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Abstract In 2005, Jorge Hirsch introduced a new indicator for quantifying scientists' research output. His h index was proposed as an alternative to other bibliometric indicators such as citations per paper. It is based on a scientist’s lifetime citedness, which incorporates productivity as well as citation impact (an all-in-one metric). This article gives an overview of different contexts of the h index application, its advantages and disadvantages, h index variants, its convergent validity, and future directions of research.