The Hirsch Index in the Scientific Activity of Russian Scientists
From Organizational Innovation to Academic Tradition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21749372 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexander L Temnitskiy (0000-0002-5275-7457, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 78-97 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1562-2495 • E-ISSN: 1684-1581 |
| Publisher | Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCTAS RAS) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.19181/socjour.2026.32.2.5 |
| OpenAlex | W7166340892 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
This paper addresses problematic issues associated with the introduction of the Hirsch index as the key instrument for evaluating scientific activity, and it is based on the analysis of Russian researchers’ publications included in the National Bibliographic Database (Russian Science Citation Index, RSCI) and materials from two repeated sociological surveys (2022 and 2024). With their titles, abstracts and keywords including the term “Hirsch index”, 625 publications in RSCI between 2011 and 2024 were reviewed; this made it possible to conclude that their distribution corresponds to the attributes of the innovation lifecycle model. 30 selected publications were further analyzed, which led to the conclusion that there is a misalignment between the completed institutionalization of the Hirsch index and most researchers having a negative attitude towards it. The analysis of sociological data from two repeated sociological surveys sought to define the place and role of the Hirsch index in scientists’ daily professional activities: their attitude towards its implementation, assessment of its advantages and disadvantages, its role in achieving their professional success. The main focus was on testing the hypothesis about the determining role of the researcher’s status, rather than their publication activity, in achieving high numerical values of the Hirsch index. For this purpose cross-tabulation and regression analysis methods were used, and factors that are predominant in differentiating the numerical values of the Hirsch index and its predictors were identified. Based on the obtained results, we arrived at the conclusion that the Hirsch index is a derivative of the researcher’s social status, primarily of their Doctor of Science degree — another manifestation of the established academic tradition, a kind of equivalent of the Matthew effect in science
Citation analysis · Citation index · Focus (optics) · Index (typography) · Institutionalisation · Professional association · Science Citation Index · Sociological theory · Educational Innovations and Challenges · Regional Economic Development and Innovation · Technology and Human Factors in Education and Health
| Highly cited | No |
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