H index
The h index is named after Jorge Hirsch. It’s a measure of a researcher’s impact in terms of citations, which combines both quality and quantity. It’s the highest number of a researcher’s papers that has had at least the same number of citations. For example, if a researcher has an h index of 10, it means that s/he has published 10 papers each of which has at least 10 citations. Wikipedia provides further information about the h index together with a diagram.
You can use either Scopus or Web of Science to find a researcher’s h index.
Why use the h index?
A researcher might want to include their h index in a research grant application, a job application or a request for a pay rise/promotion. A PhD student thinking about where to go for a post-doc position might want to check potential supervisors’ h indexes. However, citation styles vary from one subject area to another, so comparing the h indexes of researchers in different subject areas is not advised. If you are comparing researchers’ h indexes, you should also be aware that h indexes tend to be higher for older researchers whose papers have generated numerous citations with the passage of time.
H index via Scopus
To find a researcher’s h index using Scopus:
- Open Scopus
- Link to the <Author Search> tab
- Enter an author’s surname, initials and affiliation
- Link to the <Search> button
- Check boxes for author results as required
- Link to <View overview citation>
- Link to <View h graph>
H index via Web of Science
To find a researcher’s h index using Web of Science:
- Access WoS via Web of Knowledge
- Enter an author’s surname, initial(s) and affiliation, using the drop-down menus, e.g. Sumpter J* (author) and Brunel (address)
- Link to the <Search> button
- Link to <Create Report Citation>
It’s quite likely that you will find different figures for a researcher’s h index using Scopus and Web of Science. This is because the underlying publication and citation data for Scopus and Web of Science aren’t the same. If you are comparing researchers’ h indexes, they should be from the same source, either all from Scopus or all from Web of Science.
