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How is ScholarRank determined?

ScholarRank is an overall ranking based on the calculation of five HeinOnline ScholarCheck metrics. The Z-score for each of the five metrics is taken and then averaged; the final average is entered into standard competition ranking to produce the overall ScholarRank for each author. The raw data and final ranking are regularly updated on a monthly basis and can be found on the HeinOnline author’s profile page.

How We Calculate ScholarRank

First, the raw data is gathered for each of the five metrics. The five metrics are:

  • Cited by Articles (0-5 Years)
    This metric counts the number of times this author has been cited by other articles in HeinOnline within the past five years only. Citation sources include the Bluebook, Prince’s Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations, and the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.
  • Cited by Articles (5+ Years)
    This metric counts the number of times this author has been cited by other articles in HeinOnline beyond the past five years onlyCitation sources include the Bluebook, Prince’s Bieber Dictionary of Legal Abbreviations, and the Cardiff Index to Legal Abbreviations.
  • Cited by Cases (0-5 Years)
    This metric counts the number of times this author has been cited by cases available in HeinOnline or via Fastcase within the past five years only.
  • Cited by Cases (5+ Years)
    This metric counts the number of times this author has been cited by cases available in HeinOnline or via Fastcase beyond the past five years only.
  • Accessed (Past 12 Months)
    This metric is used to account for relevancy and counts the cumulative number of times an author’s articles have been accessed by HeinOnline users within a rolling 12-month period. In order for an author’s article to count as accessed, the article must be clicked from either search results or by browsing to the article, or retrieved using the citation navigator.

This raw data is then displayed on the author profile. For example:

image of ScholarCheck metrics in HeinOnline

Next, the Z-score is calculated for each of the five metrics. The five Z-scores are averaged, and the final average is entered into standard competition ranking. The author’s standing within this final ranking produces the author’s final ScholarRank. In the example above, the raw data which is displayed was manipulated as described to produce a final rank of “8.”

image of ScholarRank on author profile page

The ScholarRank of “8” shown above was thus calculated in the following manner*:

Z-Score Calculation (to calculate the Z-scores of each metric): Zx = (x-µ)/σ

Average Z-Score (determined by averaging the five Z-scores): Zµ = (Z1 + Z2 + Z3 + Z4 + Z5)/5

Final ScholarRank (determined by ranking each author’s Average Z-scores): Zµ, ranked by standard competition

Though rare, it is possible for multiple authors to have the same ScholarRank.

*Standard deviations and averages fluctuate daily; as such, the final results are subject to change. 

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