John M. Braxton, professor of education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College for education and human development, is the 10th most cited individual in higher education research, according to a recent study published in Research in Higher Education.
Only a small number of academic papers are cited even once in ensuing publications, according to the study’s authors, John Budd and Lauren Magnuson of the University of Missouri, in “Higher Education Literature Revisited: Citation Patterns Examined.”
Even more compelling is the fact that researchers traditionally comb through reams of relevant material before incorporating the most useful existing research into their own work, the authors point out.
The most cited publications in higher education, in addition to Research in Higher Education, are Review of Higher Education and Journal of Higher Education.
“John Braxton is among the leading lights in the study of higher education nationally,” said Camilla P. Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Peabody. [rquote]“By calculating how often his work is referenced, this study clearly demonstrates his influence on the field.”[/rquote]
Braxton is himself the editor of a top education publication, Journal of College Student Development. His research interests center on the college student experience, the sociology of the academic profession and academic course-level processes. He is the author of more than 90 articles in journals, books and book chapters and is affiliated with Peabody’s higher education leadership and policy program in the department of leadership, policy and organizations.
Braxton was the 2009 recipient of The Chancellor’s Cup, awarded annually for “the greatest contribution outside the classroom to undergraduate student-faculty relationships in the recent past.” He is a past president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education.