Reflections on norms for the h-index and related indices
Uses Academy of Management and Academy of International Business Presidents to present aspirational norm scores
Ever since Publish or Perish has been available, academics have asked me for "norm scores" for the various indices. I guess everyone likes to compare himself or herself to see how they are doing. I have always hesitated to do this as these scores are so easily taken out of context and can take on a life of their own.
However, most publications discussing the h-index and related indices deal with academics in the (Natural) Sciences. There are large differences in research output between the different disciplines (see Reflections on the h-index and Citation Analysis Across Disciplines). H-indices in the Natural Sciences are much higher than in the Social Sciences and Humanities. Hence, I felt that in order to support academics in the Social Sciences and Humanities it would be appropriate to provide some systematic evidence that lower citation indices can be expected in these disciplines.
Norm scores for Management and International Business
A calculation of citation metrics for an individual academic requires one to be at least familiar with the field in question (in order to be able to eliminate publications by authors with similar names) and preferably with the individuals work. Therefore, my "norm scores" only pertain to the two fields that I am familiar with: Management and International Business.
In 2007 I therefore published a white paper with an analysis of citation metrics for Academy of Management and Academy of International Business Presidents. As norm scores do get out of date quickly, I presented an update in 2013 and again in 2016. The results can be found in Reflections on norms for the h-index and related indices
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Copyright © 2022 Anne-Wil Harzing. All rights reserved. Page last modified on Fri 3 Jun 2022 08:09
Anne-Wil Harzing is Emerita Professor of International Management at Middlesex University, London. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business, a select group of distinguished AIB members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the scholarly development of the field of international business. In addition to her academic duties, she also maintains the Journal Quality List and is the driving force behind the popular Publish or Perish software program.
