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Does scientific eminence endure? Making sense of the most cited economists, psychologists and sociologists in textbooks (1970–2010)

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Abstract

This paper examines the concept of textbook eminence and asks whether this specific form of scholarly recognition is of a temporal rather than enduring nature. Based on an analysis of 30 leading textbooks in economics, psychology and economics from the 1970s and 2010s, it is established that less than a third of all eminent scholars remain across the period as the most cited authors. Therefore, the average “half-life” of textbook eminence is shorter than half a century. Textbook eminence, it seems, is associated first and foremost with ‘certified recognition,’ expressed through encyclopedia entries dedicated to individual scholars. In psychology, and partly in sociology, citation impact turns out to be a further significant correlate. In economics, however, textbook eminence is completely detached from peer recognition, as measured by the h-index. The identified short “half-life” of textbook eminence does not necessarily imply a replacement of older elites by younger researchers. In sociology, very few 20th century newcomers have yet attained textbook eminence.

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Notes

  1. Manza et al. (2010, p. 300) make two strong arguments. On the supply side, publishers pressure for conformity to textbook norms and for content that is “tried and true”. On the demand side, heavy teaching loads, especially at the bottom of the academic hierarchy, encourage the routinization of instruction.

  2. The first edition of Economics was published in 1948, and every 3–4 years later another edition was published. The first edition sold 121,453 copies. In total, Economics had sold more than 4 million copies, and was translated into 41 languages (Gottesman et al. 2005, p. 97).

  3. Storer’s analysis of professional recognition is in part transferable to the social sciences as the verisimilitude manifest in many social theorists’ work is not easily empirically specifiable. Marx’s central notions, for example, cannot be simply verified or falsified.

  4. It turns out that this assessment of John K. Galbraith’s scholarly reputation is wrong. Based on comprehensive JSTOR citation data Offer and Söderberg (Offer and Söderberg 2016, p. 137) come to the conclusion that “among the Nobel Prize winners, he [John K. Galbraith] would have ranked fourteenth in total citations in 2005”.

  5. All 30 selected textbooks are listed in the Appendix A1.

  6. Abbott (2014) hints to the fact that the tool is not flawless. In fact, one finds many separate records for what are in fact identical items. We thus had to double-check all WorldCat outputs.

  7. Search results for selected textbooks are presented in the Appendix.

  8. We excluded non-scientists (such as US presidents), celebrities and and other persons that have not contributed to the respective discipline.

  9. It should be noted, however, that Anthony Giddens, for example, cites his own work in the 6th edition of Sociology on 14 different pages.

  10. Samuelson’s textbook stands out through a comparatively many literature references. Other studied textbook in economics refer to less than 100 economists.

  11. Historically, Thomson’s ISI citations were gathered under the name of the (Social) Science Citation Index. Since the advent of the internet, Thomson has made its citation database accessible online and now the citations are under the label “ISI Web of Knowledge”.

  12. The three categories created are [− ∞, x[25]], ]x[25], x[75]], ] x[75],+ ∞]; where x[25] and x[70] are the 25th and 75 percentile of references in the respective index for the 1970s and 2010s.

  13. α = 1 indicates perfect reliability and α = 0 indicates the absence of reliability.

  14. The names of the ‘surviving’ authors are given in capitalized letters in all heatmaps (Appendix A2).

  15. The average marginal effects (AMEs) presented are not only comparable across logistic models but also substantively more meaningful than simple coefficients or odds ratios. AMEs measure the change in the expected probability of y (that is, surviving in the list) as one independent variables increases by unity while all other variables are kept constant.

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Acknowledgements

This article benefited greatly from comments by Christian Fleck, University of Graz. Carl Neumayr and Thomas Klebel provided outstanding research assistance. I acknowledge financial support from the Collaborative Project No. 319.974 of the European Commission 7th Framework Program and the FWF Grant P 29211.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department for Sociology, University of Graz, Universitätsstrasse 15/G4, 8010, Graz, Austria

    Philipp Korom

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Appendices

The last search for all textbooks listed was conducted end of March 2018.

