Library Help: Office For Open Research

What is a 'Hot Paper'?

A Hot Paper is a designation assigned by Clarivate to research publications that receive a rapid and unusually high number of citations shortly after publication. This is based on Web of Science data and highlights research that is attracting immediate academic attention.

To qualify as a Hot Paper, a publication must:

• Have been published within the past two years

• Be among the top 0.1% of papers by citation rate in its subject area

• Show significantly higher citation growth than its peers

Hot Papers often focus on emerging topics, novel methodologies, or urgent societal challenges. Many go on to become Highly Cited Papers as they accrue longer-term influence.

Why is the 'Hot Paper' designation important?

Hot Papers can be a useful indicator of early impact and momentum. They can help:

• Showcase current relevance
  Reflect immediate traction, often linked to societal interest, rapid dissemination, or scientific novelty.

• Signal emerging impact
  Suggest that a paper is shaping current research conversations or triggering follow-up studies.

• Boost visibility
  Hot Papers may attract media coverage, policy attention, or inclusion in major reviews and conferences.

• Identify trends
  Tracking Hot Papers across fields can reveal rising areas of interest and potential collaboration opportunities.

How Are Hot Papers Determined?

Clarivate identifies Hot Papers using citation patterns in Web of Science. A publication receives the label if it:

• Was published within the last two years

• Falls in the top 0.1% by citation growth rate for its field

• Has been cited far more than others published in the same timeframe and category

This is different from the Highly Cited Paper status, which recognises publications that are in the top 1% of citations over a 10-year window.

Platforms for 'Hot Paper' designation

Web of Science:

Web of Science highlights Hot Paper status in the citation summary for individual articles. You can also:

• Explore curated lists of recent Hot Papers by discipline

• Track papers gaining attention shortly after publication

InCites:

Clarivate’s analytics platform allows you to:

• Analyse Hot Papers at the institutional, departmental, or researcher level

• Use Hot Paper data in benchmarking or trend analysis

Please note: Hot Paper status is only available within Clarivate tools—this information does not appear in Scopus, SciVal, or other platforms.

How to Find Hot Papers in Web of Science

To find Hot Papers in Web of Science, follow these steps:

1. Search for Your Paper:

   • Access Web of Science using the link available within Library Search
   • Use the search feature to find the paper by title, DOI, or author.
      

2. Review Citation Information:

   • Once you’ve found the paper, Web of Science will indicate if it has been designated as a Hot Paper in the citation overview section.
      

3. Explore Hot Paper Lists:

   • You can explore curated lists of Hot Papers on Web of Science by looking at the Hot Papers section, which highlights the papers with the highest citation growth in the last two years.

Need help interpreting Hot Paper data?

The Research Indicators team can support you with:

• Understanding what the Hot Paper status means for your research or institution

• Using InCites to track Hot Papers across subject areas

• Incorporating Hot Paper metrics into reports, grant applications, or evaluations

Contact the Office for Open Research