Decomposition of the h-index

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel decomposition of the h-index into impact and citation concentration components, providing a more nuanced assessment of a scientist's influence.

Contribution

It introduces a new way to analyze the h-index by decomposing it into two meaningful indicators, enhancing research evaluation methods.

Findings

Decomposition of h-index into impact and concentration measures

Application to top economists' data demonstrates the approach

Provides insights into research influence beyond traditional h-index

Abstract

I introduce a decomposition of the h-index, which is nowadays the leading criterion to assess the relevance of a scientist in his/her research field. According to the proposed decomposition, the h-index is the product of two indicators, the first of which measures the impact of the scientist on the research community and the second may be seen as a measure of concentration of the citations in correspondence of a reduced number of papers. The decomposition is illustrated by an application based on data concerning a group of top level economists.