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Subfield · Arts and Humanities

Religious studies research

Religious studies is a subfield of Arts and Humanities. Science Explorer counts 165k research works in it since 1950. 12.4% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: objective study of religion.

Research works
165k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
20k
per year above
Top-10% rate
12.4%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
15
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+41%
the tick is no change

What is Religious studies research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Theology, Biblical Monotheism, Jewish Society, Biblical Interpretation, African Christianity, Canon Law. Gaining share since 2009–13: Hadith, Methodology, Christian Education, Church Leadership, Islamic Studies. Losing share: Biblical Monotheism, Jewish Society, Hermeneutics, Spirituality.

▲ 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. Theology13k▼ 0.85×2 topics
  2. Biblical Monotheism7,992▼ 0.55×1 topic
  3. Jewish Society7,992▼ 0.55×1 topic
  4. Biblical Interpretation6,873▲ 1.66×2 topics
  5. African Christianity5,689▼ 0.63×2 topics
  6. Canon Law5,250◆ 1.01×1 topic
  7. Religious Policy5,250◆ 1.01×1 topic
  8. Islamic Studies5,044▲ 5.5×1 topic
  9. Religious Language5,044▲ 5.5×1 topic
  10. Christian Education4,968▲ 5.7×1 topic
  11. Church Leadership4,968▲ 5.7×1 topic
  12. Global Christianity3,784▼ 0.66×1 topic
  13. Short-Term Missions3,784▼ 0.66×1 topic
  14. Religion3,685◆ 0.95×2 topics
  15. Social Justice2,866▼ 0.63×2 topics
  16. Philosophy2,806◆ 1.04×2 topics
  17. Buddhism2,723◆ 1.06×1 topic
  18. South Asia2,723◆ 1.06×1 topic
  19. Interreligious Relations2,684▲ 1.58×1 topic
  20. Religious Education2,684▲ 1.58×1 topic
  21. Pentecostalism1,988▼ 0.59×2 topics
  22. Globalization1,966▼ 0.59×2 topics
  23. Hermeneutics1,905▼ 0.58×1 topic
  24. Spirituality1,905▼ 0.58×1 topic
  25. Colonialism1,689▼ 0.77×2 topics
  26. Identity1,689▼ 0.77×2 topics
  27. Caribbean1,628▼ 0.76×1 topic
  28. Haiti1,628▼ 0.76×1 topic
  29. Al-Andalus1,544◆ 1.04×1 topic
  30. Convivencia1,544◆ 1.04×1 topic
  31. Hadith1,400▲ 8.2×1 topic
  32. Methodology1,400▲ 8.2×1 topic
  33. Early Modern Catholicism976◆ 0.98×1 topic
  34. Women in Religion976◆ 0.98×1 topic
  35. Mary Wollstonecraft961▼ 0.74×1 topic
  36. Quakerism961▼ 0.74×1 topic
  37. Interfaith Dialogue83▼ 0.65×1 topic
  38. Religious Diversity83▼ 0.65×1 topic
  39. Area Studies61▲ 1.25×1 topic
  40. Cultural Studies61▲ 1.25×1 topic

Which countries lead Religious studies research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, Indonesia, the United States and South Africa rank highest in Religious studies. By volume, Indonesia and the United States publish the most (7.6k and 5.4k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Indonesia · #3 all time 17.2% top 10% · 7.6k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 10.6% top 10% · 5.4k works
  3. 3 South Africa · #4 all time 28.0% top 10% · 1k works
  4. 4 Türkiye · #8 all time 9.1% top 10% · 4k works
  5. 5 United Kingdom · #2 all time 12.4% top 10% · 1.6k works
  6. 6 Germany · #5 all time 9.7% top 10% · 1.9k works
  7. 7 India · #9 all time 11.5% top 10% · 1.4k works
  8. 8 ?? · #13 all time 16.5% top 10% · 496 works
  9. 9 Poland · #10 all time 11.4% top 10% · 2k works
  10. 10 Australia · #7 all time 15.3% top 10% · 438 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 23 countries ranked in Religious studies. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Religious studies

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Indonesia 7.6k works
  2. 2 United States 5.4k works
  3. 3 Türkiye 4k works
  4. 4 Poland 2k works
  5. 5 Germany 1.9k works
  6. 6 United Kingdom 1.6k works
  7. 7 India 1.4k works
  8. 8 France 1.1k works
  9. 9 South Africa 1k works
  10. 10 Spain 923 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.

