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A reference-based Hirschian similarity measure for journals

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Abstract

Hirsch’s concept of h-index was used to define a similarity measure for journals. The h-similarity is easy to calculate from the publicly available data of the Journal Citation Reports, and allows for plausible interpretation. On the basis of h-similarity, a relative eminence indicator of journals was determined: the ratio of the JCR impact factor to the weighted average of that of similar journals. This standardization allows journals from disciplines with lower average citation level (mathematics, engineering, etc.) to get into the top lists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Research Policy Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    András Schubert

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  1. András Schubert
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Correspondence to András Schubert.

Additional information

All journals are similar, but some journals are more similar than others.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

See Table 4.

Table 4 Mutually closest h-similarity between pairs of journals
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Schubert, A. A reference-based Hirschian similarity measure for journals. Scientometrics 84, 133–147 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0072-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0072-4

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