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Subfield · Computer Science

Computer Networks and Communications research

Computer Networks and Communications is a subfield of Computer Science. Science Explorer counts 1.2M research works in it since 1950. 18.8% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: network that allows computers to share resources and communicate with each other.

Research works
1.2M
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
226k
per year above
Top-10% rate
18.8%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
43
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
-3%
the tick is no change

What is Computer Networks and Communications research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Deep Learning, IoT Security, 5G Networks, Internet of Things, Wireless Networks, Anomaly Detection. Gaining share since 2009–13: Edge Computing, Fog Computing, 5G Networks, Internet of Things, Deep Learning. Losing share: Channel Assignment, Fault Tolerance, Mobile Ad Hoc Networks, Mobility Models.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Deep Learning52k▲ 4.0×3 topics
  2. IoT Security51k▲ 3.9×2 topics
  3. 5G Networks38k▲ 5.3×2 topics
  4. Internet of Things32k▲ 4.3×3 topics
  5. Wireless Networks32k▼ 0.66×7 topics
  6. Anomaly Detection31k▲ 1.97×2 topics
  7. Edge Computing29k▲ 8.0×1 topic
  8. Fog Computing29k▲ 8.0×1 topic
  9. Machine Learning28k▲ 2.8×4 topics
  10. Intrusion Detection26k▲ 1.95×2 topics
  11. Network Security25k▲ 2.5×2 topics
  12. Distributed Systems25k▼ 0.58×5 topics
  13. Cybersecurity23k▲ 2.4×1 topic
  14. DDoS Attacks23k▲ 2.4×1 topic
  15. Wireless Sensor Networks21k◆ 0.90×8 topics
  16. Network Coding15k▼ 0.65×2 topics
  17. Resource Allocation14k▼ 0.62×3 topics
  18. Complex Networks14k▲ 1.26×2 topics
  19. Synchronization14k▲ 1.26×2 topics
  20. Data Aggregation13k▼ 0.74×2 topics
  21. Content Delivery12k▼ 0.70×2 topics
  22. MAC Protocols12k▼ 0.69×2 topics
  23. Neural Networks12k▲ 1.17×2 topics
  24. Mobile Ad Hoc Networks11k▼ 0.55×2 topics
  25. Mobility Models11k▼ 0.55×2 topics
  26. Fault Tolerance11k▼ 0.51×3 topics
  27. Channel Assignment11k▼ 0.36×3 topics
  28. Environmental Monitoring10k▼ 0.73×2 topics
  29. Consensus10k▲ 2.4×1 topic
  30. Multi-Agent Systems10k▲ 2.4×1 topic
  31. Caching9,939◆ 1.09×1 topic
  32. Information-Centric Networking9,939◆ 1.09×1 topic
  33. Digital Communication9,796▲ 1.53×2 topics
  34. New Media9,796▲ 1.53×2 topics
  35. Energy-Efficient Protocols9,712▼ 0.72×1 topic
  36. Routing Techniques9,712▼ 0.72×1 topic
  37. Network Virtualization9,024▲ 2.5×1 topic
  38. Software-Defined Networking9,024▲ 2.5×1 topic
  39. Log Analysis8,566▲ 1.36×1 topic
  40. Performance Prediction8,566▲ 1.36×1 topic

Which countries lead Computer Networks and Communications research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, India and the United States rank highest in Computer Networks and Communications. By volume, China and India publish the most (51k and 28k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 18.9% top 10% · 51k works
  2. 2 India · #4 all time 14.3% top 10% · 28k works
  3. 3 United States · #1 all time 14.9% top 10% · 21k works
  4. 4 Saudi Arabia · #17 all time 34.1% top 10% · 2.2k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom · #3 all time 20.2% top 10% · 4.5k works
  6. 6 Australia · #8 all time 28.2% top 10% · 2.2k works
  7. 7 Canada · #6 all time 19.7% top 10% · 3.8k works
  8. 8 South Korea · #10 all time 19.2% top 10% · 4.1k works
  9. 9 Italy · #7 all time 18.8% top 10% · 3.9k works
  10. 10 Pakistan · #26 all time 26.5% top 10% · 1.5k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 71 countries ranked in Computer Networks and Communications. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Computer Networks and Communications

