Top 2% Scientists list 2026: what is new and how to find your name
In short: the 2026 edition (data version 9) was published on 7 October 2026. It uses a citation database snapshot of 1 August 2026 and counts citations to the end of 2025 (career-long) and during 2025 (single year). It is free to download as Excel tables; there is no official PDF.
The 2026 edition at a glance
| Published | 7 October 2026 (data version 9) |
| Database snapshot | 1 August 2026 |
| Citations counted | Career-long: to the end of 2025. Single year: received in 2025. |
| Who is included | Top 100,000 by c-score, or top 2% of their subfield |
| Classification | 20 fields, 174 subfields |
| Extra columns | Measures with and without self-citations, self-citation share, retractions and citations to and from retracted papers |
| Licence | Free to use with credit, not for commercial use (CC BY-NC) |
Where to download it
The tables are in Elsevier’s data repository: Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators, version 9. Download the career-long table, the single-year table or both. They are large Excel files, so open them on a computer.
How to find your name
- Open the table and press Ctrl + F (Cmd + F on a Mac).
- Search your surname. Names are written as “Surname, Given names”, the way they appear in your author profile.
- Check the institution, country and subfield columns to be sure the row is yours.
- Note your rank and your c-score, with and without self-citations, and the percentile within your subfield.
Not there? Check whether your papers are split across more than one author profile, which is the most common reason. What to do next.
Who is in the 2026 list
The list we analysed has 243,949 entries. The United States has the most scientists (90,921), followed by the United Kingdom, China and Germany. India has 4,146: India’s Top 2% scientists by institution and field.
Find the leading scientists of your topic
Our research topic pages show the Top 2% scientists of the subfield closest to each topic, so you can see who leads your area without opening the full tables.
Questions people ask
When was the Top 2% scientists list 2026 released?
The data of the 2026 edition (version 9) was published on 7 October 2026, using a database snapshot of 1 August 2026, with citations counted to the end of 2025.
Where can I download the Top 2% list 2026 as PDF?
There is no official PDF. The list is published as Excel tables in Elsevier’s data repository, free to download. The link is on this page.
How do I find my name in the Top 2% list?
Open the Excel table, use Find (Ctrl + F) and search your surname, written the way it appears in your author profile, usually as “Surname, Given names”. Check the institution and subfield columns to be sure it is you.
More on the Top 2% list
Your own numbers against the Top 2% of your subfield. The free check opens soon.
See the Top 2% Standing Check