The h-bubble

Hypes occur in every domain of human behavior, including scientific research. We show in this contribution that journals and authors who studied the h-index benefited in terms of short-term citations. As, moreover, the introduction of the h-index is more a ‘clever find’ than a first rate intellectual achievement, its rise can be compared to a stock market bubble.

► Journals and authors publishing on the h-index benefitted in terms of short-term citations. ► Using the Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon test it is shown that h-index articles receive more citations than other ones. ► This phenomenon is compared to a stock market bubble.