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PROFESIONAL DE LA INFORMACION; 2007; 16(5):427 - 432

A critical view of the h-index: observations based on a practical application

Authors: Costas R, Bordons M
Affiliations: CSIC

Abstract:
The possible use of h-index in the evaluation of individual researchers has raised great concern among policy-makers and scientists themselves. Research is needed to determine the advantages and limitations of this new indicator A study of publications in the Web of Science, 1994-2004, applied the h-index to researchers working in the natural resources area at the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). One of the findings presented is that the h-index detected the most outstanding scientists; however scientists who follow a selective publication strategy, publishing a relatively low number of documents that are frequently cited, could be penalized for this approach in h-index based evaluations. The authors emphasize the need to avoid the specific limitations of each indicator by combining indicators in the evaluation process.

Publication type:
Article in Journal

  
Authors (1)
  
Dr. R. (Rodrigo) Costas Comesaña
Centre for Science and Technology Studies
Researcher. MSc in Library and Information Science (2001) - University of A Coruña and University of Extremadura. PhD in Documentation, Carlos III University (2008). Previous work at CINDOC-CSIC in Madrid. From January 2009 at CWTS. Main research interests are bibliometric indicators and research ...