Appendix A1. List of all selected books by disciplines

Economics

  • Baumol, W. J. & Blinder, A. S. (2011). Economics. Principles and policy. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Cengage Learning.

  • Heilbroner, R. L. & Thurow, L. C. (1975). The economic problem. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

  • Leftwich, R. H. & Sharp, A. M. (1974). Economics of social issues. Dallas: Business Publications.

  • Lipsey, R. G. & Steiner, P. O. (1978). Economics. New York: Harper & Row.

  • Lipsey, R. G. & Chrystal, K. A. (2007). Economics. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.

  • Mankiw, G. N. (2015). Principles of economics. Stanford, CT: Cengage Learning.

  • McConnell, C. R., Brue, S. L. & Flynn, S. M. (2009). Economics. Principles, problems, and policies. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

  • North, D. C. & Miller, R. L. (1973). The economics of public issues. New York: Harper & Row.

  • Samuelson, P. A. (1970). Economics. New York: McGraw-Hill.

  • Samuelson, P. A. & Nordhaus, W. D. (2010). Economics. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Psychology

  • Gerrig, R. J. (2013). Psychology and life. Boston: Pearson.

  • Gleitman, H., Gross, J. & Reisberg, D. (2010). Psychology. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.

  • Hilgard, E. R. & Atkinson, R. C. (1967). Introduction to psychology. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc.

  • Kalat, J. W. (2008). Introduction to psychology. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.

  • Krech, D. & Crutchfield, R. S. (1965). Elements of Psychology. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

  • Lindgren, H. C., Byrne, D. & Petrinovich, L. (1966). Psychology: An introduction to a behavioral science. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  • Morgan, C. T. & King, R. A. (1966). Introduction to Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

  • Morris, C. & Maisto, A. A. (2005). Psychology. An introduction. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

  • Myers, D. G. (2009). Exploring psychology. New York: Worth Publishers.

  • Ruch, Floyd L. (1967). Psychology and life. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman and Company.

Sociology

  • Bierstedt, R. (1974). The social order: An introduction to sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

  • Broom, L. & Selznick, P. (1973). Principles of sociology: A text with adapted readings. New York: Harper & Row.

  • Giddens, A. & Sutton, P.W. (2009). Sociology. Cambridge: Polity.

  • Henslin, J. M. (2014). Essentials of sociology: A down-to-earth approach. Boston: Pearson.

  • Horton, P. B. & Chester L. H. (1964). Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

  • Inkeles, A. (1964). What is sociology? An introduction to the discipline and profession. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

  • Kendall, D. E. (2011). Sociology in our times. Belmont/CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

  • Lenksi, G. (1970). Human societies: A macrolevel introduction to sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

  • Macionis, J. J. (2012). Sociology. Boston: Pearson.

  • Schaefer, R. T. (2013). Sociology: A brief introduction. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw-Hill.

Appendix A2. Heatmaps

figure a

Notes. Capitalized letters indicate that the author’s name is listed twice.

figure b
figure c

Appendix A3. WorldCat statistics

The last search for all textbooks listed was conducted end of March 2018.

Economics, 2010s

  • Samuelson, Paul A., and William D. Nordhaus. Economics. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2009 (1949 libraries worldwide)

  • McConnell, Campbell R., and Stanley L. Brue. Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2002 (1422 libraries worldwide)

  • Lipsey, Richard G., and K. Alec Chrystal. Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007 (1051 libraries worldwide)

  • Baumol, William J., and Alan S. Blinder. Economics: Principles & Policy. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2012 (1032 libraries worldwide)

  • Mankiw, N. Gregory. Principles of Economics. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt College Publishers, 2001 (896 libraries worldwide)

  • Mankiw, N. Gregory. Principles of Microeconomics. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western, 2007 (896 libraries worldwide)

  • Mankiw, N. Gregory. Principles of Macroeconomics. Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning, 2007 (896 libraries worldwide)

  • Gwartney, James D. Economics: Private & Public Choice. Mason, Ohio: Thomson South-Western, 2006 (820 libraries worldwide)

  • Parkin, Michael. Economics. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2010 (792 libraries worldwide)