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 51k works
  2. 2 India 28k works
  3. 3 United States 21k works
  4. 4 France 6.7k works
  5. 5 Germany 5.4k works
  6. 6 United Kingdom 4.5k works
  7. 7 Japan 4.3k works
  8. 8 South Korea 4.1k works
  9. 9 Italy 3.9k works
  10. 10 Canada 3.8k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 38.5%India: 21.0%United States: 15.8%France: 5.1%6 others listed: 19.7%38%largest
China51k · 38.5%India28k · 21.0%United States21k · 15.8%France6,704 · 5.1%6 others listed26k · 19.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Computer Networks and Communications research?

Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (China) ranks first in Computer Networks and Communications on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Tsinghua University and Vellore Institute of Technology University.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications China · Beijing · #19 all time 20.0% top 10% · 1.3k works
  2. 2 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #14 all time 25.0% top 10% · 864 works
  3. 3 Vellore Institute of Technology University India · Vellore · #86 all time 22.5% top 10% · 754 works
  4. 4 Beihang University China · Beijing · #39 all time 23.8% top 10% · 741 works
  5. 5 University of Electronic Science and Technology of China China · Chengdu · #37 all time 22.2% top 10% · 813 works
  6. 6 Xidian University China · Xi'an · #29 all time 24.0% top 10% · 686 works
  7. 7 Saveetha University India · Chennai 15.2% top 10% · 660 works
  8. 8 Harbin Institute of Technology China · Harbin · #38 all time 23.4% top 10% · 737 works
  9. 9 Nanyang Technological University Singapore · Singapore · #30 all time 33.1% top 10% · 361 works
  10. 10 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics China · Nanjing 23.4% top 10% · 528 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 705 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Computer Networks and Communications.

Top 100 Computer Networks and Communications institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing University of Posts and TelecommunicationsChina 1.3k works
  2. 2 Southeast UniversityChina 887 works
  3. 3 Tsinghua UniversityChina 864 works
  4. 4 National University of Defense TechnologyChina 844 works
  5. 5 University of Electronic Science and Technology of ChinaChina 813 works
  6. 6 Vellore Institute of Technology UniversityIndia 754 works
  7. 7 Beihang UniversityChina 741 works
  8. 8 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 737 works
  9. 9 SRM Institute of Science and TechnologyIndia 731 works
  10. 10 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 702 works

Who are the leading researchers in Computer Networks and Communications?

Among the most productive authors in Computer Networks and Communications, Ion Stoica, Ian F. Akyildiz and Deborah Estrin rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Ion Stoica United States · #22 worldwide 9.6k citations · 170 works
  2. 2 Ian F. Akyildiz United States · #45 worldwide 8.2k citations · 173 works
  3. 3 Deborah Estrin United States · #60 worldwide 5.9k citations · 183 works
  4. 4 Randy H. Katz United States · #99 worldwide 5.7k citations · 135 works
  5. 5 Leonidas Guibas United States · #165 worldwide 6.3k citations · 229 works
  6. 6 David Culler United States · #182 worldwide 4.4k citations · 132 works
  7. 7 Laxmikant V. Kalé United States · #201 worldwide 3k citations · 183 works
  8. 8 Rajkumar Buyya Australia · #240 worldwide 7.8k citations · 379 works
  9. 9 Marco Dorigo Belgium · #246 worldwide 4.5k citations · 145 works
  10. 10 Dawn Song United States · #303 worldwide 3.8k citations · 150 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 5,905 highest-output authors in Computer Networks and Communications. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Computer Networks and Communications researchers

Where is Computer Networks and Communications research done?

