H-indexes (aka the Hirsch Index) are a fairly popular metric in academia. They are typically used in an effort to represent the quantity and quality of research outputted by an individual researcher.

H indexes are an author level metric.

To calculate an h-index, you count the number of publications by an author that have been cited at least the same number of times.

For example, Jane Doe has an h-index of 4. This means that Jane has 4 papers that have been cited at least 4 times.

You can find your h-index in Scopus, Web of Science, or Google Scholar. Note that your h-index may differ between databases.

Finding your h-index in Scopus 

Note: H-indexes will only be available for researchers who have 2 or more publications indexed in Scopus.

To find your h-index:

1. Go to Scopus
2. Above the Scopus search bar, click the "Authors" tab
3. Enter your last name into the first search bar, and your first name into the second search bar
4. Click "Search"
5. Select your name from the results list
6. This will take your to your Scopus author profile. Your h-index will be listed on the left-hand side of the page, under "Metrics Overview"

Note that the h-index will be based only on publications and citing publications indexed in Scopus. Publications and citations from publications that are not indexed in Scopus will not be factored into your Scopus h-index.

For tips on modifying and updating your Scopus author profile, see the Researcher Profiles Guide.

Finding your h-index in Web of Science

To find your h-index:

1. Go to Web of Science
2. Above the search bar, click the "Researchers" tab
3. Enter your last name into the first search bar, and your first name into the second search bar
4. Click "Search"
5. Select your name from the results list
6. This will take your to your Web of Science author profile. Your h-index will be listed on the right-hand side of the page, under "Metrics"

Note that the h-index will be based only on publications and citing publications indexed in Web of Science. Publications and citations from publications that are not indexed in Web of Science will not be factored into your Web of Science h-index.

For tips on modifying and updating your Web of Science author profile, see the Researcher Profile Guide: Publons/Researcher ID.

Finding your h-index in Google Scholar 

Note: H-indexes will only be available for researchers who create a profile in Google Scholar. For information on how to create a Google Scholar profile, see the Researcher Profiles Guide.

To find your h-index:

1. Go to Google Scholar
2. Enter your name into the search bar
3. If your name appears under "User Profiles" at the top of the page, click it. Alternatively, click your name if you see a publication in the results that is written by you
4. This will take you to your Google Scholar author profile. If you have an h-index, it will appear in the upper right-hand corner of the page, under "Cited By"

Note that the h-index will be based only on publications and citing publications indexed in Google Scholar. Publications and citations from publications that are not indexed in Google Scholar will not be factored into your Google Scholar h-index.

For tips on creating and updating your Google Scholar author profile, see the Researcher Profiles Guide.

Like any impact metric, h-indexes have their limitations. These include, but are not limited to:

• Inconsistency between databases (e.g., you may have a different h-index in Google Scholar versus in Scopus)
• Negative bias against new authors, especially those from lesser known institutions or that have lesser known coauthors
• Do not take into account degree of author contribution (see The authorship rows that sour scientific collaborations and CRediT)
• Do not account for citation outliers (e.g., an author who has 2 publications, where one has been cited 2 times and the other 1,000 times, would only have an h-index of 2)
• Do not exclude self-citations
• Do not accurately reflect productivity (e.g., an author who has 200 publications that have each been cited 3 times will only have an h-index of 3)
• Do not factor in publisher prestige
• What qualifies as a "good" h-index is contested
• Like all impact metrics, vulnerable to gamification (e.g., citation rings)

For an in-depth look into how the h-index was created and how it's calculated, see:

• Hirsch JE. An index to quantify an individual's scientific research output. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Nov 15;102(46):16569-72. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0507655102. Epub 2005 Nov 7. PMID: 16275915; PMCID: PMC1283832.

For a concise overview of the h-index and its limitations, see:

• H-index. Metrics Toolkit. Accessed April 8, 2022. https://www.metrics-toolkit.org/metrics/h_index/

For an overview of different metrics types, including the h-index, see:

• Murphy LS, Kraus CK, Lotfipour S, Gottlieb M, Langabeer JR 2nd, Langdorf MI. Measuring Scholarly Productivity: A Primer for Junior Faculty. Part III: Understanding Publication Metrics. West J Emerg Med. 2018 Nov;19(6):1003-1011. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2018.9.38213. Epub 2018 Oct 18. PMID: 30429933; PMCID: PMC6225941.

• Gasparyan AY, Yessirkepov M, Duisenova A, Trukhachev VI, Kostyukova EI, Kitas GD. Researcher and Author Impact Metrics: Variety, Value, and Context. J Korean Med Sci. 2018 Apr 18;33(18):e139. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2018.33.e139. PMID: 29713258; PMCID: PMC5920127.

For a look into the limitations of the h-index, see:

• Alonso S, et al. h-Index: A review focused in its variants, computation and standardization for different scientific fields. Journal of informetrics 3.4 (2009): 273-289.

• Kreiner G. The Slavery of the h-index-Measuring the Unmeasurable. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016 Nov 2;10:556. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00556. PMID: 27853429; PMCID: PMC5089989.