement Information Systems: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 14 fractional works · 2.2% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 10 fractional works · 1.5% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workFinance: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDecision Sciences: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysical Sciences: 172 fractional works · 26.9% of its workEngineering: 66 fractional works · 10.3% of its workMechanical Engineering: 16 fractional works · 2.5% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 8 fractional works · 1.3% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 6 fractional works · 0.9% of its workMedia Technology: 6 fractional works · 0.9% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 5 fractional works · 0.8% of its workMechanics of Materials: 5 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAerospace Engineering: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workArchitecture: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOcean Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Science: 32 fractional works · 4.9% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 6 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEcology: 6 fractional works · 0.9% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workWater Science and Technology: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPollution: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComputer Science: 31 fractional works · 4.8% of its workInformation Systems: 10 fractional works · 1.5% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 8 fractional works · 1.2% of its workComputer Science Applications: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHardware and Architecture: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 16 fractional works · 2.5% of its workAtmospheric Science: 5 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPaleontology: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workOceanography: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGeology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth-Surface Processes: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMathematics: 11 fractional works · 1.7% of its workGeometry and Topology: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workStatistics and Probability: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDiscrete Mathematics and Combinatorics: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 7 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMaterials Science: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSpectroscopy: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnergy: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnergy Engineering and Power Technology: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 68 fractional works · 10.6% of its workMedicine: 41 fractional works · 6.4% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 11 fractional works · 1.8% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 7 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEpidemiology: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSurgery: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPhysiology: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOrthopedics and Sports Medicine: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHealth Informatics: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workInfectious Diseases: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 8 fractional works · 1.2% of its workHealth Professions: 24 fractional works · 3.7% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 15 fractional works · 2.3% of its workPhysical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacy: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOccupational Therapy: 1 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNursing: 2 fractional works · 0.4% of its workVeterinary: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workDentistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 53 fractional works · 8.3% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 27 fractional works · 4.2% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 9 fractional works · 1.5% of its workPlant Science: 9 fractional works · 1.4% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 4 fractional works · 0.6% of its workFood Science: 2 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 17 fractional works · 2.7% of its workMolecular Biology: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workGenetics: 7 fractional works · 1.0% of its workEndocrinology: 2 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNeuroscience: 8 fractional works · 1.2% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 7 fractional works · 1.1% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKWestern CarolinaUniversity641fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences8%Physical Sciences27%Health Sciences11%Social Sciences54%

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. Social Sciences17226.8%
    2. Psychology6610.3%
    3. Arts and Humanities477.4%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting396.0%
    5. Economics, Econometrics and Finance142.2%
    6. Decision Sciences91.4%
    1. Engineering6610.3%
    2. Environmental Science324.9%
    3. Computer Science314.8%
    4. Earth and Planetary Sciences162.5%
    5. Mathematics111.7%
    6. Physics and Astronomy71.0%
    7. Materials Science40.6%
    8. Chemistry40.6%
    9. Energy30.4%
    10. Chemical Engineering10.1%
    1. Medicine416.4%
    2. Health Professions243.7%
    3. Nursing20.4%
    4. Veterinary10.1%
    5. Dentistry00.1%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences274.2%
    2. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology172.7%
    3. Neuroscience81.2%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology10.1%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics00.1%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

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: 0.88× its world share, 27 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.51× its world share, 17 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.11× its world share, 1 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.76× its world share, 8 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.18× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 0.30× its world share, 1 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.36× its world share, 4 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.62× its world share, 31 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.59× its world share, 16 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.43× its world share, 2 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.69× its world share, 66 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.99× its world share, 32 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.17× its world share, 4 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.46× its world share, 11 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.47× its world share, 7 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.14× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.41× its world share, 24 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.33× its world share, 41 worksMedicineNursing: 0.72× its world share, 2 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.84× its world share, 1 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 2.56× its world share, 47 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.87× its world share, 39 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.50× its world share, 9 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.04× its world share, 14 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 3.38× its world share, 66 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 2.12× its world share, 172 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Psychology, 3.4×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Psychology3.38×66 works
  2. Arts and Humanities2.56×47 works
  3. Social Sciences2.12×172 works
  4. Business, Management and Accounting1.87×39 works
  5. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.59×16 works
  6. Decision Sciences1.50×9 works
  7. Mathematics1.46×11 works
  8. Health Professions1.41×24 works
  9. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.04×14 works
  10. Environmental Science0.99×32 works
  11. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.88×27 works
  12. Veterinary0.84×1 works
  13. Neuroscience0.76×8 works
  14. Nursing0.72×2 works
  15. Engineering0.69×66 works
  16. Computer Science0.62×31 works
  17. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.51×17 works
  18. Physics and Astronomy0.47×7 works
  19. Energy0.43×2 works
  20. Chemistry0.36×4 works
  21. Medicine0.33×41 works
  22. Chemical Engineering0.30×1 works
  23. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.18×0 works
  24. Materials Science0.17×4 works
  25. Dentistry0.14×0 works
  26. Immunology and Microbiology0.11×1 works

Who are the top researchers at Western Carolina University?

Ranked on the quality score, Todd H. Creasy, Shane D. Schoepfer and Thomas E. Ford lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Western Carolina University.

