Why is this an estimate?

The exact h-index requires the full list of citations for each paper, sorted in descending order. This formula gives a useful approximation.

Can the h-index decrease?

In theory no, since it only counts papers that have reached the threshold. In practice, corrections or retractions could lower it.

How does h-index compare across fields?

Citation rates vary enormously by field. An h-index of 20 in mathematics may be equivalent to 50 in biomedical sciences.

H-Index Estimator

Estimate a researcher's h-index from total publications and total citations. The h-index measures both productivity and citation impact.

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Total Publications

Total Citations

Estimated H-Index

Average Citations per Paper16.0

Total Publications50

Estimated H-Index vs Total Publications

View formula & how it works →

How the H-Index Works

A researcher has an h-index of h if h of their papers have each been cited at least h times.

Estimation

An approximate h-index can be estimated as:

h ≈ floor(sqrt(Total Citations))

This approximation (Hirsch's original heuristic) works well for typical citation distributions. The exact h-index requires sorting papers by citation count.

Context

Early career: h = 5-10

Mid career: h = 15-30

Senior researcher: h = 30-60

Field leaders: h = 60+

Example Calculation

A researcher has 50 publications with 800 total citations.

01Average citations: 800 / 50 = 16.0 per paper
02H-index estimate: floor(sqrt(800)) = floor(28.3) = 28

H-Index Estimator

How the H-Index Works

Estimation

Context

Example Calculation

Frequently Asked Questions

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