In some social sciences or humanities fields where citation cycles are slower, an h-index of 4 might be common for a starting Assistant Professor. Context Matters: Field and Time
Many researchers in their first or second year of a postdoc hold an h-index in the 3–6 range. h-index of 4
An h-index of 4 is most commonly associated with . This includes: In some social sciences or humanities fields where
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Studies show that open-access papers tend to be cited more frequently than those behind paywalls. The Bottom Line
Citations accumulate much more slowly here. An h-index of 4 is a solid sign of emerging influence and is often seen as a respectable milestone for a junior scholar.
The h-index was created by physicist Jorge E. Hirsch in 2005. The definition is straightforward: a researcher has an index of h if h of their papers have at least h citations each. At least 4 publications .