This article was featured in Library Notes #62 (March 2010).
By: Pam Shaw, Biosciences Librarian
Is it possible to measure the impact factor for an author's body of work? While not perfect, there is a simple statistic that comes close to measuring the publication productivity of an author and the impact of that author's work. This statistic is the h-index.
The h-index is based on the distribution of an author's citations over total publications. It was first proposed by J.E. Hirsch in 2005. 
There are a few sources that will calculate h-index for you. Web of Science and other citation databases have h-index statistics. You can also download a Firefox add-on for h-index calculation from Google Scholar.
The most reliable h-index statistics available to Northwestern users are in Web of Science. You can access reports that have an author's h-index through the Citation Report feature in the Web of Science literature database. Access Web of Science by clicking Web of Knowledge in the Popular Resources section on the Galter Library homepage.

The Galter Library subscribes to a number of applications for mobile devices, including several for the iPhone and iPod Touch. We have contracted with UCentral as a provider for several reference titles, including Harrison’s Manual of Medicine, Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Davis’s Drug Guide and Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests. Additionally, because there are so many free medical apps available, we also recommend free quality ones you can trust such as PubMed for Handhelds and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Electronic Preventive Services Selector.
EndNote users are aware by now that the Galter Health Sciences Library is the go-to source for EndNote training and support. With our regularly-scheduled classes and by request consultations, users can rely on the library for the help they need. But what if you can’t make an EndNote class or don’t have time to meet with a librarian? You can still get support with our online tutorials for EndNote!