The largest centres of Computer Networks and Communications research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Nanjing (China), Chennai (India) and Shanghai (China). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Leganés and Issy-les-Moulineaux.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 10k works
  2. 2 Nanjing China 3.8k works
  3. 3 Chennai India 3.3k works
  4. 4 Shanghai China 3.2k works
  5. 5 Xi'an China 2.7k works
  6. 6 Guangzhou China 2.1k works
  7. 7 Seoul South Korea 2k works
  8. 8 Wuhan China 2k works
  9. 9 Changsha China 1.9k works
  10. 10 Paris France 1.9k works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. LeganésES · 36.4 works19×
  2. Issy-les-MoulineauxFR · 33.2 works14×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Computer Networks and Communications than the world average.

See Computer Networks and Communications on the map

Computer Networks and Communications research by country

The best places for Computer Networks and Communications research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Computer Networks and Communications?

Among universities, judged by research, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications and Singapore University of Technology and Design score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 28.05%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Sri Eshwar College of Engineering: 120, 27.6%Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications: 1,289, 20.0%Singapore University of Technology and Design: 115, 32.7%Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University: 94, 39.2%Vellore Institute of Technology University: 754, 22.5%Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University: 102, 37.7%King Abdulaziz University: 187, 36.0%Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation: 373, 16.5%COMSATS University Islamabad: 112, 32.8%SRM Institute of Science and Technology: 731, 15.5%Princess Nourah bint…Singapore University…Sri Eshwar College o…Beijing University o…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1Sri Eshwar College of Engineering?? 63.127.6%10.3×120 +1007.4%
2 Beijing University of Posts and TelecommunicationsChina 62.120.0%11.4×1,289 -16.4%
3 Singapore University of Technology and DesignSingapore 62.032.7%6.8×115 +142.1%
4 Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversitySaudi Arabia 59.639.2%2.0×94 +792.5%
5 Vellore Institute of Technology UniversityIndia 58.122.5%4.2×754 +264.2%
6 Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz UniversitySaudi Arabia 58.037.7%2.1×102 +308.2%
7 King Abdulaziz UniversitySaudi Arabia 56.636.0%1.9×187 +178.5%
8 Koneru Lakshmaiah Education FoundationIndia 56.416.5%7.2×373 +583.7%
9 COMSATS University IslamabadPakistan 54.632.8%2.6×112 +196.7%
10 SRM Institute of Science and TechnologyIndia 53.715.5%4.7×731 +332.3%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Computer Networks and Communications research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 3% lower than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are IoT and Edge/Fog Computing, Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems and Software-Defined Networks and 5G.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. IoT and Edge/Fog Computing+1368%
  2. Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems+188%
  3. Software-Defined Networks and 5G+158%
  4. Cultural Insights and Digital Impacts+150%
  5. Network Security and Intrusion Detection+80%
  6. Caching and Content Delivery+67%
  7. Network Traffic and Congestion Control-52%
  8. Wireless Communication Networks Research-57%
  9. Peer-to-Peer Network Technologies-58%
  10. Mobile Agent-Based Network Management-73%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Computer Networks and Communications include?

Network Security and Int…72kNetwork Security and Intrusion Detection: 72k fractional worksDistributed and Parallel…72kDistributed and Parallel Computing Systems: 72k fractional worksIoT and Edge/Fog Computing: 62k fractional worksWireless Communication Networks Research: 52k fractional worksEnergy Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks: 50k fractional worksNonlinear Dynamics and P…50kNonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation: 50k fractional worksCooperative Communication and Network Coding: 49k fractional worksAdvanced Data Storage Technologies: 48k fractional worksAdvanced Database System…45kAdvanced Database Systems and Queries: 45k fractional worksSensor Technology and Measurement Systems: 44k fractional worksDistributed systems and fault tolerance: 44k fractional worksCaching and Content Deli…43kCaching and Content Delivery: 43k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.