h-index: To Play Smart, To Play Dirty?

Salam all,

What is life to me? Everything is surround by work! work! work! Does the 24hrs given to me are to only complete the office task?? I wish that it's not true, however, it looks like it.

Today, during the meeting, the Dean reveals a not very pleasant news ... it's about the h-index. To academic world, to lecturers specifically, h-index is everything that matters. Why? Because you are rated by your h-index for promotion. People not only ask about how many papers do you have, but also about what is your h-index. h-index here, h-index, everywhere is an h-index. What is it anyway? Why is it so significant in the academic world?

In short, it represents your scholarity in the area of knowledge (as they say). h-index were calculated based on the number of people cited your paper. Based on the understanding that people will only cite your paper if your paper has the substance that is pertinent to body of knowledge. Therefore, h-index will tell if your paper has a significant value in the body of knowledge. That's the reason why h-index is so important in the current academic world.

When more people cite your paper, your index will increase. It means that you need people to cite your papers. How can you make people cite your papers? That is why the title came upon ... some writers might just opt for a smart way (as they call it) or a dirty way (as others look at it) by citing their own papers. By doing this, your h-index will be increased. What do you say about this act? To me, if the article you are writing really calls for you to cite your earlier work, it's OK to cite your own paper. However, if you merely cite your own paper just for the sake of the h-index, it's for the individual to think about it ethically.

Why a sudden howl over the h-index? Well, the rumors were saying that the mobility of a lecturer is going to be based on the h-index. Mobility? To where? Well, with the policy of only to have the Masters program in the main campus, many might be uprooted from where we are now. I pray to Allah, hoping for rumors remain rumors or I might need to opt for an early retirement, Nauuzubillah ......... wallahua'lam