Counting methods & university ranking by H-index

Abstract

This paper describes the results from using four counting methods that represented three different counting approaches – i.e., whole counting, straight counting, and fractional counting, on university rankings based on H-index. Using a large bibliometric dataset that contained 20 years of physics research papers and citations from Web of Science, we tested the methods on the data and sorted 299 universities based on H-index scores. Prior to the counting and sorting, the original WOS data were carefully controlled to ensure that papers and citations of each university were identified and correctly differentiated in the analyses. Findings showed that the three counting approaches did result in observable differences in h-index scores and institution ranks.