How is Hirsch index (h-index) calculated? All metric features

To this date, the h-index is considered one of the most modern and representative metrics for evaluating a scientist’s professional activity. It not only confirms the authority of a researcher, but also contributes to the realization of many scientific purposes, for example, habilitation, becoming a member of reviewers and editors of a scientific publication, receiving funding, etc. Let’s consider in detail what is special about this metric, how to calculate it and where to check it.

How is h-index calculated?

The general h-index formula looks like: h-index = N, if N articles are cited at least N times. That is, for the indicator to be equal to 5, the researcher should have at least 5 articles and each of them will be cited at least 5 times.

What h-index is required for habilitation?

In order to obtain the scientific degree of habilitated doctor, it is necessary to have an h-index of at least 3. That is, the most ideal option will be the one with the following number of citations:

It should be noted that the number of citations for articles is not interchangeable. For example, if publication No. 1 will be cited 1 time, and publication No. 2 will be cited 5 times, h-index will be equal to 2, not 3 (the condition that 2 articles have at least 2 citations will be fulfilled).

Where to check h-index?

The calculation of this metric is carried out within the framework of all the largest scientometric databases, Scopus and Web of Science. Detailed information about the h-index is available in the author’s profile. Therefore, in order to check your own h-index, you need to open your profile in the necessary database.

H-index in Scopus:

Detailed information with a graphic display of all citation metrics, including h-index, is placed on the “View h-graph” tab.

H-index in Web of Science:

In this database, there is also the possibility of an advanced review of scientometric indicators, to do this it is necessary to generate a Citation Report.

If you need to check the h-index of another scientist, you need to go to his author profile in the relevant database. The search is carried out through the “Authors” tab in Scopus and “Researches” in Web of Science.

Please note that h-index indicators for the same author may differ depending on the selected database, because not all works of the scientist can be indexed in both Scopus and Web of Science. Also, they will have different indicators of the citations number.

H-index: instructions

In order to correctly calculate the h-index and be sure of its required level, the “Scientific Publications” Company has prepared simple step-by-step instructions for the researcher:

1. Determine the h-index that you need (for convenience, we will take 3)
2. Make sure that you have at least 3 indexed works in the necessary database.
3. Check the number of citations for each work. Each work should have a MINIMUM of 3 citations
4. Go to your own Scopus or Web of Science author’s profile and check your own h-index.
5. If all the abovementioned conditions were fulfilled correctly, but the h-index is not equal to 3, the researcher’s own profile should be analyzed. It is necessary to check the absence of duplications and the correctness of all filled-in information, including transliteration.
6. If all the profile information is correct, but the metrics calculations are incorrect, please contact the support service.

We hope that our advice will be useful for your scientific accomplishments realization. If you need assistance with increasing the h-index, please contact the “Scientific Publications” Company. Use our “Hirsch index increase”, due to close cooperation with scientific institutions and organizations from all over the world, we will ensure the organic increase of this indicator to the required level and provide full support at all stages of cooperation.

The “Scientific Publications” will become a reliable partner in conquering scientific peaks!