Research and Publishing: Impact Analysis

There are various methods of measuring the impact of a publication, a researcher and their research.

• H-Index : an index to quantify an individual’s scientific research output (J.E. Hirsch).
• Citation Analysis : the process whereby the impact or "quality" of an article is assessed by counting the number of times other authors mention it in their work.
• Impact Factor : a measure of the frequency in which the average article in a journal is cited in a particular year. Impact factors measure the impact of a journal, not the impact of individual articles or authors.

To find an author's citation and H-index count in Web of Science:

• Enter the name of the author in the search box (e.g. Smith JT) and select the Author Search option..
• To ensure accuracy for popular names, add an additional search box, enter their institution and then select “Address” from the field drop down menu on the right.
• Click on Search
• Check the Citation Network box to the right of the results. It shows the H-Index, Sum of Times Cite and Citing Articles.

The Web of Science has a module called Journal Citation Reports that tracks journal impact factors.  The Library does not have a subscription to this module.

• Most journals will list their latest impact factor on their website
• SCIJournal.org lists the impact factors of many medical journals