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Letter to the editor: Is the h-index a mock compromise between the p-index and the z-index?

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Abstract

The p-index was introduced as a mock h-index. However, the p-index does not recognize the citation distribution as it accounts for only two dimensions: size P, the count of papers and impact i, the specific citation impact. The z-index became a three-dimensional version by considering the third dimension of the problem: the unevenness of the citation distribution. Here, we identify four normalized citation based indicators: h/P, p/P, z/P and i/P as simple and intuitive dimensionless citation indicators where h is the Hirsch h-index, p and z-indices are those introduced subsequently and i the value of impact as measured by the ratio of citations C to publications P.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. A P J Abdul Kalam Technological University, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695016, India

    Gangan Prathap

  2. Institute of Computer Science and Digital Innovation, UCSI University, Kuala Lumpur Campus No. 1, Jalan Puncak Menara Gading, UCSI Heights, Cheras, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Gangan Prathap

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  1. Gangan Prathap
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Correspondence to Gangan Prathap.

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Prathap, G. Letter to the editor: Is the h-index a mock compromise between the p-index and the z-index?. Scientometrics 126, 4537–4539 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03928-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-03928-9

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