What is a high h-index? Analysis in the context of the Spanish marketing field

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the average h-index of all stable professors working in the field of marketing in all Spanish public universities and to identify the universities and regions with the highest h-index. In addition, the authors will explain the impact of some aspects on the level of h-index for a given researcher.

Design/methodology/approach A total number of 585 professors were included in this analysis.

Findings The results show that women in the field of marketing have a lower average h-index than men. The absence of an own marketing department is associated with a decrease in the h-index. In addition, the authors find a direct relationship between academic ranking and the h-index. Finally, budget per teaching staff is an aspect that also seems to influence the h-index.

Research limitations/implications One of the limitations of this research is the rapid obsolescence of the data. Future research could take private universities into account and could look at other fields of knowledge and other geographical contexts.

Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are no previous works that analyze the situation of a specific field of knowledge in terms of the h-index for different universities and the professors who work in them. In addition, some factors that may influence the level of this index are explained. In addition, the authors provide theoretical, practical and (public) political implications of the results