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H-Index Ranking - Physics And Astronomy
Are you looking for the H-Index Journals Ranking? You are in the right place.
The H-Index is a metric that captures both the productivity and citation impact of a journal’s publications. A journal with an H-Index of h means it has at least h articles each cited at least h times.
Below you will find the most recent list of journals sorted by H-Index value, alongside their SJR Score and Quartile classification.
| # | Journals List | H-Index | SJR Score | Quartile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reviews of Modern Physics | 372 | 20.343 | |
| 2 | Nature Physics | 315 | 7.955 | Q1 |
| 3 | Physical Review X | 168 | 6.267 | Q1 |
| 4 | Advances in Physics | 121 | 12.034 | Q1 |
| 5 | Applied Physics Reviews | 92 | 4.143 | Q1 |
| 6 | Nature Astronomy | 71 | 3.269 | Q1 |
| 7 | Journal of Thermal Science | 66 | 0.582 | Q2 |
| 8 | Science China Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy | 65 | 1.112 | Q1 |
| 9 | Nature Reviews Physics | 52 | 9.340 | Q1 |
| 10 | Wuli Xuebao Acta Physica Sinica | 51 | 0.220 | Q3 |
| 11 | Frontiers of Physics | 50 | 1.198 | Q1 |
| 12 | Chinese Optics | 25 | 0.301 | Q3 |
| 13 | Mapan Journal of Metrology Society of India | 19 | 0.251 | Q3 |
| 14 | JP Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer | 12 | 0.212 | Q4 |
What is the H-Index?
The H-Index (or Hirsch Index) is a metric that captures both the productivity and the citation impact of a publication. A journal (or author) has an H-Index of h if it has published at least h papers, each of which has been cited at least h times. So a journal with an H-Index of 50 has published at least 50 papers, each cited at least 50 times.
How is the H-Index Calculated?
- List all papers published by the journal, sorted by citation count (highest first).
- Walk down the list. The H-Index is the largest position n where the n-th paper has at least n citations.
- Example: a journal has 5 papers with citation counts {12, 8, 5, 3, 1}. The H-Index is 3 — because the 3rd paper has 5 citations (≥3), but the 4th paper has only 3 citations (=3, qualifies but the 5th has 1, breaking the chain).
The H-Index can never decrease over time — only grow as more citations accumulate. Unlike Impact Factor, it’s not affected by a single “blockbuster” paper that gets thousands of citations.
H-Index vs Impact Factor vs SJR
| Metric | What It Measures | Time Window | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| H-Index | Productivity + sustained impact | Lifetime | Resists outliers |
| Impact Factor | Average citations per paper | 2 years | Recent activity |
| SJR | Prestige-weighted citations | 3 years | Quality signal |
Why the H-Index Matters
- Long-term reputation: H-Index reflects sustained influence, not one-off bursts.
- Hard to game: A journal can’t artificially boost its H-Index by publishing one viral paper.
- Cross-database: Available from Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar (each gives slightly different numbers).
- Used for evaluation: Many funding agencies use H-Index alongside other metrics.
H-Index FAQ
What is a good H-Index for a journal?
It varies by field. In medicine, a strong journal often has H-Index > 100. In niche subfields, H-Index > 30 is excellent. Always compare within the same subject area using our H-Index Ranking.
Why are H-Index values different in Scopus vs Google Scholar?
Each database has its own citation index. Google Scholar typically gives a higher H-Index because it indexes more sources (including books, theses, gray literature). Scopus and WOS are stricter and considered more rigorous.
Can the H-Index decrease?
No — the H-Index can only stay the same or grow as new citations come in.
How can I find high-H-Index journals in my field?
Use our Advanced Journal Finder sorted by H-Index, or browse our H-Index Ranking by subject.
