Scientist impact factor (SIF): a new metric for improving scientists' evaluation?

Area of Science:

• Bibliometrics
• Scientometrics
• Research Evaluation

Background:

• Scientific publication is key for knowledge sharing and career advancement.
• Current evaluation metrics like H-index and impact factor have limitations.
• There is a need for improved indicators of recent scientific productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and test a novel metric for evaluating recent scientific output.
• To assess the utility of the scientist impact factor (SIF) in complementing existing evaluation tools.

Main Methods:

• The scientist impact factor (SIF) was calculated using citations received in the two years following publication, divided by the number of articles published that year.
• The metric was validated using data from 40 top scientists at a local university.

Main Results:

• No significant correlation was found between SIF and H-index or 2-year H-index.
• A strong correlation existed between the H-index and 2-year H-index.
• A significant correlation was observed between annual publications and their subsequent two-year citation counts.

Conclusions:

• The scientist impact factor (SIF) can serve as a valuable supplementary metric for assessing scientific output.
• SIF may particularly benefit early-career scientists by highlighting recent productivity for funding applications.