Garcia-Perez, MA. 2009. The Hirsch h Index in a Non-Mainstream Area: Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences in Spain. SPANISH JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 12 (2): 833-849.

[Eugene Garfield]

Garcia-Perez, MA. 2009. The Hirsch h Index in a Non-Mainstream Area:
Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences in Spain. SPANISH JOURNAL OF
PSYCHOLOGY 12 (2): 833-849. MADRID, UNIV COMPLUTENSE MADRID, SERVICIO
PUBLICACIONES .

Author Full Name(s): Garcia-Perez, Miguel A.

Language: English
Document Type: Article

Abstract: The h index has advantages over journal impact factors for
assessing the research performance of individuals, and it is becoming a
reference tool for career assessment that is starting to be considered by
some agencies as an aid in decisions for promotion, allocation, and funding.
The h index has been reported to have adequate properties as a measure of
the research accomplishments of individuals in areas where h values are
usually high (i.e., at or above 40), but some concerns have been raised that
its validity in other non-mainstream research areas is suspect. This paper
presents data from an exhaustive computation and analysis of h indices for
204 faculty members in the area of Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences in
Spain, an area where h indices tend to be low worldwide. The results
indicate that the h index is substantially increased by self-citations and
that the average h of full professors is not meaningfully larger than the
average h of associate professors. Other interesting relations between h
indices and demographic and academic variables are described, including the
gender and age bias of h. In this field, but perhaps also in other fields
where the average h is low, little justification is found for the use of the
h index as a fair measure of research performance that can aid in funding or
promotion decisions.

Addresses: Univ Complutense, Fac Psicol, Dept Metodol, Madrid 28223, Spain

Reprint Address: Garcia-Perez, MA, Univ Complutense, Fac Psicol, Dept
Metodol, Campus Somosaguas, Madrid 28223, Spain.

E-mail Address: miguel at psi.ucm.es
ISSN: 1138-7416