JBHE’s Annual Citation Ranking of Black Scholars in the Social Sciences

As we have done since 1993, JBHE recently conducted a database search of Thomson Scientific’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Index for the citation counts of dozens of black scholars in the social sciences.

In each of the past 13 surveys JBHE conducted on black academics in the social sciences, we determined that the leader in citation rankings was Professor William Julius Wilson, the sociologist formerly at the University of Chicago who now is University Professor at Harvard University. The results this year are unchanged. Once more, the citation count leader is Professor Wilson with a total of 281 citations in academic journals.

But in 2007 the social science citation competition among black scholars was the most competitive it has been since we began conducting the count 14 years ago. It now appears that Professor Wilson has some serious challengers.

David R. Williams, Norman Professor of Public Health at the Harvard School of Public Health, ranks just behind Professor Wilson with 274 citations.

Claude M. Steele, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, finished in a tie with Professor Williams for second place this year, also with 274 citations.