H-index
An author-level metric: the largest number h such that the researcher has h publications each cited at least h times.
The h-index is an author-level metric that combines productivity and citation impact. A researcher has an h-index of h when h of their publications have each been cited at least h times. For example, an h-index of 10 means ten papers with at least ten citations each. The measure rewards a sustained body of cited work rather than a single highly cited paper, but it grows with career length and differs sharply across disciplines, so comparisons are only meaningful within a field and career stage.
During a thesis, you will mostly meet the h-index while evaluating the literature: it offers a quick sense of whether an author is an established contributor to a field. Use it lightly. A source's relevance and methodological quality matter far more to your argument than the fame of its author, and emerging scholars can produce excellent work.
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