Question 1

Which countries lead Paleontology research?

Accepted Answer

On research quality in 2022-now, the United States, China and the United Kingdom rank highest in Paleontology. By volume, the United States and China publish the most (5.5k and 3.9k works in 2022-now).

Question 2

Which institutions lead Paleontology research?

Accepted Answer

Chinese Academy of Sciences (China) ranks first in Paleontology on research quality in 2022-now, followed by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and University of Cambridge.

Question 3

Who are the leading researchers in Paleontology?

Accepted Answer

Counting only their work in Paleontology, Thomas J. Algeo, Andrew H. Knoll and Roger Benson have the most papers in the world top 10% for their subfield and year beyond the 10% expected.

Question 4

Where is Paleontology research done?

Accepted Answer

The largest centres of Paleontology research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Paris (France), Moscow (Russia) and London (United Kingdom). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Martinsville, Xinhui District and Iligan City.

Question 5

Where is the best place to study Paleontology?

Accepted Answer

Among universities, judged by research, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences score highest, combining standing in the field's ranking, citation excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

Question 6

Is Paleontology research growing?

Accepted Answer

Output in 2022-2025 was 12% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy, Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology and Scarabaeidae Beetle Taxonomy and Biogeography.

Question 7

What are the most cited papers in Paleontology?

Accepted Answer

The most cited paper in Paleontology is "The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees." (Naruya Saitou, M Nei, 1987), with 60,643 citations. Next come "RAxML version 8: a tool for phylogenetic analysis and post-analysis of large phylogenies" (34,939) and "MrBayes 3: Bayesian phylogenetic inference under mixed models" (29,587).