Some 20 papers from researchers based in North America have been recognized with a Top Cited Paper award for 2025 from IOP Publishing, which publishes Physics World.
The prize is given to corresponding authors who have papers published in both IOP Publishing and its partners’ journals from 2022 to 2024 that are in the top 1% of the most cited papers.
Meanwhile, 29 papers from India have been recognized with a Top Cited Paper award for 2025.
Below, some of the winners of the 2025 top-cited paper award from India and North America outline their tips for early-career researchers who are looking to boost the impact of their work.
Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Shikhar Mittal from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai: Early-career researchers, especially PhD students, often underestimate the importance of presentation and visibility when it comes to their work. While doing high-quality research is, of course, essential, it is equally important to write your paper clearly and professionally. Even the tiniest of details, such as consistent scientific notation, clean figures, correct punctuation and avoiding typos can make a big difference. A paper full of careless errors may not be taken seriously, even if it contains strong scientific results.
Another crucial aspect is visibility. It is important to actively advertise your research by presenting your work at conferences and reaching out to researchers who are working on related topics. If someone misses citing your relevant work, a polite message can often lead to recognition and even collaboration. Being proactive in how you communicate and share your research can significantly improve its impact.
Sandip Mondal from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay: Don’t try to solve everything at once. Pick a focused, well-motivated question and go deep into it. It’s tempting to jump on “hot topics”, but the work that lasts – and gets cited – is methodologically sound, reproducible and well-characterized. Even incremental advances, if rigorously done, can be very impactful.
Another tip is to work with people who bring complementary skills — whether in theory, device fabrication or characterization. Collaboration isn’t just about co-authors; it’s about deepening the quality of your work. And once your paper is published, your job isn’t done. Promote it as visibility breeds engagement, which leads to impact.
Sarika Jalan from the Indian Institute of Technology Indore: Try to go in-depth into the problem you are working on. Publications alone cannot give visibility, its understanding and creativity that will matter in the long run.
Marcia Rieke from the University of Arizona: Write clearly and concisely. I would also suggest being careful with your choice of journal – high-impact-factor journals can be great but may lead to protracted refereeing while other journals are very reputable and sometimes have faster publication rates.
Dan Scolnic from Duke University: At some point there needs to be a transition from thinking about “number of papers” to “number of citations” instead. Graduate students typically talk about writing as many papers as possible – that’s the metric. But at some point scientists start getting judged on the impact of their papers, which is most easily understood with citations. I’m not saying one should e-mail anyone with a paper to cite them, but rather, to think about what one wants to put time in to work on. One should say “I’d like to work on this because I think it can have a big impact”. Not sure what to do with your physics degree? Our expert panel give their careers advice
P Veeresha from CHRIST University in Bangalore: Build a strong foundation in the fundamentals and always think critically about what society truly needs. Also focus on how your research can be different, novel, and practically useful. It’s important to present your work in a simple and clear way so that it connects with both the academic community and real-world applications.
Parasuraman Swaminathan from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras: Thorough research is critical for good quality research, be bold and try to push the boundaries of your chosen topic.
Arnab Pal from the Institute of Mathematical Sciences in Chennai: Focus on asking meaningful, well-motivated questions rather than just solving technically difficult problems. Write clearly and communicate your ideas with simplicity and purpose. Engage with the research community early through talks, preprints and collaborations. Above all, be patient and consistent; impactful work often takes time to be recognized.
Steven Finkelstein from the University of Texas at Austin: Work on topics that both you think are interesting, and that others find interesting, and above all work with people who you trust.
