The h-index is a mainstream bibliometric indicator, since it is widely used in academia, research management and research policy. While its advantages have been highlighted, such as its simple calculation, it has also received widespread criticism. The criticism is mainly based on the negative effects it may have on scholars, when the index is used to describe the quality of a scholar. The "h" means "highly-cited" and "high achievement", and should not be confused with the last name of its inventor, Hirsch. Put simply, the h-index combines a measure of quantity and impact in a single indicator. Several initiatives try to provide alternatives to the h-index to counter some of its shortcomings.

翻译：h-index是一个主流生物计量指标,因为它在学术界、研究管理和研究政策中广泛使用。虽然它的好处得到了强调,例如简单的计算,但它也得到了广泛的批评。批评主要基于它可能对学者的负面影响,当指数用来描述学者的质量时。“h”是指“高引用”和“高成就”,不应与它的发明者Hirsch的姓“Hirsch”相混淆。简言之,h-index将数量和影响方面的量和影响结合到一个单一的指标中。一些倡议试图为h-index提供替代方法来弥补它的一些缺陷。