In the world of scientometrics, one of the main indicators of an author's influence is the H-index. This metric is quite significant and popular, and is used by all authoritative research platforms, such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Previously, we discussed how to find the H-index in Scopus and Web of Science, as well as the peculiarities of this metric in Google Scholar. Today, we will take a closer look at what the H-index is and how to calculate it.
What is the H-index?
The H-index, also known as the h-index, is a numerical metric used to measure scientific productivity and impact of a scientist, scientific journal, organization, or a whole country. It was developed by American physicist Jorge Hirsch in 2005.
The H-index is determined based on the number of scientific publications and their citations. It is calculated by determining the number of scientific works that have been cited at least H times. For example, if a scientist has an H-index of 10, it means that they have at least 10 publications that have been cited at least 10 times.
The H-index is often used in the scientific community to evaluate the scientific productivity and impact of scientists or researchers. It can also be used to compare scientific achievements of different scientists or researchers in the same field.
However, the H-index should not be used as the only criterion for evaluating scientific productivity. Some scientists argue that the quantity of publications is not a sufficient indicator of the quality of scientific work, and that evaluation should be based on different criteria, such as the number of citations and the journal metrics in which the work was published.
How to find the h-index?
The h-index can be found by searching for your name in scientific article databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, or Google Scholar. Each of these databases provides their own h-index, calculated based on the metrics contained in their indexed materials. To find your h-index, follow these steps:
- Register on the database website.
- Enter your name in the search field.
- Click the "Search" button.
- Select your profile from the list, if it appears.
- Look for your h-index, which will be listed on your profile page.
How to calculate the h-index?
The h-index is a metric used to measure an author's research impact and productivity. It is based on the author's most cited papers and the number of times those papers have been cited by other researchers. To calculate an author's h-index, follow these steps:
- Compile a list of the author's publications, ranked by the number of citations they have received from highest to lowest.
- Identify the number h, where h represents the number of publications that have been cited at least h times.
- The h-index is the largest number h, for which h publications have received at least h citations.
For example, if an author has 10 publications, and their papers have been cited 10, 8, 7, 5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 2, and 1 times respectively, then their h-index is 5. This means that the author has published 5 papers that have been cited at least 5 times each.
Н-index: (Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar)
Within the most significant scientometric databases and platforms, the Hirsch index (h-index) is calculated. The Scopus h-index, Web of Science h-index, and Google Scholar h-index are three different metrics used to evaluate an author's scientific impact:
- The Scopus h-index is based on the number of an author's most cited papers and the number of times those papers have been cited by other researchers in the Scopus database.
- The Web of Science h-index is also based on an author's most cited papers and the number of times those papers have been cited by other researchers in the Web of Science database.
- The Google Scholar h-index is based on the number of citations of all an author's papers in the Google Scholar database.
All three metrics have their limitations and should be used in conjunction with other evaluations to get a complete picture of an author's scientific impact. If you need to increase your citation and h-index metrics in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, contact the experts at "Scientific Publications." We provide a comprehensive analysis of your profile, organic growth to the required metric, and take care of all technical nuances.
