The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism

The h-index is an author-level scientometric index used to gauge the significance of a researcher's work. The index is determined by taking the number of publications and the number of times these publications have been cited by others. Although it is widely used in academia, many authors find...

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Main Authors: Himel Mondal, Kishore Kumar Deepak, Manisha Gupta, Raman Kumar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-11-01
Series:Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1613_23
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author Himel Mondal
Kishore Kumar Deepak
Manisha Gupta
Raman Kumar
author_facet Himel Mondal
Kishore Kumar Deepak
Manisha Gupta
Raman Kumar
author_sort Himel Mondal
collection DOAJ
description The h-index is an author-level scientometric index used to gauge the significance of a researcher's work. The index is determined by taking the number of publications and the number of times these publications have been cited by others. Although it is widely used in academia, many authors find its calculation confusing. There are websites such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and Vidwan that provide the h-index of an author. As this metrics is frequently used by recruiting agency and grant approving authority to see the output of researchers, the authors need to know in-depth about it. In this article, we describe both the manual calculation method of the h-index and the details of websites that provide an automated calculation. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the h-index and the factors that determine the h-index of an author. Overall, this article serves as a comprehensive guide for novice authors seeking to understand the h-index and its significance in academia.
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spelling doaj-art-a8a0958dfc0a49e2883693ff3f72bf342025-08-20T02:13:47ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsJournal of Family Medicine and Primary Care2249-48632278-71352023-11-0112112531253710.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1613_23The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticismHimel MondalKishore Kumar DeepakManisha GuptaRaman KumarThe h-index is an author-level scientometric index used to gauge the significance of a researcher's work. The index is determined by taking the number of publications and the number of times these publications have been cited by others. Although it is widely used in academia, many authors find its calculation confusing. There are websites such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), and Vidwan that provide the h-index of an author. As this metrics is frequently used by recruiting agency and grant approving authority to see the output of researchers, the authors need to know in-depth about it. In this article, we describe both the manual calculation method of the h-index and the details of websites that provide an automated calculation. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the h-index and the factors that determine the h-index of an author. Overall, this article serves as a comprehensive guide for novice authors seeking to understand the h-index and its significance in academia.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1613_23citationsh-indeximpactlimitationspublicationsscientometric index
spellingShingle Himel Mondal
Kishore Kumar Deepak
Manisha Gupta
Raman Kumar
The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism
Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
citations
h-index
impact
limitations
publications
scientometric index
title The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism
title_full The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism
title_fullStr The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism
title_full_unstemmed The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism
title_short The h-Index: Understanding its predictors, significance, and criticism
title_sort h index understanding its predictors significance and criticism
topic citations
h-index
impact
limitations
publications
scientometric index
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1613_23
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