  • Tucker, Irvin B. Macroeconomics for Today. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2008 (712 libraries worldwide)

  • Tucker, Irvin B. Microeconomics for Today. Mason, Ohio: South-Western/Cenage Learning, 2009 (712 libraries worldwide)

  • Case, Karl E., and Ray C. Fair. Principles of Economics. London: Prentice Hall, 1999 (566 libraries worldwide)

  • Parkin, Michael. Macroeconomics. Boston: Pearson, 2008 (479 libraries worldwide)

  • Colander, David C. Macroeconomics. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998 (462 libraries worldwide)

  • Colander, David C. Microeconomics. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998 (462 libraries worldwide)

  • Parkin, Michael. Microeconomics. Harlow: Pearson Education, 2009 (407 libraries worldwide)

  • Frank, Robert H. Principles of Macroeconomics. Boston: McGraw-Hill Education, 2007 (395 libraries worldwide)

  • Frank, Robert H. Principles of Microeconomics. Boston: McGraw-Hill Education, 2008 (395 libraries worldwide)

  • Gwartney, James D. Macroeconomics: Private and Public Choice. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2007 (393 libraries worldwide)

  • Frank, Robert H., Ben Bernanke, and Louis Johnston. Principles of Economics. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2009 (369 libraries worldwide)

  • Gwartney, James D. Microeconomics: Private & Public Choice. Mason, Ohio: Thomson South-Western, 2006 (363 libraries worldwide)

  • Stiglitz, Joseph E., and Carl E. Walsh. Principles of Macroeconomics. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006 (338 libraries worldwide)

  • Stiglitz, Joseph E., and Carl E. Walsh. Principles of Microeconomics. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2006 (338 libraries worldwide)

  • Hubbard, R. Glenn, and Anthony Patrick O’Brien. Microeconomics. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 2007 (271 libraries worldwide)

  • Hubbard, R. Glenn, and Anthony Patrick O’Brien. Macroeconomics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2006 (264 libraries worldwide)

  • Acemoglu, Daron, David I. Laibson, and John A. List. Economics. New York: Pearson, 2018 (74 libraries worldwide)

Economics, 1970s

  • Samuelson, Paul A. Economics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973 (1949 libraries worldwide)

  • North, Douglass C., and Roger LeRoy Miller. The Economics of Public Issues. New York: Harper & Row, 1973 (1198 libraries worldwide)

  • Heilbroner, Robert L. The Economic Problem. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1972 (1110 libraries worldwide)

  • Lipsey, Richard G., and Peter Otto Steiner. Economics. New York: Harper & Row, 1972 (1051 libraries worldwide)

  • Leftwich, Richard H., and Ansel M. Sharp. Economics of Social Issues. Dallas: Business Publications, 1974 (994 libraries worldwide)

  • Miller, Roger Leroy. Economics Today. New York: Harper, 1973 (926 libraries worldwide)

  • Bach, George Leland. Economics: An Introduction to Analysis and Policy. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1974 (822 libraries worldwide)

  • Hunt, Emery K., and Howard J. Sherman. Economics: An Introduction to Traditional and Radical Views. New York: Harper & Row, 1972 (635 libraries worldwide)

  • Gill, Richard T. Economics and the Public Interest. Pacific Palisades, Calif.: Goodyear Pub. Co., 1972 (585 libraries worldwide)

  • Hailstones, Thomas J. Basic Economics. Cincinnati: South-Western Pub. Co., 1972 (575 libraries worldwide)

  • Mansfield, Edwin. Economics: Principles, Problems, Decisions. New York: Norton, 1974 (516 libraries worldwide)

  • Spencer, Milton H. Contemporary Economics. New York: Worth Publishers, 1974 (481 libraries worldwide)

  • Giesbrecht, Martin Gerhard. The Evolution of Economic Society: An Introduction to Economics. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman, 1972 (436 libraries worldwide)

  • Phillips, Llad, and Harold L. Votey. Economic Analysis of Pressing Social Problems. Chicago: Rand McNally College Pub. Co., 1974 (383 libraries worldwide)

  • Lynn, Robert A. Basic Economic Principles. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974 (331 libraries worldwide)

