Prof. Antonio Pellicer, President of IVI, tops the ranking of the best researchers in the category of Obstetrics and Gynaecology according to the h-index, in a study describing the scientific output with the highest impact worldwide. He is followed by Prof. Carlos Simón, Scientific Director of IVI, Prof. José Remohí, President of IVI and Prof. Juan Antonio García Velasco, Director of IVI Madrid.

The study simultaneously measures the quantity and quality of work carried out by researchers, taking as a reference their publications and the number of times these have been cited by other professionals around the world. A higher h-value means a greater influence of the study published. This measurement system, designed by the American Jorge E. Hirsch, is used to analyse the information from the prestigious ISI Web of Knowledge database.

In this respect, Prof. Pellicer occupies the top spot in the category of reproductive biology with 872 publications and an h-index of 64. Prof. Simón sits in second place with 614 publications and an h-index of 59. In fourth place is Prof. Remohí with 497 publications and an h-index of 52. Finally, Prof. García Velasco has 226 publications and an h-index of 33.

“It is an honour to appear in these kinds of classifications, as they prove the importance of one of the essential pillars of IVI: research. For us, doing research means moving forward, and science cannot be understood without continuous work and learning. Assisted reproduction is a field that demands constant adaptation to the needs of each patient: something that is unthinkable without the studies and research projects that our professionals carry out ceaselessly. It is precisely this that allows us to be at the forefront of reproductive medicine, and this is the path that will continue to guide our steps,” explained Prof. García Velasco.

This index has become the most important indicator to take into account when evaluating the scientific output of a researcher in terms of their accumulated impact and relevance. Their value is obtained from the point at which the number of scientific articles listed in descending order and the number of citations of these coincide. An author with an h-index of 25 has, at least, 25 publications each of which has been cited a minimum of 25 times.

“Dr Hirsch indicates than an h-index of 20, after 20 years of scientific activity, is appropriate for a successful scientist; an index of 40, after 20 years of work, characterises outstanding scientists who are found in the best universities around the world; and an index of 60, after 20 years of scientific work, represents unique individuals (such as Nobel Prize winners),” added Dr García Velasco.