Essay
Version 3
Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed
Goodbye H-index, Welcome C-score
Version 1
: Received: 18 January 2024 / Approved: 19 January 2024 / Online: 19 January 2024 (06:10:08 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 19 January 2024 / Approved: 22 January 2024 / Online: 23 January 2024 (02:29:51 CET)
Version 3 : Received: 23 January 2024 / Approved: 24 January 2024 / Online: 24 January 2024 (07:32:45 CET)
Version 2 : Received: 19 January 2024 / Approved: 22 January 2024 / Online: 23 January 2024 (02:29:51 CET)
Version 3 : Received: 23 January 2024 / Approved: 24 January 2024 / Online: 24 January 2024 (07:32:45 CET)
How to cite: Rull, V. Goodbye H-index, Welcome C-score . Preprints 2024, 2024011453. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1453.v3 Rull, V. Goodbye H-index, Welcome C-score . Preprints 2024, 2024011453. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202401.1453.v3
Abstract
Using the h-index to assess individual researchers is not only unethical and unfair but also inaccurate and misleading. This index fails to offer a reliable measure of a researcher's impact based on their citation scores. Beyond statistical and conceptual considerations, authorship practices, especially in the case of multi-authored publications, give rise to significant problems that often go unnoticed. While some modifications of the h-index have been proposed to mitigate these weaknesses, the fundamental deficiencies persist. Most of these flaws have been effectively addressed by the c-score, a composite citation index. The c-score excludes self-citations, normalizes the number of citations by considering the number of authors in each paper, and takes into account first, single, and last authorship. This approach provides a more realistic measure of the impact of each individual researcher based on raw citations.
Keywords
h-index; c-score; individual evaluation; citation scores; first authorship; multiauthorship; scientific misconduct
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Other
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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