Overview - Essential Science Indicators provides access to a unique and comprehensive compilation of essential science performance statistics and science trend data derived from Thomson Reuters data. The chief indicators of productivity (overall influence) are journal article publication counts. Total citation counts and cites per paper are indicators of influence and impact (weighted influence).

Essential Science Indicators is divided into four main sections:

Citation Rankings: Using total citation counts and cites per paper, rankings are determined for the most cited authors, institutions, countries, and journals.

Most Cited Papers: This analysis provides a collection of the most highly cited and hot papers. Papers are selected based on percentile rankings in specific fields of science and time periods.

Citation Analysis: This analysis includes Baselines and Research Fronts to identify criteria for highly cited papers and to track trends in current research.

Commentary: These brief editorial discussions provide guidance on data analysis and interpretation. The information enhances the tables, charts, and other data sets presented in the previous sections.