• h-index
• Scores
• Scores

The h-index is a simple way to measure the impact of your work and other peoples' research. It does this by looking at the number of highly impactful publications a researcher has published. The higher the number of cited publications, the higher the h-index, regardless of which journal the work was published in.

How is the h-index calculated on ResearchGate?

The h-index is calculated based on two bits of information: the total number of papers published (Np) and the number of citations (Nc) for each paper. It is defined by how many h of a researcher’s publications (Np) have at least h citations each.This means that if you have one publication with at least one citation, your h-index is 1, if you have two publications with at least two citations each, your h-index would be 2, and so on. 

On ResearchGate, you'll see two separate h-indices displayed for each author. The first metric is an h-index that includes self-citations. The second h-index displayed excludes self-citations so that anyone looking at the numbers can compare them and quickly gauge whether other authors are paying attention to a researcher's work.

Please note: The h-index takes into account only citations of your work from scientific literature, reflecting impact in the scientific community. Furthermore, it is calculated based on the publications in your profile. You can help us make sure your h-index accurately represents your impact by adding all of your work to your profile.

How do I improve my h-index?

You can make sure that you have the highest possible h-index for your research by making sure that you add all of your work on ResearchGate. It is especially important to make sure that all of your publications that have been cited are on your profile to help improve your h-index. However, adding other work that hasn't yet been cited or has only been cited infrequently is a great way to create exposure for it, leading to more citations.  For more information on citations, see Stats

The RG Score is a metric that measures scientific reputation based on how all of your work is received by your peers. We believe that fellow researchers are the best judges of each other's work, and that all your research, published or not, deserves credit. With this in mind, your RG Score is based on how both your published research and contributions to ResearchGate are received by your peers.

A contribution is anything you share on ResearchGate or add to your profile, from published papers and questions and answers, to negative results and raw data. Our algorithm looks at how your peers receive and evaluate your contributions and who these peers are. This means that the higher the scores of those who interact with your research, the more your own score will increase. 

In contrast to more traditional metrics, the RG Score focuses on you, an ever-growing community of specialists, and puts reputation back into the hands of researchers. To view your RG Score and how it's broken down, go to your Scores tab.

For more information, go to: https://www.researchgate.net/publicprofile.RGScoreFAQ.html

Why has my RG Score decreased or not changed?

Please note that the RG score is a relative score. This means that it takes the scores and interactions of every researcher into account when producing a relative rating of your contributions. For example, if your contributions are less than the average of all users that week, your RG Score could decrease or remain constant. Please also make sure that your publications are linked to their journals correctly. Please also make sure that any articles published in journals are correctly linked to the journal they were published in. See Editing and deleting research for more information about linking your publications to their journals.

Why can't I see my RG Score on my profile?

Your RG Score will be activated when it reaches 1. Only then will it be visible to other researchers. If you've just signed up and confirmed authorship of a significant number of publications, your RG Score will likely become visible with the next weekly update.Please also make sure that any articles published in journals are correctly linked to the journal they were published in. See Editing and deleting research for more information about linking your publications to their journals.

Why is my RG Score not changing?

It is recalculated once per week, so depending on your interactions and the content you have added to your profile, it is likely that your new score will appear with the next update. 

Asking questions, providing helpful answers, or adding data and figures are all good ways to improve your RG Score. If your peers think it's worthwhile, they will likely give you feedback, which will affect your score. By connecting with other researchers and contributing high-quality content, your score will increase. Please also make sure that any articles published in journals are correctly linked to the journal they were published in. See Editing and deleting research for more information about linking your publications to their journals.

How does the RG Score account for quality?

The RG Score is based on what your peers think of your work. Low-quality contributions won't attract positive feedback and recognition from the rest of the community, so they won't contribute to a researcher's score in any significant way. With this in mind, we've given you the ability to downvote and flag any contribution that doesn't reach the standards upheld by the rest of the community. We'll be introducing more ways for you to point out these contributions in the near future.

Can I turn off my RG Score?

The RG Score is a metric that measures scientific reputation based on how all of your research is received by your peers. As an integral feature of ResearchGate, it can't be turned off or hidden. We are constantly working on ways to improve the RG Score to reflect your needs as a researcher. 

How can I improve my RG Score?

To improve your RG Score:

•  Share anything from negative results to raw data or full-fledged publications
• Create a project, or add an update to your existing project(s)
• Ask a question or give another researcher a helpful answer
• Follow other researchers
• Comment on and recommend your peer's research, projects and questions

If it's worth to the community, your peers will likely give you feedback, and this will factor into your RG Score. Connect with others, contribute high-quality content, and your score will rise.

Please also make sure that your publications are linked to their journals correctly. For more information on how to do this, see: https://explore.researchgate.net/display/support/Editing+and+deleting+research

RG Reach is a way to gauge the visibility of your work on ResearchGate. It shows you how many unique researchers can get notified when you add new research. The total reach is calculated by adding the number of direct connections you have to the number of people connected to your work through your co-authors and project collaborators. 

The higher your reach, the more visible your work will be to others on ResearchGate. Having a higher reach helps you get more reads and citations for your publications and projects. For a closer look at your RG Reach click on the image above.

How is my direct reach calculated?

Your direct reach is calculated based on the number of unique people directly connected to you. This means that someone who is both a co-author and one of your project collaborators will only be counted once.
Here's who is included in the calculation:

• Your co-authors
• Researchers who follow you
• Your project collaborators
• Researchers who follow your project

How is my indirect reach calculated?

Your indirect reach is calculated based on the number of unique researchers who may be notified when you add new research or update your existing work. It shows the number of people connected to your work through your co-authors and project collaborators.
Here's who's included in the calculation:

• People who follow your co-authors
• People who follow your project collaborators

How can I improve my RG Reach?

Here's the best way to maximize your reach:

• Add your collaborators to projects you're working on together
• Make sure your co-authors have claimed the work you authored together
• Invite your co-authors and collaborators who aren't on ResearchGate yet