A lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication, University of Nigeria, Nsukka  (UNN), Dr. Gever Verlumun Celestine, has been ranked the top mass communication scholar in Nigeria. 

This is according to the Scopus Scival author ranking of the top 500 scholars in Nigeria based on publication output for 2019-2022, which was updated on December 24, 2022. 

Scival is a research analytics tool from Elsevier that measures the metrics gathered from the Scopus dataset. It provides information on the research output of scholars, and it contributes to university ranking. 

According to the dataset from Scopus, Dr. Gever ranks number 161, out of the top 500 scholars, a position that makes him the first among communication scholars in Nigeria. The second mass communication scholar, Dr. Destiny Apuke of Taraba State University, ranks 492 on the list. 

Lecturers from sciences like medicine, engineering, chemistry, biology, environmental health and other applied sciences dominate the list. 

The first person on the list is a professor of environmental engineering, Isaac Fayomi Sunday of Bells University of Technology, Ogun State.

Related News

Some disciplines, such as political science, theatre arts, English and literary studies, history, fine and applied arts, and many others from arts and humanities, as well as social and management sciences, did not appear on the list.  

In terms of gender, males dominate the list. Most scholars were from federal and private universities regarding institutional affiliation. State-owned universities had the least representation on the list. 

Dr. Gever joined the services of the UNN in May 2018 and was recently promoted to the rank of Lecturer 1. 

In an interview with the mass communication lecturers, he disclosed that publishing in peer-reviewed impact factor journals is like a war in which only the brave-hearted can survive.  

Gever however assured that he hopes to continue publishing in highly rated journals.