How good is the h-index?

Ali Borji

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arXiv · 2503.13456

How good is the h-index?

Ali Borji

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Abstract

The h-index has become a widely used metric for evaluating the productivity and citation impact of researchers. Introduced by physicist Jorge E. Hirsch in 2005, the h-index measures both the quantity (number of publications) and quality (citations) of a researcher's output. While it has gained popularity for its simplicity and practicality, the h-index is not without its limitations. We examine the strengths and weaknesses of this metric, presenting preliminary experimental results that demonstrate the limitations of the h-index. We also propose a potential solution. The primary aim of this work is to shed light on the shortcomings of the h-index and its implications for ranking scientists, motivating them, allocating funding, and advancing science.

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Ali Borji. 2025-01-19. How good is the h-index?. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.13456

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