The h-index in a nutshell

 

by Shorba Harkhu

As a librarian you would have come across the metric h-index when searching or teaching the Web of Science or Scopus database. I must admit I had a fleeting understanding of the h-index. Attending the library postgraduate training sessions recently suddenly piqued my interest in this metric, and spurred me on to explore more.

When did it all start?

Jorge Hirsch in 2005, developed the h-index to measure and compare the overall scientific productivity of individual scientists (Barnes, 2017). The h-index can be regarded as a measure of the number of publications published (productivity) as well as how often they are cited (impact) (Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service, 2020).  It is based on the assumption that the number of papers should not be the only important factor in measuring a researcher’s impact in their field (Barnes, 2017). 

It involves some calculations

To calculate the h-index, only two pieces of information are required: the total number of papers published and the number of citations for each paper. Where these two numbers intersect is the h-index. For instance, a researcher with 17 published articles, each of which has received at least 17 citations, has an h-index of 17. If the researcher's 18th most cited publication was cited 16 times, the h-index remains at 17.

An explanation of the h-index in the Web of Science database

The h-index in the Web of Science is indicated by a dark purple horizontal line going through the columns, as in the illustration below. In the example below the number of items above this line means that there are 16 articles that were cited 16 times or more. Web of Science focuses on the last 4-5 years. If you add up the citations for record number 15 from 2017-2021, you will get a figure of 13, but if you click on the Back button (above 2017 in the illustration below) you will see the other citation counts for previous years, and once tallied will give you a total of 17 citations for that particular paper.

H-indexes differ from one database to another

Each database is likely to produce a different h-index for the same researcher for various reasons. This is because the databases index different journals and cover different years. For instance, Scopus only considers work from 1996 or later, while the Web of Science calculates an h-index using all the years that an institution has subscribed to (University of Michigan Library, 2021).

What is a good h-index?

Hirsch proposes that after 20 years of research, an h-index of 20 is good, 40 is outstanding, and 60 is truly exceptional (Oswald, 2021).

The influence of the h-index

The index is routinely used by researchers in a wide range of disciplines to evaluate both themselves and others within their field (Soicer, 2015). It also makes it easy for non-experts to evaluate a researcher’s contribution to the field (Soicer, 2015).

Some limitations of the h-index

The h-index cannot be compared across disciplines or different subjects. For example, an h-index of 5 in the social sciences does not hold the same weight as a 5 in engineering (Makowka, 2021).  The h-index also strips out any information about author order. The result is that there is little information about whether you published an article in a top journal on your own or whether you were one member of a team (Soicer, 2015). The h-index is also open to manipulation through practices like self-citation.

I hope this blog would have provided some insight into the h-index metric.

 

BARNES, C. 2017. The h-index Debate: An Introduction for Librarians. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 43, 487-494.

MAKOWKA, M. 2021. H-Index Using Web of Science and SCOPUS [Online]. Texas: University of Texas at Dallas Available: https://libguides.utdallas.edu/h-index-using-web-of-science-and-scopus [Accessed].

OSWALD, N. 2021. Does Your h-index Measure Up? [Online]. [S. l]: BiteSize Bio. Available: https://bitesizebio.com/13614/does-your-h-index-measure-up/ [Accessed].

SOICER, A. 2015. Explainer: what is an H-index and how is it calculated? [Online]. [S. l]: The Conservation. Available: https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-an-h-index-and-how-is-it-calculated-41162 [Accessed].

STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICE. 2020. Bibliometrics and citation analysis: Introduction to h-index [Online]. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University Library and Information Service. Available: https://libguides.sun.ac.za/c.php?g=742955&p=5316861 [Accessed].

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARY. 2021. Research Impact Metrics: Citation Analysis [Online]. Anne Arbor. MI: University of Michigan Library. Available: https://guides.lib.umich.edu/c.php?g=282982&p=1887449 [Accessed].

