The u-index: a simple metric to objectively measure academic impact of individual researchers

Abstract

This short paper introduces the u-index, a simple and objective metric to evaluate the impact and relevance of academic research output, as a possible alternative to widespread metrics such as the h-index or the i10-index. The proposed index is designed to address possible issues with standard metrics such as inflated ratings resulting from self-citations or by means of extended co-authorship numbers where every citation has the same impact as for works written by smaller groups, despite limited individual contributions. The new index makes also possible to differentiate scholars who would otherwise fall into the same h-index group, hence providing further insights into the actual impact of a specific individual researcher.