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In academic research, especially in fields like computer science, engineering, and natural sciences, conference quality metrics are important indicators of scholarly influence. Two commonly discussed measures are the conference impact factor and the H5-index. Understanding these metrics helps researchers choose the right venues for publication and assess the visibility of their work.
The impact factor (IF) is traditionally used for journals, but some conferences—especially those with published proceedings—also have measurable citation metrics. It represents the average number of citations received per paper published in a given period.
Formula for Impact Factor:
Key points:
Origin: Developed by Eugene Garfield in the 1960s for journal evaluation.
Application to Conferences: While not officially calculated for all conferences, some indexing services (e.g., Web of Science, Scopus) provide similar citation-based metrics for conference proceedings.
Purpose: Indicates how often papers from a conference are cited, reflecting its academic influence.
Since conferences are not always assigned an official impact factor like journals, you can use the following methods:
Web of Science (Clarivate)
Search for the conference proceedings series (e.g., Lecture Notes in Computer Science).
Check the citation reports for the series or specific volumes.
Scopus (Elsevier)
Search for the conference name or proceedings title.
Use the “CiteScore” or “Source Metrics” to gauge citation performance.
Google Scholar Metrics
While it does not list “impact factor,” it provides the H5-index and H5-median for many conferences.
Publisher Websites
IEEE, ACM, Springer, and Elsevier often publish citation statistics for their conference series.
The H5-index is a variation of the H-index, calculated over the most recent five complete years. It is widely used by Google Scholar Metrics to rank journals and conferences.
Definition: A conference has an H5-index of h if h of its papers published in the last five years have each been cited at least h times.
Example: If a conference’s H5-index is 40, it means that in the past five years, 40 papers from that conference have each been cited at least 40 times.
Advantages:
Balances quantity (number of papers) and quality (citations).
Less sensitive to a few highly cited papers compared to the impact factor.
Reflects recent influence, not lifetime citations.
Google Scholar Metrics is the most accessible source:
Go to .
Select the relevant subject category (e.g., Engineering & Computer Science).
Search for the conference name in the list or use the search bar.
View the H5-index and H5-median (median citations for the H5 core papers).
Other sources:
Scopus: Offers author and source-level h-index metrics.
Publishers: Some conference organizers publish their H5-index in promotional materials.
| Feature | Impact Factor (IF) | H5-Index |
|---|---|---|
| Time Frame | 2 years (standard JCR calculation) | 5 years |
| Focus | Average citations per paper | Number of papers with ≥ h citations |
| Sensitivity | Can be skewed by a few highly cited papers | Balances quantity and quality |
| Common Use | Journals, some conferences | Journals and conferences (Google Scholar) |
| Data Source | Web of Science, Scopus | Google Scholar, Scopus |
For Researchers: Helps decide where to submit work for maximum visibility.
For Institutions: Used in academic evaluations, funding decisions, and rankings.
For Conference Organizers: High metrics attract quality submissions and sponsorship.
While the impact factor and H5-index measure different aspects of academic influence, both are valuable tools for evaluating conference quality. The impact factor offers a short-term citation average, while the H5-index provides a balanced view of recent, sustained impact. Researchers should consider both—along with acceptance rates, reputation, and relevance—when selecting a conference.
