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Coping with the Inequity and Inefficiency of the H-Index: A Cross-Disciplinary Empirical Analysis

Author

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  • Fabio Zagonari

    (Dipartimento di Scienze per la Qualità della Vita, Università di Bologna, C.so d’Augusto 237, 47921 Rimini, Italy)

  • Paolo Foschi

    (Dipartimento di Scienze Statistiche “Paolo Fortunati”, Università di Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy)

Abstract

This paper measures two main inefficiency features (many publications other than articles; many co-authors’ reciprocal citations) and two main inequity features (more co-authors in some disciplines; more citations for authors with more experience). It constructs a representative dataset based on a cross-disciplinary balanced sample (10,000 authors with at least one publication indexed in Scopus from 2006 to 2015). It estimates to what extent four additional improvements of the H-index as top-down regulations (∆H h = H h − H h+1 from H 1 = based on publications to H 5 = net per-capita per-year based on articles) account for inefficiency and inequity across twenty-five disciplines and four subjects. Linear regressions and ANOVA results show that the single improvements of the H-index considerably and decreasingly explain the inefficiency and inequity features but make these vaguely comparable across disciplines and subjects, while the overall improvement of the H-index (H 1 –H 5 ) marginally explains these features but make disciplines and subjects clearly comparable, to a greater extent across subjects than disciplines. Fitting a Gamma distribution to H 5 for each discipline and subject by maximum likelihood shows that the estimated probability densities and the percentages of authors characterised by H 5 ≥ 1 to H 5 ≥ 3 are different across disciplines but similar across subjects.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabio Zagonari & Paolo Foschi, 2024. "Coping with the Inequity and Inefficiency of the H-Index: A Cross-Disciplinary Empirical Analysis," Publications, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-30, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jpubli:v:12:y:2024:i:2:p:12-:d:1380265
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    1. Omar S. Asfour & Jamal Al-Qawasmi, 2024. "Research Metrics in Architecture: An Analysis of the Current Challenges Compared to Engineering Disciplines," Publications, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, December.

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