  • Brandis, Royal. Principles of Economics. Homewood, Ill.: Richard D. Irwin, 1972 (282 libraries worldwide)

  • Allen, William R., and Armen A. Alchian. University Economics: Elements of Inquiry. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 1972 (271 libraries worldwide)

  • Trenton, Rudolph W. Basic Economics. New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1973 (263 libraries worldwide)

  • Blanchfield, William C., and Jacob Oser. Economics: Reality through Theory. New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1973 (246 libraries worldwide)

  • Stigum, Bernt P., and Marcia L. Stigum. Economics. Reading, Mass.: Addison, 1972 (234 libraries worldwide)

  • Solmon, Lewis C. Economics. New York: Meredith, 1972 (232 libraries worldwide)

  • Gordon, Sanford D., and George Glenn Dawson. Introductory Economics. Lexington, Mass.: D.C. Heath, 1972 (224 libraries worldwide)

  • Attiyeh, Richard, Keith G. Lumsden, and George Leland Bach. Basic Economics: Theory and Cases. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1973 (215 libraries worldwide)

  • Fusfeld, Daniel R. Economics. Lexington, Mass: Heath, 1972 (210 libraries worldwide)

  • Eckaus, Richard S. Basic Economics. Boston, Mass.: Little Brown, 1972 (191 libraries worldwide)

  • Heller, Robert H. The Economic System. New York: Macmillan, 1972 (183 libraries worldwide)

  • Harter, Lafayette G. Economic Responses to an Changing World. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1972 (179 libraries worldwide)

  • Pfouts, Ralph W. Elementary Economics: A Mathematical Approach. New York: Wiley, 1972 (149 libraries worldwide)

  • Brown, Gary D. Survey of Economic Principles. Homewood, Ill.: D. Irwin, 1972 (145 libraries worldwide)

Psychology, 2010s

  • Gerrig, Richard J., and Philip G. Zimbardo. Psychology and Life. Boston: Pearson/Allen and Bacon, 2005 (1333 libraries worldwide)

  • Morris, Charles G., and Albert A. Maisto. Psychology: An Introduction. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005 (751 libraries worldwide)

  • Gleitman, Henry, James J. Gross, and Daniel Reisberg. Psychology. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 2011 (746 libraries worldwide)

  • Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology. New York, N.Y: Worth Publishers, 2005 (705 libraries worldwide)

  • Kalat, James W. Introduction to Psychology. Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth-Thomson Learning, 2002 (701 libraries worldwide)

  • Bernstein, Douglas A., ed. Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000 (604 libraries worldwide)

  • Wade, Carole, and Carol Tavris. Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000 (596 libraries worldwide)

  • Huffman, Karen. Psychology in Action. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley, 2005 (521 libraries worldwide)

  • Lahey, Benjamin B. Psychology: An Introduction. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2001 (442 libraries worldwide)

  • Lefton, Lester A, and Linda Brannon. Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2003 (407 libraries worldwide)

  • Atkinson, Rita L., and Ernest R. Hilgard. Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology. Fort Worth, Tex: Harcourt College Publishers, 2000 (334 libraries worldwide)

  • Baron, Robert A., and Michael J. Kalsher. Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001 (324 libraries worldwide)

  • Gray, Peter. Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers, 2002 (316 libraries worldwide)

  • Wood, Samuel E., Ellen R. Green Wood, and Denise Roberts Boyd. The World of Psychology. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2005 (299 libraries worldwide)

  • Kowalski, Robin M., and Drew Westen. Psychology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2005 (285 libraries worldwide)

  • Coon, Dennis. Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 2000 (279 libraries worldwide)

  • Butler, Gillian, and Freda McManus. Psychology. New York, NY: Sterling, 2011 (275 libraries worldwide)

  • Davis, Stephen F., and Joseph J. Palladino. Psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004 (268 libraries worldwide)

  • Bernstein, Douglas A. Essentials of Psychology. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 2014 (255 libraries worldwide)

  • Hockenbury, Don H., and Sandra E. Hockenbury. Psychology: With Study Guide. New York: Worth Publishers, 2000 (244 libraries worldwide)

