14 BIU Researchers Ranked Among the World’s Most Highly Cited
14 leading researchers from psychology, communication, political science, and economics have been included in Stanford University’s prestigious 2025 ranking of the top 2% most-cited scientists worldwide
In 2025, the Faculty of Social Sciences at Bar-Ilan University received international recognition: fourteen of its faculty members were ranked among the top 2% most-cited researchers in the world, according to Stanford University’s annual citation ranking.
This global index highlights scholars whose research has shaped their fields and is frequently cited by colleagues worldwide. Being included in the ranking demonstrates the influence of research that inspires new studies, sparks academic debate, and advances knowledge across disciplines.
What are academic citations and why do they matter?
Citations are one of the most widely accepted measures of a researcher’s influence. When a study is cited often, it signals that the work contributed essential knowledge, introduced new conceptual frameworks, or opened meaningful avenues for innovation and understanding.
Prof. Ronit Kark from the Department of Psychology, one of BIU’s most-cited researchers, explains: “As researchers, one of our central goals is to generate knowledge that others can build on in theory, in practice, and in real-world applications. Citations reflect not only how often we are read, but the value our work creates for academic, social, educational, and cultural contexts.”
Prof. Kark’s extensive research in organizational behavior — including leadership, gender, and psychological processes in the workplace has earned international recognition. “The Department of Psychology is ranked 2nd among all psychology departments in Israel according to the Shanghai Ranking,” she adds. “When you work in an environment that encourages curiosity and supports innovative thinking, you gain the confidence to explore new questions that have real impact.”
What makes a study highly cited?
One of the researchers included in the Stanford list is Prof. Chaim Noy, Head of the School of Communication. His work on language, digital communication, and qualitative research methods has been widely cited for years.
For Prof. Noy, the explanation lies in looking closely at what others tend to overlook: “Many of my most-cited papers deal with things that are right in front of our eyes, yet rarely questioned. I tell my students: find the elephant in the room — what everyone sees, but no one investigates.”
One of his most influential articles began accidentally, while reflecting on the way he conducted interviews for his doctoral research. He noticed how knowledge accumulates and shifts during complex research processes, often in unexpected ways — a phenomenon he describes metaphorically as “mud sticking to the wheels”: information you didn’t plan to collect but turns out to be meaningful. The paper became foundational in qualitative research and has been cited hundreds of times worldwide.
According to Prof. Noy, impactful research often emerges from identifying gaps in the literature — especially where everyday experiences intersect with cultural, linguistic, or technological realities.
Why do the social sciences generate so many highly cited studies?
Breadth of topics: The achievement of BIU’s social sciences faculty reflects a rich spectrum of research areas: organizational psychology, digital communication, public policy, behavioral economics, social behavior, and more. This diversity strengthens the faculty’s contribution to global academic discourse.
Social relevance – Prof. Kark highlights that meaningful impact often comes from choosing questions that can shift perspectives: “Instead of revisiting narrow questions that have already been studied extensively, we should look for areas that remain underexplored and hold the potential for broad societal influence.”
A contribution to global knowledge
The international recognition of Bar-Ilan University researchers is not only an academic accomplishment — it reflects the growing influence of Israeli research in shaping global conversations in the social sciences. Their work continues to deepen understanding of how people think, communicate, lead, and make decisions, influencing both scholarship and society around the world.