  1. 1 Todd H. Creasy United States · #148,397 worldwide 6.2k citations · 61 works
  2. 2 Shane D. Schoepfer United States · #454,630 worldwide 2.7k citations · 87 works
  3. 3 Thomas E. Ford United States · #754,401 worldwide 4.4k citations · 108 works
  4. 4 Vittal S. Anantatmula United States · #841,899 worldwide 2.5k citations · 71 works
  5. 5 Maria D. Gainey United States · #986,064 worldwide 1.8k citations · 27 works
  6. 6 Kefyn M. Catley United States · #1,224,570 worldwide 1.4k citations · 42 works
  7. 7 James B. DeConinck United States · #1,378,314 worldwide 2.1k citations · 34 works
  8. 8 Yang Zhang United States · #1,595,495 worldwide 1.3k citations · 98 works
  9. 9 Min Li United States · #1,871,766 worldwide 524 citations · 54 works
  10. 10 Stephen B. Jarrell United States · #1,951,253 worldwide 1.1k citations · 23 works
All ranked researchers at Western Carolina University

What are the most cited papers from Western Carolina University?

The most cited paper from Western Carolina University is "Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method" (Glenn A. Bowen, 2009), with 12,630 citations. Next come "Naturalistic inquiry and the saturation concept: a research note" (2,791) and "TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access" (2,168).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 Document Analysis as a Qualitative Research Method Glenn A. Bowen · Qualitative Research Journal 3 Aug 2009 12,630
2 Naturalistic inquiry and the saturation concept: a research note Glenn A. Bowen · Qualitative Research Open access 24 Jan 2008 2,791
3 TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access Jens Kattge et al. · Global Change Biology Open access729 authors 31 Dec 2019 2,168
4 Grounded Theory and Sensitizing Concepts Glenn A. Bowen · International Journal of Qualitative Methods Open access Sep 2006 1,886
5 Differentiating Entrepreneurs from Small Business Owners: A Conceptualization James W. Carland, Frank Hoy, William R. Boulton et al. · Academy of Management Review Apr 1984 1,462
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Western Carolina University?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Social Justice, Student Engagement, Democracy, Mental Health, Identity, Social Media, Climate Change and Education.

▲ 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 Change26▲ 1.46×44 topics
  2. Education21▲ 1.92×38 topics
  3. Epidemiology21▼ 0.83×36 topics
  4. Mental Health20▲ 2.2×31 topics
  5. Social Media20▲ 2.2×18 topics
  6. Social Justice20▲ 5.1×20 topics
  7. Machine Learning20◆ 0.91×32 topics
  8. Globalization19▲ 1.49×37 topics
  9. Sustainability17◆ 1.06×32 topics
  10. Identity16▲ 3.4×25 topics
  11. Student Engagement14▲ 5.3×13 topics
  12. Mechanical Properties13▲ 2.1×15 topics
  13. Democracy13▲ 5.7×13 topics
  14. Gender13▲ 3.7×19 topics
  15. Prevalence10▲ 3.8×10 topics
  16. Ethics10▲ 3.0×18 topics
  17. Community Engagement10▲ 4.7×9 topics
  18. History10▲ 2.2×16 topics
  19. Social Support10▲ 2.8×13 topics
  20. Microstructure9▲ 2.6×7 topics
  21. Biogeography9▲ 4.9×11 topics
  22. Resilience9▲ 2.8×12 topics
  23. Job Satisfaction8▲ 3.0×8 topics
  24. Engineering Education8▲ 15×4 topics
  25. Experiential Learning8▲ 24×5 topics
  26. Gender Differences8▲ 3.3×10 topics
  27. Academic Achievement8▲ 7.0×9 topics
  28. Adolescents8▲ 3.2×5 topics
  29. Feminism7▲ 3.9×7 topics
  30. Technology Integration7▲ 3.6×7 topics
  31. Reflective Practice7▲ 5.6×7 topics
  32. Intersectionality6▲ 5.3×7 topics
  33. Teacher Preparation6▲ 13×5 topics
  34. Cultural Competence6▲ 7.5×7 topics
  35. Teacher Professional Development6▲ 5.7×4 topics
  36. Stigma6▲ 6.6×4 topics
  37. Environmental Attitudes6▲ 11×2 topics
  38. Burnout5▲ 8.9×5 topics
  39. Racial Disparities5▲ 15×3 topics
  40. Assessment Methods5▲ 7.2×3 topics

Which research topics does Western Carolina University publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification, Construction Project Management and Performance, Mental Health Treatment and Access and Climate Change Communication and Perception.

Consumer Behavior in Bra…4Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification: 4 fractional worksConstruction Project Man…4Construction Project Management and Performance: 4 fractional worksMental Health Treatment and Access: 3 fractional worksClimate Change Communication and Perception: 3 fractional worksFamily and Disability Support Research: 3 fractional worksOutdoor and Experiential Education: 3 fractional worksService-Learning and Community Engagement: 3 fractional worksElectoral Systems and Po…3Electoral Systems and Political Participation: 3 fractional worksExperimental Learning in Engineering: 3 fractional worksHigh Entropy Alloys Studies: 3 fractional works
MarketingManagement Science and Operations ResearchSocial PsychologySociology and Political Science5 others

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

  1. 1 Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification Marketing 4 works
  2. 2 Construction Project Management and Performance Management Science and Operations Research 4 works
  3. 3 Mental Health Treatment and Access Social Psychology 3 works
  4. 4 Climate Change Communication and Perception Sociology and Political Science 3 works
  5. 5 Family and Disability Support Research Clinical Psychology 3 works
  6. 6 Outdoor and Experiential Education Social Psychology 3 works
  7. 7 Service-Learning and Community Engagement Education 3 works
  8. 8 Electoral Systems and Political Participation Political Science and International Relations 3 works
  9. 9 Experimental Learning in Engineering Media Technology 3 works
  10. 10 High Entropy Alloys Studies Mechanical Engineering 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 available23.8%not open76.2%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors6.2%domestic only93.8%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Western Carolina University's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 24% 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 Western Carolina University as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.0026% in 2024.

still counting0.0050%0.010%Western Carolina University0.0026% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Western Carolina University 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 2025Western Carolina University6.3% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 13.3% in 2008.

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Western Carolina University on Science Explorer

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