Dave Lieberson: Who Are the Most Widely-Cited Historians?

Historians in the News


[Mr. Lieberson is an HNN intern.] This list was compiled from Publish or Perish, a program that tracks the number of citations of a particular scholar or article.

Living American Historian

  1. David McCullough- Number of Citations: 5,213
  2. James M. McPherson- Number of Citations: 4,090
  3. Peter Gay- Number of Citations: 3,559
  4. Edmund Morgan- Number of Citations: 3,103
  5. John Lewis Gaddis- Number of Citations: 3,060
  6. Robert Fogel- Number of Citations: 2,887
  7. Robert C. Tucker- Number of Citations: 2,144
  8. Carl Degler- Number of Citations: 2,090

Modern American Historians (Dead or Alive)

  1. David H. Donald- Number of Citations: 13,533
  2. Arthur Schlesinger- Number of Citations: 6,336
  3. David McCullough- Number of Citations: 5,213
  4. James M. McPherson- Number of Citations: 4,090
  5. Peter Gay- Number of Citations: 3,559
  6. George Mosse- Number of Citations: 3,425
  7. John Lewis Gaddis- Number of Citations: 3,060
  8. Robert Fogel- Number of Citations: 2,887
  9. Howard Zinn- Number of Citations: 2,621
  10. Robert C. Tucker- Number of Citations: 2,144

Modern International Historians (Dead or Alive)

  1. Paul Johnson (British)- Number of Citations: 19,241
  2. Harold James (British)- Number of Citations: 15,771
  3. EP Thompson (British)- Number of Citations: 13,835
  4. David H. Donald (USA) - Number of Citations: 13,533
  5. Arthur Schlesinger (USA)- Number of Citations: 6,336
  6. Richard Evans (British)- Number of Citations: 5,704
  7. Lawrence Stone (British)- Number of Citations: 5,647
  8. Fernand Braudel (French)- Number of Citations: 5,369
  9. David McCullough (USA)- Number of Citations: 5,213
  10. Christopher Hill (British)- Number of Citations: 4,338