characterizations of citation metrics

Citation metrics are tools used to measure the impact and influence of academic work by counting how often research papers are referenced by others. Common metrics include the h-index, which assesses both productivity and citation impact, and impact factor, which reflects the average citations of articles in a journal. These metrics help evaluate the significance of research, the reputation of journals, and the contributions of authors within their fields, providing a quantitative way to assess scholarly impact and guide funding or career decisions. However, they have limitations and should be used alongside qualitative evaluations.