The πv-index: a new indicator to characterize the impact of journals

For determining the eminence of scientific journals, a new indicator stressing the importance of papers in the “elite set” (i.e., highly cited papers) is suggested. The number of papers in the elite set (P πv) is calculated with the equation: (10 log P) − 10, where P is the total number of papers in the set. The one-hundredth of citations (C) obtained by P πv papers is regarded as the πv-index which is field and time dependent. The πv-index is closely correlated with the citedness (C/P) of P πv papers, and it is also correlated with the Hirsch-index. Three types of Hirsch-sets are distinguished, depending on the relation of the number of citations received by the Hirsch-paper (ranked as h) and the paper next in rank (h + 1) by citation. The h-index of an Anomalous Hirsch-set (AH) may be increased by a single citation to a paper outside the Hirsch-core. (A set of papers may be regarded as AH, where the number of citations to the Hirsch-paper is higher than the h-index and the next paper in rank shows as many citations as the value of the h-index.)