The Distinguished Scholar Award is a prestigious academic recognition that have been presented to a very limited number of scientists from around the world since 2004 regardless of which scientific journal they have chosen as an outlet for their research. Selection of candidates are based on their outstanding scholarly contribution to the scientific knowledge in their fields of scientific research with respect to a set of criteria, including the overall importance of the research question or problem and level of innovation in the topic, the effectiveness and novelty of the methodology and data employed, academic significance and usefulness of conclusions resulting from the research, adequacy of the critical review of relevant literature and the broad application of the findings.