25 Oct 2024

H-Index as benchmarks for academic appointments

Since being promoted to a full Professor, I have frequently been invited to serve on academic appointment and promotion panels across various universities. In nearly all instances, the primary focus remains on research output and publication records, underscoring the continued relevance of the "publish or perish" paradigm in academia.

An essential aspect of evaluating applicants' research capabilities is the use of reliable metrics. The Google Scholar H-index serves as a valuable indicator, which I often complement with the ExCITATION journal ranking (a Google Scholar™ extension). This tool provides an overview of publications categorized by Scopus quartiles (Q1, Q2, and Q3), offering further insight into the quality and impact of an applicant's research.

As highlighted by Shah and Jawaid (2023), appropriate benchmarks for academic appointments can be set using the H-index: a range of 3 to 5 for assistant professors, 8 to 12 for associate professors, and 15 to 20 as a robust standard for full professor appointments. I have adopted these criteria as a guideline in my evaluations, alongside a thorough examination of the candidate’s curriculum vitae to ensure a comprehensive assessment.

When I posted this on Facebook, some thought that these H index benchmarks were too low. Some suggested that I should look at the Scopus H -Index instead. 

What are your thoughts on this?

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