Stanford University annually recognizes the top 2% of scientists, presenting the results in the form of an open-source list. This compilation furnishes standardized data on citations, Hirsch-index, citations related to papers in varying authorship positions. It encompasses comprehensive information reflecting both the sustained impact throughout a researcher’s career and their recent yearly contributions. This list stands as an initiative to spotlight exceptional researchers committed to achieving research excellence in their respective domains. This study aims to assess the publication performance and associated trends of these recognized researchers, specifically within the Economics and Business & Management fields. The analysis employs empirical methodologies, utilizing both descriptive statistics and network analysis tools. In addition to outlining the general publication performance attributes of these scientists, the study delves into their co-authorship networks. The assessment of their publication performance will be benchmarked against national performance-based research funding systems, namely the Finnish Publication Forum system, which categorizes publication platforms into four distinct categories. Performance-based research funding systems are widely accepted as measures of research excellence. Therefore, evaluating against the Publication Forum system will substantiate the significance and prominence of these researchers in Economics & Business.