  • Passer, Michael W., and Ronald E. Smith. Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2011 (229 libraries worldwide)

  • Santrock, John W. Psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2005 (220 libraries worldwide)

  • Griggs, Richard A. Psychology: A Concise Introduction. New York, NY: Worth Publishers, 2006 (215 libraries worldwide)

  • Kassin, Saul M. Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall Custom Pub., 2004 (192 libraries worldwide)

  • Lilienfeld, Scott O. Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding. Boston: Pearson, 2011 (184 libraries worldwide)

  • Rathus, Spencer A. Psychology: Concepts & Connections. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005 (139 libraries worldwide)

  • Kosslyn, Stephan M. Psychology: The Brain, the Person, the World. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004 (131 libraries worldwide)

  • Ciccarelli, Saundra K., and J. Noland White. Psychology. Boston: Pearson, 2015 (107 libraries worldwide)

Psychology, 1970s

  • Hilgard, Ernest R., Richard C. Atkinson, and Rita L. Atkinson. Introduction to Psychology. New York: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1971 (1371 libraries worldwide)

  • Ruch, Floyd Leon, and Philip G. Zimbardo. Psychology and Life. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1971 (1333 libraries worldwide)

  • Morgan, Clifford T., and Richard A. King. Introduction to Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971 (1018 libraries worldwide)

  • Krech, David, Richard S Crutchfield, and Norman Livson. Elements of Psychology. New York: Knopf, 1969 (849 libraries worldwide)

  • Lindgren, Henry Clay, and Donn Erwin Byrne. Psychology: An Introduction to a Behavioral Science. New York: Wiley, 1971 (810 libraries worldwide)

  • Hebb, Donald O. A Textbook of Psychology. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1972 (798 libraries worldwide)

  • Kendler, Howard H., and Tracy S. Kendler. Basic Psychology. New York: Meredith Corporation, 1971 (629 libraries worldwide)

  • Fernald, L. Dodge, and Peter S Fernald. Introduction to Psychology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1978 (563 libraries worldwide)

  • Isaacson, Robert L., and Max L. Hutt. Psychology: The Science of Behavior. New York: Harper and Row, 1971 (540 libraries worldwide)

  • Kimble, Gregory A., and Norman Garmezy. Principles of General Psychology. New York: Ronald Press, 1968 (535 libraries worldwide)

  • McConnell, James V. Understanding Human Behavior: An Introduction to Psychology. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1974 (489 libraries worldwide)

  • Harlow, Harry F., James L. McGaugh, and Richard F. Thompson. Psychology. San Francisco: Albion Pub. Co, 1971 (464 libraries worldwide)

  • Lindzey, Gardner, Calvin S. Hall, and Richard F. Thompson. Psychology. New York: Worth Publishers, 1975 (464 libraries worldwide)

  • McMahon, Frank B. Psychology: The Hybrid Science. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1972 (461 libraries worldwide)

  • Bourne, Lyle Eugene, and Bruce R. Ekstrand. Psychology: Its Principles and Meanings. Hinsdale, Ill.: Dryden Press, 1973 (451 libraries worldwide)

  • Lefton, Lester A. Psychology. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1979 (407 libraries worldwide)

  • Whittaker, James O. Introduction to Psychology. London: Saunders, 1970 (363 libraries worldwide)

  • Dember, William Norton, and James Jerome Jenkins. General Psychology: Modelling Behavior and Experience. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1970 (358 libraries worldwide)

  • Mussen, Paul Henry, and Mark R. Rosenzweig. Psychology: An Introduction. Lexington, Mass.: Heath, 1977 (351 libraries worldwide)

  • Edwards, David C. General Psychology. New York: MacMillan Company, 1972 (345 libraries worldwide)

  • Brown, Roger, and Richard J. Herrnstein. Psychology. London: Methuen, 1975 (276 libraries worldwide)

  • Bootzin, Richard R. Psychology Today: An Introduction. Del Mar, Calif.: CRM Books, 1972 (266 libraries worldwide)

  • Gazzaniga, Michael S. Fundamentals of Psychology: An Introduction. New York: Academic Press, 1973 (249 libraries worldwide)

