Hirsch Index: Scopus and Web of Science. How to find out?

The h-index is a crucial and significant metric, which is based on the most famous databases, researchers, and scientific journals. In Scopus and Web of Science, this metric is calculated for each author, although some organisations and ratings calculate the metric at the level of a scientific journal, university, or even country. The researcher needs to increase the h-index to achieve certain scientific goals, e.g., to become a member of the reviewers and the editorial board, to receive funding, to take part in competitions. Let us analyse the features of this indicator and how to find it out in Scopus and Web of Science.

What is the Hirsch index?

H-index is a new metric because the method for its calculation was proposed only in 2005 by the American researcher H. Hirsch. The essence of the indicator is the ratio of the number of publications to the number of their citations, as well as minimising the shortcomings of the conventional “citation index”.

How is the Hirsch index calculated?

h-index=5 means that each scientific article of the author has been cited at least 5 times. If we depict how to find out the Hirsch index in the form of a formula, then:

h-index=Х if the number of publications=X and the number of citations of each of them=X.

Consider a specific example, let us say the author has 7 scientific papers:

Hirsch index = 5. Why?

Let us break it down step by step:

1. We look at the total number of scientific articles. Since there are 7 of them, the Hirsch index cannot be higher than 7. But the author has papers that are cited less than 7 times (publication No. 4 – 4 citations and publication No. 7 – 3 citations). Therefore, the requirements of the formula described above are not met.
2. We select the second-largest number according to the number of papers – 6. For h-index = 6, each of the 6 articles of the author must be cited at least 6 times. This requirement is also not fulfilled by papers No. 4 and No. 7.
3. We select the next number – 5. The indicator meets all the requirements because the author has 5 articles, each of which is cited at least 5 times. These are publications #1, #2, #3, #5, and #6. Hence, h-index=5.

How to find Hirsch index in Web of Science?

1. Select the type of search for the author “Researches” and enter contact details. 
2. Go to the personal profile of the required researcher.
3. Information about h-index is displayed in the profile.  

For more details:

1. Go to “Dashboard”.
2. Go to Citation Report.
3. Study the citation metrics you are interested in, their graphical representation. 

How to find the Hirsch index in Scopus?

1. Use the search function “Authors”.     

​

2. On the tab of the displayed materials, select the researcher you are interested in. 
3. Go to the author’s profile, information about h-index will be displayed there. 

If you need to learn more about this metric:

1. Press “View h-graph”. 
2. Read more about author metrics. 

How to find out your Hirsch index?

To find out or check your own Hirsch index, you need to calculate its indicator in the way we described above, and then compare it with what is shown in the personal profile of the necessary scientometric database.

If the data does not match, check that your author profile is filled in correctly:

1. Do you have a duplicate profile?
2. Is all data correct?
3. Were all articles and citations backed up?

Furthermore, the incorrect display of data may be because the indicators in the database have not yet been updated. If you find any inaccuracies, you should contact Scopus or Web of Science support.

The Scientific Publications company provides the service “Increasing the Hirsch Index” to achieve the scientific goals of researchers. Our company, as a market leader in scientific consulting, cooperates with many researchers, scientific organisations, and universities around the world. For this reason, we provide the service of organically increasing the h-index to a certain level, as well as full support by our specialists.

Contact us today, we will reach scientific heights together!