What is a good h-index?

It depends heavily on field and career stage. In biomedical sciences, an h-index of 10-12 is typical for an early-career researcher (5-10 years post-PhD), while 20-30 indicates an established mid-career scientist, and 40+ is exceptional. In mathematics or computer science, numbers tend to be lower: 5-10 for early career, 15-20 for mid-career. Always compare within the same discipline and career stage.

How is the h-index calculated?

A researcher has an h-index of h if they have published h papers, each of which has been cited at least h times. For example, if you have 10 papers and 5 of them have been cited at least 5 times each, your h-index is 5. The index rewards both productivity (number of papers) and impact (citations per paper).

What is the difference between h-index and i10-index?

The h-index measures how many papers have at least h citations. The i10-index simply counts how many papers have at least 10 citations. The i10-index is a Google Scholar metric that provides a quick sense of how many 'notable' papers a researcher has, but it does not capture the distribution of citations the way the h-index does.

Why is my h-index different on Google Scholar vs. Scopus?

Each database indexes different sources. Google Scholar includes preprints, book chapters, theses, and conference papers, so it typically shows higher h-indexes. Scopus only counts peer-reviewed journals and selected conference proceedings. Web of Science is even more restrictive. PapersFlow uses OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar, which provide broad coverage similar to Google Scholar.

Can the h-index go down?

In theory, no — once a paper has been cited h times, those citations do not disappear. In practice, your h-index on a particular platform might decrease if that platform removes certain sources from its index, corrections retract citing papers, or the database recalculates after deduplication.

What are the limitations of the h-index?

The h-index does not account for field differences in citation norms, career length, author position (first vs. middle author), self-citations, or the quality of citing works. A single highly-cited review paper contributes the same as a groundbreaking original research article. It also penalizes early-career researchers who have not yet had time to accumulate citations.

How do I find my h-index?

Enter your name in PapersFlow's h-index calculator. For the most accurate results, use your ORCID — this eliminates author disambiguation issues, especially if you have a common name. You can also check Google Scholar (if you have a profile), Scopus (via your institution), or Web of Science.

Is the h-index calculator free?

Yes, completely free with no ads and no sign-up required. You can look up any researcher's h-index unlimited times. Creating a free PapersFlow account lets you save profiles and track h-index changes over time.

Tool

Free H-Index Calculator — Check Any Researcher's H-Index

Calculate any researcher's h-index instantly. Enter an author name or ORCID and get an h-index breakdown with citation trends and field-normalized comparisons.

Enter any researcher's name or ORCID and get their h-index calculated from OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and CrossRef citation data. See the paper-by-paper breakdown, citation trends over time, and field-normalized comparisons. Free, instant, and transparent.

You need to evaluate a researcher's impact — for a tenure case, a grant application, a hiring decision, or your own CV. Google Scholar profiles are inconsistent and not always available. Scopus and Web of Science require expensive institutional subscriptions. You want a quick, reliable way to calculate an h-index from open data sources, with a clear breakdown showing exactly which papers contribute to the number and how it compares to field norms.

Key Features

Multi-Source Citation Data
H-Index Breakdown
Citation Trends Over Time
Compare Researchers

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good h-index?: It depends heavily on field and career stage. In biomedical sciences, an h-index of 10-12 is typical for an early-career researcher (5-10 years post-PhD), while 20-30 indicates an established mid-career scientist, and 40+ is exceptional. In mathematics or computer science, numbers tend to be lower: 5-10 for early career, 15-20 for mid-career. Always compare within the same discipline and career stage.
How is the h-index calculated?: A researcher has an h-index of h if they have published h papers, each of which has been cited at least h times. For example, if you have 10 papers and 5 of them have been cited at least 5 times each, your h-index is 5. The index rewards both productivity (number of papers) and impact (citations per paper).
What is the difference between h-index and i10-index?: The h-index measures how many papers have at least h citations. The i10-index simply counts how many papers have at least 10 citations. The i10-index is a Google Scholar metric that provides a quick sense of how many 'notable' papers a researcher has, but it does not capture the distribution of citations the way the h-index does.
Why is my h-index different on Google Scholar vs. Scopus?: Each database indexes different sources. Google Scholar includes preprints, book chapters, theses, and conference papers, so it typically shows higher h-indexes. Scopus only counts peer-reviewed journals and selected conference proceedings. Web of Science is even more restrictive. PapersFlow uses OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar, which provide broad coverage similar to Google Scholar.
Can the h-index go down?: In theory, no — once a paper has been cited h times, those citations do not disappear. In practice, your h-index on a particular platform might decrease if that platform removes certain sources from its index, corrections retract citing papers, or the database recalculates after deduplication.
What are the limitations of the h-index?: The h-index does not account for field differences in citation norms, career length, author position (first vs. middle author), self-citations, or the quality of citing works. A single highly-cited review paper contributes the same as a groundbreaking original research article. It also penalizes early-career researchers who have not yet had time to accumulate citations.
How do I find my h-index?: Enter your name in PapersFlow's h-index calculator. For the most accurate results, use your ORCID — this eliminates author disambiguation issues, especially if you have a common name. You can also check Google Scholar (if you have a profile), Scopus (via your institution), or Web of Science.
Is the h-index calculator free?: Yes, completely free with no ads and no sign-up required. You can look up any researcher's h-index unlimited times. Creating a free PapersFlow account lets you save profiles and track h-index changes over time.