  • Lazarus, Richard S. The Riddle of Man: An Introduction to Psychology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1974 (217 libraries worldwide)

  • Levin, Malinda Jo. Psychology: A Biographical Approach. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978 (212 libraries worldwide)

  • Lana, Robert E., and Ralph L. Rosnow. Introduction to Contemporary Psychology. New York: Holt Rinehart and Winston, 1972 (177 libraries worldwide)

  • Davidoff, Linda L. Introduction to Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976 (122 libraries worldwide)

  • Glenn, Sigrid S., and Richard W. Malott, eds. Introduction to the Science of Psychology. Kalamazoo: Behaviordelia, 1976 (63 libraries worldwide)

Sociology, 2010s

  • Macionis, John J. Sociology. Boston: Pearson, 2012 (807 libraries worldwide)

  • Giddens, Anthony, and Philip W. Sutton. Sociology. Cambridge Malden, MA: Polity, 2013 (781 libraries worldwide)

  • Henslin, James M. Sociology: A down-to-Earth Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Pub., 2003 (600 libraries worldwide)

  • Schaefer, Richard T. Sociology. Boston, Mass.: McGraw Hill, 2001 (559 libraries worldwide)

  • Kendall, Diana Elizabeth. Sociology in Our Times. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning, 2003 (488 libraries worldwide)

  • Kornblum, William, and Carolyn D. Smith. Sociology in a Changing World. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003 (436 libraries worldwide)

  • Stark, Rodney. Sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2001 (426 libraries worldwide)

  • Ferguson, Susan J., ed. Mapping the Social Landscape: Readings in Sociology. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2002 (409 libraries worldwide)

  • Ferrante-Wallace, Joan. Sociology: A Global Perspective. 5th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2003 (378 libraries worldwide)

  • Shepard, Jon M. Sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002 (374 libraries worldwide)

  • Tischler, Henry L., and Robert Mendelsohn. Introduction to Sociology. Fort Worth: Harcourt Press, 2002 (367 libraries worldwide)

  • Thio, Alex. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2003 (319 libraries worldwide)

  • Conley, Dalton. You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008 (290 libraries worldwide)

  • Thompson, William E., and Joseph V. Hickey. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2011 (253 libraries worldwide)

  • Andersen, Margaret L., and Howard Francis Taylor. Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006 (229 libraries worldwide)

  • Brinkerhoff, David B., and David B. Brinkerhoff, eds. Essentials of Sociology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002 (229 libraries worldwide)

  • Farley, John E. Sociology. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall, 2003 (223 libraries worldwide)

  • Hughes, Michael, Carolyn J. Kroehler, and James Wilfrid Vander Zanden. Sociology: The Core. Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2002 (211 libraries worldwide)

  • Thomas, W. LaVerne. Sociology the Study of Human Relationships. Austin, Tex.: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1995 (205 libraries worldwide)

  • Sullivan, Thomas J. Sociology: Concepts and Applications in a Diverse World. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2001 (205 libraries worldwide)

  • Brym, Robert J., and John Lie. Sociology: Your Compass for a New World. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005 (183 libraries worldwide)

  • Marsh, Ian. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. London: Prentice Hall, 2002 (180 libraries worldwide)

  • Punch, Samantha, ed. Sociology: Making Sense of Society. Harlow: Pearson, 2013 (180 libraries worldwide)

  • Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. New York: W.W. Norton & Co, 2010 (166 libraries worldwide)

  • Alexander, Jeffrey C., and Kenneth Thompson. A Contemporary Introduction to Sociology: Culture and Society in Transition. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, 2008 (127 libraries worldwide)

  • Ritzer, George. Introduction to Sociology. Los Angeles: Sage, 2018 (119 libraries worldwide)

  • Calhoun, Craig J, Donald Light, and Suzanne I. Keller. Understanding Sociology. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2001 (47 libraries worldwide)

  • Turner, Jonathan H. Sociology. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2006 (42 libraries worldwide)

Sociology, 1970s

  • Inkeles, Alex. What Is Sociology? An Introduction to the Discipline and Profession. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1964 (985 libraries worldwide)

