h-Index Calculator

Enter your publication citation counts separated by commas into the Citations per Paper field and the h-Index Calculator computes your h-index — the number of papers (h) that have each been cited at least h times. You also get your total publications, total citations, median citations, and a breakdown chart showing how your papers rank against your h-index threshold.

Enter citation counts for each publication separated by commas or new lines (highest to lowest recommended).

Optionally enter a name to personalise your results.

Results

H-Index

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Total Publications

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Total Citations

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Median Citations per Paper

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Papers At or Above H-Index

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G-Index

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Citations per Paper vs H-Index Threshold

Results Table

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the h-index?

The h-index is a metric that captures both the productivity and citation impact of a researcher. A researcher has an h-index of h if h of their papers have each been cited at least h times. For example, an h-index of 15 means 15 papers have at least 15 citations each.

How does the h-index calculator work?

The calculator takes your list of citation counts, sorts them in descending order, and finds the largest number h where the paper ranked h has at least h citations. Enter your citation counts separated by commas and the result is computed automatically.

What is a good h-index?

A 'good' h-index varies significantly by field and career stage. Early-career researchers may have an h-index of 3–5, mid-career researchers 10–20, and highly prolific senior researchers above 30. Comparing h-indexes across different disciplines is generally not meaningful.

What are the limitations of the h-index?

The h-index does not account for field differences, career length, or self-citations. It can undervalue researchers who publish fewer but highly influential papers, and it never decreases even if a researcher stops publishing. It is best used alongside other metrics.

What is the difference between the h-index and the g-index?

The g-index is an alternative measure that accounts for the total citation impact of a researcher's top papers. The g-index is the largest number g such that the top g papers together have at least g² citations. It rewards highly cited papers more than the h-index does.

Where can I find citation data for my publications?

Citation counts can be found in databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and OpenAlex. These databases index citations differently, so your h-index may vary slightly between them.

Can I use the h-index to compare researchers from different fields?

No — comparing h-indexes across different disciplines is not recommended. Fields like medicine or physics tend to have higher citation rates than humanities or social sciences, making cross-field comparisons misleading.

How do I manually calculate my h-index?

Sort your papers by citation count from highest to lowest. Then find the last paper in that list where the paper's rank (position) is less than or equal to its citation count. That rank is your h-index. For example, if paper #8 has 10 citations and paper #9 has 7 citations, your h-index is 8.

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