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A theoretical evaluation of Hirsch-type bibliometric indicators confronted with extreme self-citation

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  • Vîiu, Gabriel-Alexandru

Abstract

The paper investigates the theoretical response of h-type bibliometric indicators developed over the past decade when faced with the problem of manipulation through self-citation practices. An extreme self-citation scenario is used to test the theoretical resistance of the research performance metrics to strategic manipulation and to determine the magnitude of the impact that self-citations may induce on the indicators. The original h-index, eighteen selected variants, as well as traditional bibliometric indicators are considered. The results of the theoretical study indicate that while all indicators are vulnerable to manipulation, some of the h-index variants are more susceptible to the influence of strategic behavior than others: elite set indicators prove more resilient than the original h while other variants, including most of those directly derived from the h-index, are shown to be less robust. Variants that take into account time constraints prove to be especially useful for detecting potential manipulation. As a practical tool which may aid further studies, the article offers a collection of functions to compute the h-index and several of its variants in the R language and environment for statistical computing.

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  • Vîiu, Gabriel-Alexandru, 2016. "A theoretical evaluation of Hirsch-type bibliometric indicators confronted with extreme self-citation," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 10(2), pages 552-566.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:infome:v:10:y:2016:i:2:p:552-566
    DOI: 10.1016/j.joi.2016.04.010
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