Alex Piquero

Dr. Alex Piquero

A recently published book named Dr. Alex Piquero, Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology at UT Dallas, one of the most-cited scholars in his field.

“Most-Cited Scholars in Criminology and Criminal Justice 1986-2010” documents scholars' work in major criminology and criminal justice journals, and their most-cited works, during the 25-year period. It builds upon previous research, adding citations from 2006 to 2010 by examining citation data in indexes, online scientific archives and reference lists.

"Alex is a gifted and prolific scholar," said Dr. John Worrall, head of the criminology program. “His citation count testifies to the importance of his work, not just its volume."

The findings are grouped into three series of longitudinal analyses:

  • The most-cited scholars in four international journals from 1986-90 to 2006-10
  • The most-cited scholars in six American journals from 1986-90 to 2006-10
  • The most-cited scholars in 20 American and international journals from 1986-90 to 2006-10.

According to the study, Piquero ranked second among the most-cited scholars in all 20 journals in 2010, an increase from 16th in 2005.

He also ranked second among most-cited scholars in six major American journals in 2006-10. In both cases, he placed only behind a faculty member at Harvard University.

Piquero ranked eighth among most-cited scholars in four international journals in 2006-10.

The lead author of the book is Ellen G. Cohn, associate professor of criminal justice and an affiliated faculty in Women’s Studies at Florida International University.

Disseminating findings into the academic, lay and policy communities is important for the contribution of knowledge, as well as for helping to inform evidence-based public policies.

Dr. Alex Piquero,
Ashbel Smith Professor of Criminology

The authors believe if a scholar’s work is highly cited, it suggests others in the field find the scholar’s work important and valuable. According to the book, scholarly influence refers not only to the number of citations, but also the prestige of the journal.

“Although I received my PhD in 1996, it has been incredibly humbling to have my peers read and learn from my research,” Piquero said.

The professor has published more than 260 peer-reviewed articles in the areas of criminal careers, criminological theory and quantitative research methods and has collaborated on several books.

“Disseminating findings into the academic, lay and policy communities is important for the contribution of knowledge, as well as for helping to inform evidence-based public policies,” he said.

Piquero said that mentoring and collaborating with students on research is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a faculty member. He said he enjoys guiding doctoral students through the publication process as they begin their academic careers.

Brie Diamond BS’08, MS’10, PhD’13 said publishing with Piquero had a profound influence on her professional development.

“He sees things in a research project that only someone with his experience could pick up on,” said Diamond, now an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Texas Christian University. “He is constantly questioning things and continuously looking at a research question from different angles to make sure that the end product is as accurate, informative and meaningful as possible.”