H-Index Calculator

Calculate your H-Index from citation counts or live OpenAlex data. Enter your papers' citation counts below — one per line — or fetch data automatically by Author ID or DOI.

H-Index calculator — measure your academic research impact instantly

Enter Your Citation Counts

Comma-separated values (e.g. 142, 87, 45, 34, 28). Or fetch live from OpenAlex below.

Fetch citations from OpenAlex (optional):

// How to Calculate an H-Index

The H-Index is the largest number h such that h papers each have at least h citations. Sort your papers by citation count (highest first), then find the last paper where citations ≥ rank.

Example — 7 papers
Rank Citations Counts for H?
115✓
212✓
310✓
47✓
55✓
64✗
72✗

H-Index = 5 — five papers have at least 5 citations. Paper 6 has only 4 citations, which is less than its rank of 6.

Want to see whether your H-Index is above average? Compare it against 2026 field benchmarks →

// The Definition
H = max h such that h papers have ≥ h citations each
Sort papers by citations descending — H is where rank ≤ citations
h

H-Index

Number of papers with ≥h citations each. Balances productivity and impact

g

G-Index

Largest g where top g papers have ≥ g² citations total. Rewards breakthroughs

i10

i10-Index

Count of papers with ≥10 citations. Simple but less nuanced than H

Σ

Total Citations

Raw citation count — useful for absolute impact but skewed by single papers

Research Impact

The Number That Defines Academic Careers

An H-index of 20 means 20 papers, each cited at least 20 times — a mark of sustained, citable contribution to a field. It's imperfect, but it's the benchmark that hiring committees reach for first.

// What the H-index measures

How the H-Index Works

The H-index measures both a researcher's productivity and citation impact in a single number. An H-index of 10 means you have 10 papers that have each received at least 10 citations — a strong signal of consistent scholarly influence rather than a single viral paper.

Practical example: You have 7 papers with citation counts of 15, 9, 7, 5, 4, 3, and 1 (sorted descending). Paper 5 has 4 citations — rank 5 ≥ 4, so it counts. Paper 6 has 3 citations — rank 6 > 3, so it doesn't. Your H-index is 5.

H-Index vs. G-Index: H treats every qualifying paper equally. The G-index rewards breakthrough papers by finding the largest g where your top g papers have ≥ g² citations total. → Calculate your G-Index

// Benchmarks by career stage

What Is a Good H-Index?

Early career (1–10 years) — H = 2–15

A new researcher with H = 5 has published meaningfully. H = 10+ in your first decade signals rapid impact. Fields vary: hard sciences accelerate faster than humanities.

Mid-career (10–25 years) — H = 15–30

H = 20 is a strong signal for tenure and promotion in most STEM disciplines. Social scientists/humanities: H = 10–15 mid-career is competitive. Nobel laureates typically have H = 45–50+.

Database matters — varies by 2–5 points

Google Scholar is broadest (usually highest H); Web of Science most selective; Scopus between. For official assessments, WoS or Scopus are typically required. For self-reporting, Scholar is most inclusive.

// Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

The H-index counts papers cited at least h times. The i10-index counts papers with 10+ citations — simple but coarse. The G-index finds the largest g where top g papers have ≥ g² total citations, giving more weight to highly-cited papers.
Yes. Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, and OpenAlex each index different journals and sources. H-index may vary by 2–5 points. Google Scholar typically reports the highest; WoS is most conservative. Use the same database consistently for comparisons.
No. All calculations run entirely in your browser. No data is stored, transmitted, or shared. Your citation numbers never leave your device.
Go to openalex.org, search your name, and click your author profile. The Author ID is in the URL (e.g. A1969205039). You can also enter any paper DOI to fetch that paper's citation count.
Norms vary by field. Physics/biology: prolific researchers reach 50–100+. Social sciences/humanities: 20–30 is very strong. Rough guide — early career: H = 5–15; mid-career: H = 15–30; senior: H = 30+. Always compare within your discipline.
In theory, no — citations already counted cannot be removed. However, if a database updates its source list, your H-index from that database may appear lower. Author name ambiguity can also cause attribution errors across databases.
Publish in well-indexed open-access journals; write review articles (typically highly cited); collaborate widely; maintain a Google Scholar profile; present at flagship conferences; and focus on quality over quantity — a few well-cited papers outperform many uncited ones.
H-index does not adjust for field size, career length, or author order in multi-author papers. A physicist and a historian cannot be compared directly. It also cannot decrease (papers keep their citations), so it favours established researchers over early-career ones.
// Methodology & References

Formula & Calculation Method

H-Index (Hirsch Index)

h = max{h : top h papers each have ≥ h citations}
  • h — Largest integer such that the researcher has h papers each cited at least h times

Source: Hirsch, J. E. (2005). PNAS 102(46): 16569–16572

G-Index

g = max{g : top g papers together have ≥ g² citations}
  • g — G-Index — accounts for highly-cited outliers that H-Index ignores

Source: Egghe, L. (2006). Scientometrics 69(1): 131–152

i10-Index

i10 = count(papers with ≥ 10 citations)
  • i10 — Number of publications with at least 10 citations (Google Scholar metric)

Source: Google Scholar (introduced 2011)

Authoritative Sources & Standards
  • NSF: NSF Biographical Sketch requirements (PAPPG 2024) include H-Index as an acceptable productivity metric in academic grant applications. → NSF
  • NIH: NIH Biosketch (revised 2021) allows citation metrics including H-Index in Section C 'Contributions to Science', though discourages over-reliance on single metrics. → NIH

Expert Insights & Research

A successful researcher's H-Index approximately equals years since first publication (Hirsch, 2005). H = 20 indicates a senior, well-established scientist; H = 40+ characterizes National Academy members in most STEM fields.

— Hirsch, J. E. (2005). PNAS (2005)

H-Index discriminates against young researchers (cannot exceed publication count) and rewards publication breadth over depth. Field normalization (e.g., FWCI from Scopus) is recommended for cross-disciplinary comparison.

— Bornmann & Daniel, Journal of Documentation (2007) (2007)
// Explore More

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