Indonesia: 28.1%United States: 20.1%Türkiye: 15.0%Poland: 7.4%6 others listed: 29.5%28%largest
Indonesia7,553 · 28.1%United States5,402 · 20.1%Türkiye4,028 · 15.0%Poland1,986 · 7.4%6 others listed7,922 · 29.5%

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

Which institutions lead Religious studies research?

Jakarta Theological Seminary (Indonesia) ranks first in Religious studies on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya and University of South Africa.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Jakarta Theological Seminary Indonesia · Jakarta · #4 all time 23.7% top 10% · 743 works
  2. 2 Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya Indonesia · Surabaya · #2 all time 26.5% top 10% · 653 works
  3. 3 University of South Africa South Africa · Pretoria · #3 all time 34.2% top 10% · 237 works
  4. 4 Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Palangka Raya ?? · Palangkaraya 39.3% top 10% · 70 works
  5. 5 North-West University South Africa · Potchefstroom · #5 all time 41.1% top 10% · 138 works
  6. 6 Institut Agama Islam Negeri Bengkulu Indonesia · Bengkulu · #9 all time 18.9% top 10% · 612 works
  7. 7 Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta Indonesia · Sleman · #22 all time 25.1% top 10% · 177 works
  8. 8 University of Pretoria South Africa · Pretoria · #1 all time 21.5% top 10% · 191 works
  9. 9 Universitas Kristen Indonesia Indonesia · Jakarta · #11 all time 26.0% top 10% · 154 works
  10. 10 John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Poland · Lublin · #13 all time 14.4% top 10% · 320 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 70 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Religious studies.

Top 100 Religious studies institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Jakarta Theological Seminary Indonesia 743 works
  2. 2 Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya Indonesia 653 works
  3. 3 Institut Agama Islam Negeri Bengkulu Indonesia 612 works
  4. 4 John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Poland 320 works
  5. 5 University of South Africa South Africa 237 works
  6. 6 Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw Poland 230 works
  7. 7 Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków Poland 191 works
  8. 8 University of Pretoria South Africa 191 works
  9. 9 Universitas Teknologi Yogyakarta Indonesia 177 works
  10. 10 University of Cambridge United Kingdom 163 works

Who are the leading researchers in Religious studies?

Among the most productive authors in Religious studies, Stuart Hall, Bryan S. Turner and Robert P. Heaney rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Stuart Hall United Kingdom · #115 worldwide 1.9k citations · 137 works
  2. 2 Bryan S. Turner United States · #337 worldwide 1.9k citations · 273 works
  3. 3 Robert P. Heaney United States · #377 worldwide 2k citations · 143 works
  4. 4 Peter Richardson United Kingdom · #833 worldwide 2.1k citations · 99 works
  5. 5 Alasdair MacIntyre United States · #1,605 worldwide 844 citations · 102 works
  6. 6 David Gordon Australia · #1,753 worldwide 1.4k citations · 117 works
  7. 7 Richard H. Popkin United States · #2,754 worldwide 484 citations · 97 works
  8. 8 Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Spain · #3,241 worldwide 445 citations · 82 works
  9. 9 Terence Ranger United Kingdom · #3,283 worldwide 452 citations · 88 works
  10. 10 Richard Swinburne United Kingdom · #3,310 worldwide 505 citations · 96 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 3,443 highest-output authors in Religious studies. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Religious studies researchers

Where is Religious studies research done?

