On March 22, 2023, the developers of the National H-index Ranking announced the launch of a regional ranking for scientific organizations and researchers in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh National H-index Ranking takes into account the Hirsch index based on indicators from the most popular scientometric platforms and databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The introduction of such a unique ranking system in Kazakhstan was positively received by the scientific community. However, like any kind of ranked list, Kazakh National H-index Ranking has some inaccuracies. Therefore, specialists from "Scientific Publications" conducted an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of Kazakh National H-index Ranking.
Features of Kazakh National H-index Ranking
The features of calculations for Kazakh National H-index Ranking include a consolidated Hirsch index (National H-index), which is comprised of:
- Scopus h-index - the Hirsch index indicator of the organization based on Scopus data
- Web of Science h-index - the Hirsch index of the institution based on Web of Science metrics
- Google Scholar h-index - the Hirsch index indicator of the organization based on Google Scholar, divided into two (for a more objective evaluation of scientific productivity)
Based on these indicators, the National H-index and the positions of scientific organizations in the ranking are calculated. All research institutions and universities in Kazakhstan are divided into three categories in the ranking:
- SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL LEADERS - the top 10% of organizations in Kazakhstan (15 scientific institutions)
- HIGH SCIENTIFIC POTENTIAL - 30% of organizations with high scientific potential (30 institutions)
- MEMBERS OF THE RANKING - ranking participants (106 scientific organizations in Kazakhstan)
Additionally, Kazakh National H-index Ranking provides information on the positions of scientific institutions based on their Hirsch index indicators for each scientometric platform. The results of such ranking are presented in separate "sub-rankings" of National H-index Ranking: Ranking of organizations in Scopus, Ranking of organizations in Web of Science, Ranking of organizations in Google Scholar. For each scientific organization, the top 1000 researchers affiliated with it are identified (based on individual Hirsch index indicators in Scopus and Google Scholar).
The leaders of Kazakh National H-index Ranking are also identified
|
Position |
Organization |
National H-index |
Н-index (Scopus) |
Н-index (Web of Science) |
Н-index (Google Scholar) |
|
1. |
Nazarbayev University
|
98 |
90 |
81 |
243 |
|
2. |
L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University
|
67 |
67 |
65 |
135 |
|
3. |
Al Farabi Kazakh National University
|
66 |
69 |
65 |
129 |
|
4. |
Satbayev University
|
48 |
59 |
30 |
107 |
|
5. |
Kazakh National Medical University
|
38 |
41 |
41 |
64 |
Advantages of Kazakh National H-index Ranking
With the implementation of the new scientific achievement assessment methodology proposed by Kazakh National H-index Ranking, it is worth considering the advantages and prospects it opens up for the scientific community of Kazakhstan:
- The ability to measure the national context of science.
- The use of a clear and stable metric (H-index) in the scientometric space.
- Real-time monitoring of trends in scientific research and publications.
- The use of influential scientometric databases and platforms.
- Identification of leaders in scientific potential for creating joint scientific projects and initiatives.
- Assistance to grant providers through the provision of effective publication analytics tools.
- Encouragement of scientists to work more efficiently and productively, which will ultimately lead to an increase in scientific productivity in Kazakhstan.
- Promotion of science in Kazakhstan and an increase in public interest in scientific achievements.
Disadvantages of Kazakh National H-index Ranking
- Criticism of the Kazakh National H-index Ranking primarily concerns the imperfection of the Hirsch index metric itself. Among the negative aspects of the new ranking indicator, the following can be noted:
- Excessive standardization, which involves comparing indicators from different scientometric platforms and databases.
- Insufficient statistical representativeness, which is related to problems with filling in author profiles. It is no secret that there may be problems with affiliation, duplication of profiles, and other issues in author profiles in scientometric databases. Such errors are not too common, but in the context of an entire country, they can lead to additional inaccuracies.
- Failure to account for trends in self-citation. Excessive self-citation is an unfair practice that artificially inflates scientometric indicators. The Kazakh National H-index Ranking does not account for it. Therefore, there may be a situation where scientists who resort to such "boosting" practices end up in the top positions of the ranking.
- Lack of dynamics in scientific productivity. The ranking ranks scientific organizations and scientists based on their existing indicators, regardless of whether they continue their research activities.
How to improve positions in the Kazakh National H-index Ranking?
In general, the idea of creating a single source for evaluating the Hirsch index has practical applications and can assist researchers in achieving their scientific goals. However, the objectivity of the information provided in the Kazakh National H-index Ranking depends not only on the compilers of the ranking but also on the researchers themselves. Attention should be paid to:
Orderliness of author and organization profiles. Researchers must ensure that their profiles in databases contain current and verified information (transliteration of name, place of work, affiliation, absence of profile duplication). Otherwise, the information provided in the ranking will be inaccurate or incomplete.
Page settings. In some cases, pages of scientific organizations or researchers may be private/unavailable or have special privacy settings. In such cases, the ranking algorithms will not be able to scan them and include them in the ranked list.
Academic integrity. Of course, it is worth reminding that addressing many of the shortcomings of the Kazakh National H-index Ranking depends on adhering to the norms of academic integrity. The use of unethical practices (self-citation, adding works not authored by oneself to the profile) may contribute to short-term increases in ranking indicators but will inevitably be exposed by the scientific community. Publicizing such facts will affect the positions of researchers. Therefore, in this regard, there is a certain positive context: creating a ranking draws the attention of researchers to colleagues who engage in questionable publication practices.
Therefore, taking into account all the advantages and disadvantages of the Kazakh National H-index Ranking, it can be stated that such an initiative will have a positive effect on the scientific community of Kazakhstan. It is hoped that in the future, the compilers will be able to improve the methodology of calculations, minimize the shortcomings of indicators, and provide the most truthful information. Under these conditions, the Kazakh National H-index Ranking will become a unique ranking for evaluating scientific performance, comparing the achievements of researchers from different scientific organizations, and ensuring a more active and efficient development of the country's scientific potential.
If you need to increase your Hirsch index in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar or comprehensive promotion in the Kazakh National H-index Ranking, please contact the specialists of "Scientific Publications!" company.
