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The Hirsch Index is rapidly gaining favor as a performance measurement tool for scientific authors. It is therefore important that we grasp its meaning and its uses. In 2005, University of California San Diego Professor Jorge Hirsch published his new performance measurement formula and it read as follows:
A scientist has index h if h of his/her Np papers have at least h citations each, and the other (Np - h) papers have no more than h citations each.¹
This still leaves many of us with questions as to how to calculate the index and, perhaps more importantly, how to interpret it. Interpreting it may be especially challenging, given the recent growth of metric-based research performance measures and their practical applications. But first, let’s discuss how to calculate the Hirsch Index using Scopus.
Step 1 First go to www.scopus.com, retrieve your articles and sort them by "cited by" so that publications with the most citations appear at the top. The following screenshot shows Scopus' retrieval of articles by Dr. Peter Brimblecombe.
Step 2 Scroll down your "cited by" results list and look at the rank numbers and citation numbers for your publications. Find the point where the number of citations is no longer higher than the rank number. This is your H index or H-factor as determined by using Scopus.
Because 19 of his 126 papers have at least 19 citations each, and the other (126 - 19 ) papers have no more than 19 citations each, Professor Brimblecombe has an index of 19.
Scopus Can Help You Evaluate Research Output
The H Index has a positive consequence for authors. Instead of relying heavily on indicators attached to the journals in which they have been published, authors can now submit the H Index, a performance indicator that is based on their work. Indeed researchers are starting to quote their H indexes on their websites and curriculum vitae. At Elsevier, we hope to assist this new look at performance measurement by providing Scopus, which offers exceptionally comprehensive coverage of research literature (including 15,000 journals indexed) and which can help authors locate as many of their relevant citations as possible to get an accurate assessment of their recent work.
Naturally, as we all know, a number on its own tells us very little about an author’s performance unless some sort of comparative basis is involved. Also we must be sure that when a comparison is made we account for variances, especially including subject variances, because citation and publication patterns can differ from subject area to subject area. It’s important to note that the Hirsch Index is intended to rank scientists with their peers in the same subject areas, and it must be interpreted as such. The H Index can assist in the evaluation of authors, but as with all research performance evaluation, it should not be looked at in isolation. 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at h.mooij@elsevier.com.
1 Hirsch, J. E. (2005, September 29). An index to quantify an individual’s scientific research output. Retrieved from http://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0508025
