Daily Reading

 H-Index

The Web of Science uses the H-Index to quantify research output by measuring author productivity and impact.

H-Index = number of papers (h) with a citation number ≥ h.  

Example: a scientist with an H-Index of 37 has 37 papers cited at least 37 times.  

Advantages of the H-Index:

• Allows for direct comparisons within disciplines
• Measures quantity and impact by a single value.

Disadvantages of the H-Index:

• Does not give an accurate measure for early-career researchers
• Calculated by using only articles that are indexed in Web of Science.  If a researcher publishes an article in a journal that is not indexed by Web of Science, the article as well as any citations to it will not be included in the H-Index calculation.

Tools for measuring H-Index:

• Web of Science
• Google Scholar

This short clip helps to explain the limitations of the H-Index for early-career scientists:

further reading: https://guides.library.cornell.edu/c.php?g=32272&p=203391 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeR05trDeNo

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gdduiHTU2Oc