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University · Salt Lake City · United States

Western Governors University

In research, Western Governors University stands highest in Social Sciences (#7,413 of 9,585 worldwide), 2022-now.

wgu.eduROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022-now
#14,405
of 22,385 · #16,742 all time
Rank in United States
#2,028
of 3,332
Research works
385
▲ 31% vs 2018-21
Citations
2.4k
6.3 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
6.9%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.90×
1.00× is exactly expected
Open access
42%
world 40%
International
9%
world 18%
Western Governors University

What is Western Governors 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 #7,413 of 9,585 7.2%70 #7922

Each strip is that field's whole ranked pool, with the notch where Western Governors 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 fields of science does Western Governors University work in?

In 2022-now, 55% of research at Western Governors University is in Social Sciences, 26% in Physical Sciences. Its largest fields are Social Sciences (24%), Computer Science (15%), Psychology (11%). It does 2.1× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Social Sciences: 78 fractional works · 54.6% of its workSocial Sciences: 34 fractional works · 23.8% of its workEducation: 15 fractional works · 10.8% of its workSociology and Political Science: 8 fractional works · 5.7% of its workSafety Research: 4 fractional works · 2.8% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workHealth: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workGeneral Social Sciences: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLaw: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCommunication: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCultural Studies: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workHuman Factors and Ergonomics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workTransportation: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychology: 16 fractional works · 11.1% of its workSocial Psychology: 6 fractional works · 4.3% of its workClinical Psychology: 5 fractional works · 3.3% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 3 fractional works · 2.2% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNeuropsychology and Physiological Psychology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 14 fractional works · 9.9% of its workManagement Information Systems: 6 fractional works · 4.1% of its workStrategy and Management: 4 fractional works · 2.5% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 2 fractional works · 1.7% of its workAccounting: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workMarketing: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 5 fractional works · 3.5% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 3 fractional works · 2.1% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workFinance: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workDecision Sciences: 5 fractional works · 3.3% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 2 fractional works · 1.7% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 2 fractional works · 1.3% of its workStatistics, Probability and Uncertainty: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workArts and Humanities: 4 fractional works · 3.1% of its workPhilosophy: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workVisual Arts and Performing Arts: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysical Sciences: 37 fractional works · 26.1% of its workComputer Science: 22 fractional works · 15.3% of its workInformation Systems: 7 fractional works · 4.8% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 6 fractional works · 4.4% of its workComputer Science Applications: 4 fractional works · 2.5% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 2 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHuman-Computer Interaction: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEngineering: 8 fractional works · 5.4% of its workMedia Technology: 1 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAerospace Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workArchitecture: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematics: 4 fractional works · 2.6% of its workMathematical Physics: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workStatistics and Probability: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeometry and Topology: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAlgebra and Number Theory: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEnvironmental Science: 2 fractional works · 1.4% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 1 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEcology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workAtmospheric Science: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeochemistry and Petrology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPaleontology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 20 fractional works · 13.7% of its workMedicine: 12 fractional works · 8.1% of its workPhysiology: 3 fractional works · 2.0% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 3 fractional works · 1.8% of its workHealth Informatics: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEpidemiology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workSurgery: 1 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEmergency Medicine: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workHealth Professions: 6 fractional works · 4.5% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 4 fractional works · 2.8% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workHealth Information Management: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNursing: 1 fractional works · 0.9% of its workResearch and Theory: 1 fractional works · 0.6% of its workIssues, ethics and legal aspects: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.0% of its workDentistry: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLife Sciences: 8 fractional works · 5.6% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 4 fractional works · 3.0% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 2 fractional works · 1.1% of its workPlant Science: 1 fractional works · 0.8% of its workFood Science: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workNeuroscience: 2 fractional works · 1.6% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 2 fractional works · 1.2% of its workBiological Psychiatry: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1 fractional works · 0.7% of its workMolecular Biology: 0 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGenetics: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workVirology: 0 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0 fractional works · 0.1% of its workALL ITS WORKWestern GovernorsUniversity143fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences6%Physical Sciences26%Health Sciences14%Social Sciences55%

