The h-index is a metric designed to quantify the cumulative impact and productivity of a researcher, scientist, or scholar. It is calculated by identifying the number of publications a researcher has that have been cited at least that many times. For example, an h-index of 10 signifies that the researcher has at least 10 publications, each of which has been cited at least 10 times. A higher h-index generally suggests a greater influence and sustained output in a given field.
The significance of this metric lies in its ability to provide a single-number representation of scholarly achievement, encompassing both the number of publications and their impact, as measured by citations. Its emergence addressed the limitations of solely relying on the number of publications or total citations, which can be skewed by a few highly cited papers or a large number of uncited papers. It allows for a more balanced assessment of research performance.