The largest centres of Religious studies research in 2022–2025 are Jakarta (Indonesia), Surabaya (Indonesia), Ankara (Türkiye) and Bengkulu (Indonesia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Wilmore, Hatfield and Louisville.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Jakarta Indonesia 1.3k works
  2. 2 Surabaya Indonesia 879 works
  3. 3 Ankara Türkiye 708 works
  4. 4 Bengkulu Indonesia 665 works
  5. 5 Yogyakarta Indonesia 480 works
  6. 6 Warsaw Poland 441 works
  7. 7 Pretoria South Africa 439 works
  8. 8 Istanbul Türkiye 438 works
  9. 9 Paris France 413 works
  10. 10 Bandung Indonesia 393 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. WilmoreUS · 54.0 works177×
  2. HatfieldUS · 62.0 works160×
  3. Louisville20.2 works158×
  4. Palangkaraya69.6 works142×
  5. Manado59.9 works140×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Religious studies than the world average.

See Religious studies on the map

Religious studies research by country

The best places for Religious studies research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Religious studies?

Among universities, judged by research, Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya, Jakarta Theological Seminary and Universitas Advent Indonesia 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 28.81%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya: 653, 26.5%Jakarta Theological Seminary: 743, 23.7%Universitas Advent Indonesia: 67, 36.3%Institut Agama Islam Negeri Bengkulu: 612, 18.9%North-West University: 138, 41.1%Universitas Kristen Indonesia: 154, 26.0%University of South Africa: 237, 34.2%Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Palangka Raya: 70, 39.3%John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin: 320, 14.4%Universitas Widya Gama Malang: 132, 27.7%Universitas Advent I…Institut Sains dan T…Jakarta Theological …Institut Agama Islam…
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
1Institut Sains dan Teknologi Terpadu Surabaya Indonesia 79.226.5%68.8×653 +2133.3%
2Jakarta Theological Seminary Indonesia 77.823.7%192.2×743 +324.9%
3Universitas Advent Indonesia Indonesia 73.736.3%48.1×67 +550.0%
4Institut Agama Islam Negeri Bengkulu Indonesia 73.218.9%12.5×612 +725.9%
5North-West University South Africa 72.041.1%14.3×138 -22.8%
6Universitas Kristen Indonesia Indonesia 70.826.0%25.7×154 +2468.2%
7University of South Africa South Africa 70.334.2%15.9×237 +3.5%
8Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Palangka Raya ?? 66.839.3%142.0×70 —
9John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Poland 65.814.4%55.8×320 +182.8%
10Universitas Widya Gama Malang Indonesia 64.927.7%48.0×132 +92.2%

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 Religious studies research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 41% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Medical Research and Islamic Perspectives, Islamic Thought and Society Studies and Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education.

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. Medical Research and Islamic Perspectives+1701%
  2. Islamic Thought and Society Studies+735%
  3. Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education+513%
  4. Religion, Theology, and Education+311%
  5. Cultural Studies and Colonialism+262%
  6. Theology and Canon Law Studies+234%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

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

What does Religious studies include?

Biblical Studies and Int…46kBiblical Studies and Interpretation: 46k fractional worksTheology and Canon Law S…19kTheology and Canon Law Studies: 19k fractional worksChristian Theology and M…19kChristian Theology and Mission: 19k fractional worksIndian and Buddhist Studies: 14k fractional worksIslamic Thought and Society Studies: 11k fractional worksPentecostalism and Christianity Studies: 11k fractional worksContemporary Christian Leadership and Education: 10k fractional worksReligion, Theology, and Education: 8,200 fractional worksCaribbean and African Literature and Culture: 7,115 fractional worksHispanic-African Historical Relations: 5,636 fractional worksReligion, Gender, and Enlightenment: 4,885 fractional worksMedical Research and Islamic Perspectives: 4,593 fractional works

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