Sugimoto researches within the domain of scholarly communication and scientometrics. She examines the ways in which knowledge is produced, disseminated, and rewarded. She has co-edited four volumes and has published 70 journal articles on this topic. Her work has been presented at numerous conferences and has received research funding from the National Science Foundation, Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Sloan Foundation, among other agencies. Sugimoto is actively involved in teaching and service and has been rewarded in these areas with an Indiana University Trustees Teaching award (2014) and a national service award from the Association for Information Science and Technology (2009). She is currently President of the International Society for Scientometrics and Informetrics. Sugimoto has an undergraduate degree in music performance, an M.S. in library science, and a Ph.D. in information and library science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.