Every Book its Reader

By Praversh Sukram

The Library recently undertook a self-evaluation in preparation for the University’s Project Renewal programme. Every member of the Library had to contribute to the self-evaluation and had to provide input about their jobs based on the following two areas: the purpose of the post and implications if the post was not in the structure.

During the feedback sessions with the Circulation department, the author was reminded about what was studied at Library School years ago - S. R. Ranganathan’s Five Laws of Library Science.

 It became clear that jobs were directed towards achieving one of the laws set out by Siyali Ramamrita Ranganathan in 1931. This law is Every Book its Reader. This law prescribes that every book in a library must find its reader. It implies that there should be maximum use of books by users and users must be able to find the books they want.

Every aspect of Circulation is fulfilling this law of Library Science. Colleagues in the collections maintenance section, for example, ensure that books are shelved correctly so that readers can easily access them when required. In addition to shelving books correctly colleagues also undertake shelf reading. The purpose for shelf reading is to maintain the proper order of books on the shelves based on the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) number. “A misplaced book is a lost book” as the saying goes.

The Inter Library Loans (ILL) function is aimed at providing users with items required for research which are not available at UKZN Libraries. These items are sourced from other Libraries. UKZN Library also makes its materials available to other Libraries.

Inter-campus loans are also provided where materials from other UKZN campus libraries are made available to users.

The Library also offers a Pay-Per-View (PPV) service which provides access to materials that cannot be sourced via the ILL service.

Another area where colleagues are fulfilling the law of Every Book its Reader is in the scanning of book chapters and theses. The scanned items are made available on the Library’s online platforms. This service is extremely beneficial especially during the lockdown.

The principle of job rotation is applied at Circulation where every employee is provided with an opportunity to be exposed to all functions at Circulation. With staff being multi-skilled the service to users is enhanced. An efficient and productive use of staff also fulfills the principle of the law of Every Book its Reader in that services are geared towards maximising access to Library materials.

The other four laws of Library Science proposed by Dr Ranganathan are:

• Books are for Use
• Every Reader his/her Book
• Save the Time of the Reader
• The Library is a Growing Organism.

 

 

 

 

To blog or not to blog

 

By Jillian Viljoen

One of the tasks assigned to librarians is to write blogs; an A4 page of information or something of interest to the University Community. Something related to the library or the university. “Something of interest” is rather relative. What is of interest to the blogger may not necessarily be of interest to the reader. Also, writing a blog is sometimes easier said than done. To decide on a topic and then to discuss it in a meaningful manner can be a bit tricky. Do you use simple language, academic language, or refer to an article and include references at the end of the blog? Should the blog’s tone be conversational or serious? Should it include pictures or images? Should the blog have a human interest element or simply be structured similar to a research article? All these questions and so many others go through one’s mind when embarking on writing a blog. 

Well, one would ask, if there are so many challenges with writing a blog, why do it? What is the purpose of librarians writing blogs? Blogs are a way of engaging with the University community. Social media plays a vital role in marketing and engaging with people every day. Blogs are an avenue for the library to market its services, highlight certain events and topics, share knowledge, and connect with the University community. Granted, not all blogs may be viewed as relevant, but that is where the reader comes in. The comments provided for each blog indicate whether or not the blog topic was interesting and if the topic should be expanded upon in another blog. Or, on the other hand, whether to steer clear of a certain topic where comments were a bit disparaging. The reader commenting on the blogs creates dialogue and an engagement that is still enriching despite the connection being remote. The librarians want to connect with you.

So, if librarians were to choose whether to blog or not, they would choose to blog because blogs are a way of engaging more informally, in a creative way that allows the library to connect with the University community on a social media platform which promotes discourse and individuality.

Next time you read a blog by a librarian, spare a thought for the time, effort, research, and deliberation that was put into the blog in an attempt to engage meaningfully with you. Honesty in your comments is appreciated but constructive criticism and helpful suggestions would promote engagement and guide the librarians in their efforts. The blogs are the librarians’ way of reaching out and letting you know that they are aware that life encompasses more than just academia.

Blogs allow us to engage on topics and experiences across life’s journey in an academic environment. Let us keep the discussion going.