Evaluating results
Google Scholar provides bibliometric tools to help you evaluate the information sources which are available through its indexing system. These bibliometric tools are measures which determine the impact of an article, an author, or a journal. Additionally, you can use metrics to locate research articles, seminal research articles, emerging topics, and find reputable journals to publish your work.
Article - Level Metrics (ArLMs)
Cited by x: demonstrates the times an article has been cited. This metric appears under the description of each article in your results list.
Author - Level Metrics (AuLMs)
If you want to check the contribution of a particular author, you should check the author's profile. To do so, type in the search box the author's name. The author's profile appears on the top of your results list. Click it to view the actual profile.
There are three metrics that determine the author's impact:
Citations: This is the sum of all the citations of the articles the author has published. | e.g. Sharon Bostick has Citations 1090. This means that if you add all the numbers that appear under Cited by (410+331+152+53+50+49+17+14+7+6+1=1090) you will find the Citations metric.
h-index: This is the number of highly impactful papers an author has published. | e.g. Sharon Bostick has h-index 8. This means that at least eight of her articles have been cited at least eight times.
i10-index: This is the number of the authors articles that have been cited at least 10 times | Sharon Bostick has i10-index 8. This means that at least 8 of her articles have been cited at least 10 times.
Journal - Level Metrics (JLMs)
Check the impact of a journal by checking the journal's metrics. To find a journal's metrics, click the hamburger icon ( ) on the left-hand corner and select "Metrics".
This reveals the list of top 100 highly cited journals which appear in the Google Scholar indexing system. Type in the search box the journal name or browse the categories and subcategories to find the journal you want to check.
Once you locate the journal, you can also view the available metrics.
h5-index: This is the number of highly impactful papers published in a journal in the last 5 years. | e.g. The Journal of Academic Librarianship has h5-index 32. This means that 32 of the articles, it has published, have been cited at least 32 times in the last 5 years.
h5-median: This is the median number of citations for the articles that make up its h5-index. | e.g. The Journal of Academic Librarianship has h5-median 44. This means that 44 is the median number of citations for the articles that make up its h5-index.
