Scientometrics is a complex field that studies large amounts of information using a wide range of bibliographic resources. This allows us to track the pace of development of various scientific fields, form further scientific strategies, and evaluate the potential of modern solutions. In this article, we will look at the key scientometrics indicators of an author and what role they play in a scientist's work.
Citation index
The Science Citation Index (SCI) is one of the main scientometrics indicators, reflecting the total number of citations of scientific articles indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. This index allows the significance of scientific works to be assessed based on their previous publications. The SCI was initiated by American scientist Eugene Garfield, who developed it in 1960. The index is actively used by the international scientific community and shows the total number of references to publications in scientific journals over a certain period of time.
Average citation rate
This indicator shows the average number of citations per scientific article. It allows you to analyse the quality of scientific materials and evaluate the effectiveness of an individual researcher or scientific organisation. The indicator is calculated as the ratio of the total number of citations to the total number of published works.
Hirsch index
The Hirsch index (h-index) was proposed in 2005 by physicist Jorge Eduardo Hirsch from the University of California, San Diego. This index serves as a simple and effective tool for assessing the scientific productivity and influence of researchers. The higher the index value, the greater the scientist's contribution to the development of science, which is reflected in the number of citations of their works.
The indicator is widely used by universities and foundations to evaluate scientific activity. In addition, many national and international rankings use the Hirsch index to compile lists of leading scientists, scientific institutions, higher education institutions, etc.
Researchers with the same h-index can be compared in terms of their scientific contribution, even if the number of publications or citations differs.
With an equal number of publications and citations, the author with the higher h-index is considered more influential. For more information on what the Hirsch index is and how to calculate it, read our previous article.
g-index
In order to more accurately measure the overall citation rate of scientific works, Leo Egg proposed the g-index in 2006 as an improved version of the h-index. This indicator is determined as follows: if scientific publications are sorted by number of citations in descending order, then the g-index is the largest number g for which the sum of citations of the g most cited articles is at least g².
For example, a g-index value of 20 indicates that there are at least 20 publications that together have received at least 400 citations.
Unlike the h-index, the g-index places greater emphasis on the influence of highly cited works, even if other publications have little or no citation impact. It is worth noting that the g-index value is always equal to or greater than the h-index of a particular researcher.
e-index
The e-index is a scientometrics indicator that complements the h-index. Unlike the g-index, the e-index only takes into account “excess” citations, i.e. those that exceed the minimum threshold required to form the h-index. It was proposed by Chun-Ting Zhang in 2009 with the aim of overcoming the limitations of the h-index by more accurately reflecting the contribution of highly cited works.
This index allows for a more accurate comparison of scientists with the same h-index but different total numbers of citations. At the same time, its application is limited to researchers with a few publications or citations.
The e-index is considered an additional tool to the h-index, allowing for a better assessment of the scientific contribution of authors whose main citations are concentrated in individual publications.
In general, scientometrics indicators such as the h-index, i10-index, g-index, and e-index are important tools for a comprehensive analysis of the scientific activity and performance of researchers. They contribute to a more objective and in-depth assessment of scientific work, which has a positive impact on the development of science and the improvement of scientific research efficiency.
i10-index
The i10-index is a popular scientometrics indicator widely used by researchers. It is automatically generated in Google Scholar and displays the number of publications by an author, each of which has at least 10 citations. For example, an i10-index of 6 means that six of the author's works are cited at least 10 times each. This indicator also helps to increase the visibility and significance of a scientist's profile.
The i10-index was introduced by Google in July 2011. Its value is automatically updated when search engines detect new links to articles available in open access. The main advantage of this index is its simplicity of calculation. At the same time, a methodological drawback is that it may be less effective for evaluating the activities of young scientists or groups with a few citations that have not yet reached the h=10 threshold for their publications.
The field of scientometrics has been actively developing for a long time and has now formed numerous tools that allow all participants in the scientific community to track their results, plan further steps and strategically orient themselves in their own research activities. Contributing to the increase of your scientometrics indicators will ensure a successful rise through the ranks of your scientific career and international recognition.
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