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 22 fields, with their numbers
    1. Social Sciences3423.8%
    2. Psychology1611.1%
    3. Business, Management and Accounting149.9%
    4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance53.5%
    5. Decision Sciences53.3%
    6. Arts and Humanities43.1%
    1. Computer Science2215.3%
    2. Engineering85.4%
    3. Mathematics42.6%
    4. Environmental Science21.4%
    5. Earth and Planetary Sciences21.2%
    6. Physics and Astronomy00.2%
    7. Chemistry00.1%
    1. Medicine128.1%
    2. Health Professions64.5%
    3. Nursing10.9%
    4. Dentistry00.2%
    1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences43.0%
    2. Neuroscience21.6%
    3. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.7%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology00.2%
    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: 0.62× its world share, 4 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.12× its world share, 1 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.23× its world share, 0 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.99× its world share, 2 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.40× its world share, 0 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemistry: 0.07× its world share, 0 worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.97× its world share, 22 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.76× its world share, 2 worksEarth and Planetary …Engineering: 0.36× its world share, 8 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.28× its world share, 2 worksEnvironmental ScienceMathematics: 2.18× its world share, 4 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.07× its world share, 0 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.34× its world share, 0 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.73× its world share, 6 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.42× its world share, 12 worksMedicineNursing: 1.76× its world share, 1 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 1.06× its world share, 4 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 3.07× its world share, 14 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 3.38× its world share, 5 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.62× its world share, 5 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 3.64× its world share, 16 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.88× its world share, 34 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Psychology, 3.6×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 22 fields, with their numbers
  1. Psychology3.64×16 works
  2. Decision Sciences3.38×5 works
  3. Business, Management and Accounting3.07×14 works
  4. Mathematics2.18×4 works
  5. Computer Science1.97×22 works
  6. Social Sciences1.88×34 works
  7. Nursing1.76×1 works
  8. Health Professions1.73×6 works
  9. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.62×5 works
  10. Arts and Humanities1.06×4 works
  11. Neuroscience0.99×2 works
  12. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.76×2 works
  13. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.62×4 works
  14. Medicine0.42×12 works
  15. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.40×0 works
  16. Engineering0.36×8 works
  17. Dentistry0.34×0 works
  18. Environmental Science0.28×2 works
  19. Immunology and Microbiology0.23×0 works
  20. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.12×1 works
  21. Chemistry0.07×0 works
  22. Physics and Astronomy0.07×0 works

Who are the top researchers at Western Governors University?

Ranked on the quality score, Jim A. McCleskey, Daniel V. Eastmond and Evgeniia Bakaleinikova lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Western Governors University.

  1. 1 Jim A. McCleskey United States · #1,423,400 worldwide 385 citations · 27 works
  2. 2 Daniel V. Eastmond United States · #2,517,877 worldwide 470 citations · 21 works
  3. 3 Evgeniia Bakaleinikova United States · #2,884,047 worldwide 1 citations · 31 works
  4. 4 Stan M. Schmidt United States · #3,197,664 worldwide 667 citations · 17 works
  5. 5 Nathaniel Simmons United States · #3,287,839 worldwide 157 citations · 19 works
  6. 6 Mary Anne Rea-Ramirez United States · #4,139,044 worldwide 317 citations · 22 works
  7. 7 Adrian Zappala United States · #4,728,895 worldwide 10 citations · 19 works
  8. 8 Kristian Young United States · #5,027,825 worldwide 20 citations · 25 works
  9. 9 Carole D. Liske United States · #5,185,632 worldwide 4 citations · 27 works
  10. 10 Jennifer L. Bodine United States · #5,193,161 worldwide 221 citations · 27 works
All ranked researchers at Western Governors University

What are the most cited papers from Western Governors University?

The most cited paper from Western Governors University is "E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online" (Dan Eastmond, 2003), with 408 citations. Next come "Learner Support Services for Online Students: Scaffolding for success" (239) and "Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty" (231).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 E-Moderating: The Key to Teaching and Learning Online Dan Eastmond · The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Open access Apr 2003 408
2 Learner Support Services for Online Students: Scaffolding for success Stacey Ludwig-Hardman, Joanna C. Dunlap · The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning Open access Apr 2003 239
3 Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty Nate Breznau et al. · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Open access166 authors 28 Oct 2022 231
4 Understanding the experiences of instructors as they adopt a course management system Richard E. West, Greg Waddoups, Charles R. Graham · Educational Technology Research and Development 15 Sep 2006 220
5 A Study of Factors Influencing Students’ Perceived Learning in a Web-Based Course Environment Mingming Jiang, and Evelyn Ting · International journal of educational telecommunications 2000 220
All 60 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Which keywords describe research at Western Governors University?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Big Data, Machine Learning, Student Engagement, Higher Education, Supply Chain Management, Predictive Analytics, Ethics and Data Science.

