Author metrics are any quantitative measurement of a particular author's impact or influence. A well-known author metric is the H-index, described below.
The H-index is a measure that serves to describe a combination of an author's overall productivity and number of times cited. The H-index is named for and was developed by Jorge Hirsch, a professor at the University of California-San Diego. The H-index can be calculated for a single author, but can also be calculated for a group of authors, such as all authors at a particular university or within a department.
The H-index is defined as follows: An author's H-index is n if the author has written at least n papers that have each been cited at least n times. So if an author has authored at least 15 papers, that have been cited at least 15 times, then the author's H-index is 15.
It is important to recognize that citation patterns vary widely between academic fields, so it is improper to compare authors from different fields using the H-index.
Where can I find the H-index?
You can find the H-index in any major citation index such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, or Scopus. The H-index will vary depending on which papers are included in that citation index.
While the H-index is very popular, there are other author metrics, such as the g-index and i10-index.