The influence of merging on h-type indices

Abstract

Each information production process has a unique h-index. This paper studies the problem: what are possible h-index values if we merge two or more IPPs ? First the paper gives examples of IPP mergings. There are at least two types: one where common sources add their number of items in the two IPPS. In each case we show that max(h1,h2)≤h≤h1+h2 for both type of mergings (hi, i = 1, 2 the h-index in the two IPPs; h is the h-index in the merged one). We show that the above inequalities cannot be improved (in both merging types). We also show that the same inequalities are true for the g-index and the R-index but that they are false for the weighted h-index.