Examples of simple transformations of the h-index: qualitative and quantitative conclusions and consequences for other indices

Abstract

General results on transformations on information production processes (IPPs), involving transformations of the h-index and related indices, are applied in concrete, simple cases: doubling the production per source, doubling the number of sources, doubling the number of sources but halving their production, halving the number of sources but doubling their production (fusion of sources) and, finally, special cases of general power law transformations. In each case we calculate concrete transformation formulae for the h-index h (transformed into h*) and we discuss when we have h* < h, h* = h or h* > h. These results are then extended to some other h-type indices such as the g-index, the R-index and the weighted h-index.