The Most Prolific Sole and Lead Authors in Elite Criminology and Criminal Justice Journals, 2000–2009

Abstract

This study offers an alternative to the available ranking studies of criminology and criminal justice (CCJ) scholars by identifying the most prolific sole and lead authors who published their work in eight elite CCJ journals during the first decade of the twenty‐first century. The findings suggest that individual ranks vary based on the measure used (e.g., frequency vs. standardized rate). Consistent with previous research, we found that a small number of scholars publishing in top journals are responsible for a disproportionate amount of the published work.

Notes

1. The same eight journals were also included in Steiner and Schwartz’s (2007) study of doctoral programs; however, they also included Law and Society Review.

2. Articles “in press,” “forthcoming,” or only available in online versions of a journal were also excluded. In order for an article to be counted, it had to appear in a hard‐copy version of a journal between 2000 and 2009.

3. See Snell et al. (2009) for a recent study on gender differences in research productivity in CCJ.

4. Since we did not limit inclusion in the sampling frame to only CCJ graduates or only faculty in CCJ programs, the top 21 authors came from a variety of backgrounds including Ph.D.s in family studies, counseling psychology, political science, public affairs, public policy, social ecology, as well as sociology, criminology, and criminal justice. In a cursory analysis of where top authors earned their Ph.D.s, The University of Cincinnati appears most often with three graduates. As for current employment, both The University of Cincinnati and Florida State University have three of the top scholars as current faculty.