The h‐index, h‐core citation rate and the bibliometric profile of the Web of Science database in three configurations

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the new version of the Web of Science (WoS) software.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper discusses the new version of the Web of Science (WoS) software.

Findings

The new version of the Web of Science (WoS) software released in mid‐2011 eliminated the 100,000‐record limit in the search results. This, in turn, makes it possible to study the bibliometric profile of the entire WoS database (which consists of 50 million unique records), and/or any subset licensed by a library. In addition the maximum record set for the automatic production of the informative citation report was doubled from 5,000 to 10,000 records. These are important developments for getting a realistic picture of WoS, and gauging the most widely used gauge. It also helps in comparing WoS with the Scopus database using traceable and reproducible quantitative measures, including the h‐index and its variants, the citation rate of the documents making up the h‐core (the set of records that contribute to the h‐index), and computing additional bibliometric indicators that can be used as proxies in evaluating the research performance of individuals, research groups, educational and research institutions as well as serial publications for the broadest subject areas and time span – although with some limitations and reservations.

Originality/value

This paper, which attempts to describe some of the bibliometric traits of WoS in three different configurations (in terms of the composition and time span of the components licensed), complements the one published in a previous issue of Online Information Review profiling the Scopus database.

Citation

Jacsó, P. (2011), "The h‐index, h‐core citation rate and the bibliometric profile of the Web of Science database in three configurations", Online Information Review, Vol. 35 No. 5, pp. 821-833. https://doi.org/10.1108/14684521111176525