  • Lenski, Gerhard, Patrick Nolan, and Jean Lenski. Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1970 (972 libraries worldwide)

  • Bierstedt, Robert. The Social Order. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1974 (871 libraries worldwide)

  • Broom, Leonard, and Philip Selznick. Principles of Sociology: A Text with Adapted Readings. New York; London: Harper and Row, 1971 (870 libraries worldwide)

  • Horton, Paul B. Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1979 (759 libraries worldwide)

  • Cuff, E. C., W. W. Sharrock, and D. W. Francis. Perspectives in Sociology. London: Unwin Hyman, 1979 (637 libraries worldwide)

  • Chinoy, Ely. Society: An Introduction to Sociology. New York: Random House, 1967 (556 libraries worldwide)

  • Lundberg, George A. Sociology. New York: Harper & Row, 1963 (550 libraries worldwide)

  • Smelser, Neil J. Sociology: An Introduction. New York: Wiley, 1967 (550 libraries worldwide)

  • Lloyd, Jean, John Pease, and Raymond W. Mack. Sociology and Social Life. New York: D. Van Nostrand Co, 1979 (548 libraries worldwide)

  • Goldthorpe, John. An Introduction to Sociology. London: Cambridge University Press, 1968 (545 libraries worldwide)

  • Wilson, Everett K. Sociology: Rules, Roles, and Relationships. Homewood, Ill.: Dorsey Press, 1971 (505 libraries worldwide)

  • Spencer, Metta. Foundations of Modern Sociology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1976 (419 libraries worldwide)

  • Light, Donald, and Suzanne I. Keller. Sociology. New York: Knopf, 1979 (487 libraries worldwide)

  • Gouldner, Alvin W., and Helen P. Gouldner. Modern Sociology: An Introduction to the Study of Human Interaction. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1963 (368 libraries worldwide)

  • Perry, John A., and Erna Perry. The Social Web: An Introduction to Sociology. New York: Harper & Row, 1979 (329 libraries worldwide)

  • Straus, Murray A., and Joel I. Nelson. Sociological Analysis: Am Empirical Approach through Replication. New York: Harper & Row, 1968 (327 libraries worldwide)

  • Vernon, Glenn M. Human Interaction: An Introduction to Sociology. New York: The Ronald Press Co, 1965 (273 libraries worldwide)

  • Stewart, Elbert W. Sociology, the Human Science. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978 (192 libraries worldwide)

  • Federico, Ronald C. Sociology. Reading, Mass: Addison-Wesley Pub. Co, 1979 (184 libraries worldwide)

  • Goodman, Norman, and Gary T. Marx. Society Today. New York: Random House, 1978 (183 libraries worldwide)

  • Ritzer, George, Kenneth C.W. Kammeyer, and Norman R. Yetman. Sociology: Experiencing a Changing Society. Bonston, Mass.: Allyn and Bacon, 1979 (183 libraries worldwide)

  • Goode, William J. Principles of Sociology. New York: McGraw Hill, 1977 (179 libraries worldwide)

  • Rose, Peter Isaac, Myron Glazer, and Penina Migdal Glazer. Sociology, Inquiring into Society. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982 (135 libraries worldwide)

  • Vander Zanden, James Wilfrid. Sociology. New York: Wiley, 1979 (118 libraries worldwide)

  • Warren, Carol A. B. Sociology, Change and Continuity. Homewood, Ill.: Dorsey Press, 1977 (118 libraries worldwide)

  • Landis, Paul H, and Ginn and Company. Sociology. Lexington, Mass.: Ginn, 1980 (112 libraries worldwide)

  • Demerath, N. J., and Gerald Marwell. Sociology: Perspectives and Applications. New York: Harper & Row, 1976 (108 libraries worldwide)

  • Duberman, Lucile, and Clayton A. Hartjen. Sociology: Focus on Society. Glenview, Ill.: Scott, Foresman, 1979 (59 libraries worldwide)

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Korom, P. Does scientific eminence endure? Making sense of the most cited economists, psychologists and sociologists in textbooks (1970–2010). Scientometrics 116, 909–939 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2781-z

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