A case study of the modified Hirsch index <i>h</i>_m accounting for multiple coauthors

Although the correlation between the original and the modified Hirsch index is relatively strong, the arrangement of the datasets is significantly different depending on whether they are put into order according to the values of either the original or the modified index.

Abstract

Abstract J.E. Hirsch (2005) introduced the h ‐index to quantify an individual's scientific research output by the largest number h of a scientist's papers, that received at least h citations. This so‐called Hirsch index can be easily modified to take multiple coauthorship into account by counting the papers fractionally according to (the inverse of) the number of authors. I have worked out 26 empirical cases of physicists to illustrate the effect of this modification. Although the correlation between the original and the modified Hirsch index is relatively strong, the arrangement of the datasets is significantly different depending on whether they are put into order according to the values of either the original or the modified index.