▲ 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. Big Data15▲ 11×10 topics
  2. Machine Learning13▲ 2.7×25 topics
  3. Sustainability7▲ 2.1×8 topics
  4. Supply Chain Management7▲ 5.5×4 topics
  5. Artificial Intelligence7▲ 3.4×7 topics
  6. Mental Health6▲ 3.1×15 topics
  7. Student Engagement6▲ 11×6 topics
  8. Higher Education6▲ 8.1×11 topics
  9. Predictive Analytics6▲ 39×2 topics
  10. Ethics6▲ 8.2×6 topics
  11. Data Science6▲ 40×2 topics
  12. Education6▲ 2.3×14 topics
  13. Online Learning6▲ 4.7×5 topics
  14. Analytics5▲ 41×1 topic
  15. Business Intelligence5▲ 41×1 topic
  16. Leadership5▲ 7.4×9 topics
  17. Public Health5▲ 2.2×9 topics
  18. Learning Outcomes4▲ 6.5×4 topics
  19. Risk Management4▲ 5.6×4 topics
  20. Lifelong Learning4▲ 12×4 topics
  21. Meta-Analysis4▲ 4.3×6 topics
  22. Distributed Systems3▲ 14×3 topics
  23. Informal Learning3▲ 19×3 topics
  24. Stress3▲ 6.5×4 topics
  25. Surveillance3▲ 8.5×2 topics
  26. Biopolitics3▲ 30×2 topics
  27. Emotion3▲ 11×7 topics
  28. Accountability3▲ 18×2 topics
  29. Cloud Computing3▲ 8.0×3 topics
  30. Discrimination3▲ 10×2 topics
  31. Transparency3▲ 15×2 topics
  32. Algorithmic Bias3▲ 24×1 topic
  33. Fairness3▲ 20×1 topic
  34. Competency-Based Education3▲ 22×2 topics
  35. Educational Data Mining3▲ 23×1 topic
  36. Learning Analytics3▲ 16×1 topic
  37. Validation3▲ 22×2 topics
  38. Adult Education3▲ 58×2 topics
  39. MapReduce3▲ 31×1 topic
  40. Virtualization3▲ 22×1 topic

Which research topics does Western Governors University publish most on?

By volume in 2022-now: Big Data and Business Intelligence, Ethics and Social Impacts of AI, Online Learning and Analytics and Cloud Computing and Resource Management.

Big Data and Business In…5Big Data and Business Intelligence: 5 fractional worksEthics and Social Impacts of AI: 3 fractional worksOnline Learning and Anal…3Online Learning and Analytics: 3 fractional worksCloud Computing and Reso…3Cloud Computing and Resource Management: 3 fractional worksHigher Education Learning Practices: 2 fractional worksSimulation-Based Education in Healthcare: 2 fractional worksIntelligent Tutoring Sys…2Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Adaptive Learning: 2 fractional worksEmotional Intelligence a…2Emotional Intelligence and Performance: 2 fractional worksGeographies of human-ani…2Geographies of human-animal interactions: 2 fractional worksEducational Games and Ga…2Educational Games and Gamification: 2 fractional works
Management Information SystemsSafety ResearchComputer Science ApplicationsInformation Systems6 others

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

  1. 1 Big Data and Business Intelligence Management Information Systems 5 works
  2. 2 Ethics and Social Impacts of AI Safety Research 3 works
  3. 3 Online Learning and Analytics Computer Science Applications 3 works
  4. 4 Cloud Computing and Resource Management Information Systems 3 works
  5. 5 Higher Education Learning Practices Education 2 works
  6. 6 Simulation-Based Education in Healthcare Physiology 2 works
  7. 7 Intelligent Tutoring Systems and Adaptive Learning Artificial Intelligence 2 works
  8. 8 Emotional Intelligence and Performance Social Psychology 2 works
  9. 9 Geographies of human-animal interactions Geography, Planning and Development 2 works
  10. 10 Educational Games and Gamification Developmental and Educational Psychology 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 available42.3%not open57.7%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors9.0%domestic only91.0%

World: 18% is written across borders.

How has Western Governors University's research output changed?

Output in 2022-2025 was 31% 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 Western Governors University as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.00029% in 2024.

still counting0.00050%0.0010%Western Governors University0.00084% in 20251990200020102020

Fractional works of Western Governors 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 Governors University8.7% in 20252020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 13.8% in 2020.

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Western Governors University on Science Explorer

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