{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,16]],"date-time":"2026-04-16T06:56:18Z","timestamp":1776322578696,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"MIT Press","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":["www.mitpressjournals.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Quantitative Science Studies"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:p> Recently, Hirsch (2019a) proposed a new variant of the h-index called the h<jats:sub>\u03b1<\/jats:sub>-index. The h<jats:sub>\u03b1<\/jats:sub>-index was criticized by Leydesdorff, Bornmann, and Opthof (2019) . One of their most important points is that the index reinforces the Matthew effect in science. The Matthew effect was defined by Merton (1968) as follows: \u201cthe Matthew effect consists in the accruing of greater increments of recognition for particular scientific contributions to scientists of considerable repute and the withholding of such recognition from scientists who have not yet made their mark\u201d (p. 58). We follow up on the point about the Matthew effect in the current study by using a recently developed Stata command (h_index) and R package (hindex), which can be used to simulate h-index and h<jats:sub>\u03b1<\/jats:sub>-index applications in research evaluation. The user can investigate under which conditions h<jats:sub>\u03b1<\/jats:sub> reinforces the Matthew effect. The results of our study confirm what Leydesdorff et al. (2019) expected: The h<jats:sub>\u03b1<\/jats:sub>-index reinforces the Matthew effect. This effect can be intensified if strategic behavior of the publishing scientists and cumulative advantage effects are additionally considered in the simulation. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1162\/qss_a_00008","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,11]],"date-time":"2019-10-11T18:17:53Z","timestamp":1570817873000},"page":"331-346","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1162\/mitpressjournals.corrections.policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Does the <i>h<\/i><sub>\u03b1<\/sub>-index reinforce the Matthew effect in science? The introduction of agent-based simulations into scientometrics"],"prefix":"10.1162","volume":"1","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0810-7091","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Lutz","family":"Bornmann","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division for Science and Innovation Studies, Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society, Hofgartenstr. 8, 80539 Munich, Germany"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2790-7353","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Christian","family":"Ganser","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t Munich, Department of Sociology, Konradstr. 6, 80801 Munich, Germany"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8765-9331","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alexander","family":"Tekles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division for Science and Innovation Studies, Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society, Hofgartenstr. 8, 80539 Munich, Germany"},{"name":"Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t Munich, Department of Sociology, Konradstr. 6, 80801 Munich, Germany"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7835-3098","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Loet","family":"Leydesdorff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), PO Box 15793, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The Netherlands"}]}],"member":"281","reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"bib1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joi.2012.01.002","volume":"6","author":"Abbasi A.","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of Informetrics"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"867","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-016-2193-x","volume":"110","author":"Abramo G.","year":"2017","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"key":"bib3","volume-title":"Informationstechnik und Kommukiationsmanagement: Netzwerksimulation fuer die Wissenschafts- und Technikforschung","author":"Ahrweiler P.","year":"2001"},{"key":"bib4","first-page":"284","volume-title":"The Agent-Based Computational Economics Approach","author":"Ahrweiler P.","year":"2004"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"218","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1540-5885.2010.00793.x","volume":"28","author":"Ahrweiler P.","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Product Innovation Management"},{"issue":"5","key":"bib6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"615","DOI":"10.2307\/2095162","volume":"47","author":"Allison P. D.","year":"1982","journal-title":"American Sociological Review"},{"issue":"4","key":"bib7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"596","DOI":"10.2307\/2094424","volume":"39","author":"Allison P. D.","year":"1974","journal-title":"American Sociological Review"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"434","DOI":"10.1007\/s10961-018-9697-x","volume":"44","author":"Backs S.","year":"2019","journal-title":"The Journal of Technology Transfer"},{"key":"bib9","volume-title":"Linked: The New Science of Networks","author":"Barab\u00e1si A. L.","year":"2002"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"590","DOI":"10.1016\/S0378-4371(02)00736-7","volume":"311","author":"Barab\u00e1si A. L.","year":"2002","journal-title":"Physica a\u2014Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"361","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02458485","volume":"44","author":"Bonitz M.","year":"1999","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"issue":"4","key":"bib12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1007\/s11614-010-0076-6","volume":"35","author":"Bornmann L.","year":"2010","journal-title":"\u00d6sterreichische Zeitschrift f\u00fcr Soziologie"},{"issue":"6","key":"bib13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"659","DOI":"10.1080\/00036846.2017.1332753","volume":"50","author":"Bornmann L.","year":"2018","journal-title":"Applied Economics"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"419","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-019-03018-x","volume":"120","author":"Bornmann L.","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"346","DOI":"10.1016\/j.joi.2011.01.006","volume":"5","author":"Bornmann L.","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Informetrics"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1016\/0140-1750(91)90137-F","volume":"14","author":"Campbell D. T.","year":"1991","journal-title":"Journal of Social and Biological Structures"},{"key":"bib17","volume-title":"Social stratification in science","author":"Cole J. R.","year":"1973"},{"key":"bib18","volume-title":"Foundations of social theory","author":"Coleman J. S.","year":"1990"},{"key":"bib19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511779978","volume-title":"Cultural Evolution","author":"Distin K.","year":"2010"},{"issue":"4","key":"bib20","volume":"14","author":"Edmonds B.","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation"},{"key":"bib21","volume-title":"Social Simulation: Technologies, Advances and New Discoveries","author":"Edmonds B.","year":"2007"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib22","first-page":"14","volume":"20","author":"Egghe L.","year":"2006","journal-title":"The Scientist"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"131","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-006-0144-7","volume":"69","author":"Egghe L.","year":"2006","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"key":"bib24","volume-title":"Generative social science: Studies in agent-based computational modeling","author":"Epstein J. M.","year":"2006"},{"issue":"6","key":"bib25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1137","DOI":"10.1007\/s10955-017-1841-8","volume":"168","author":"Garavaglia A.","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of Statistical Physics"},{"key":"bib26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"451","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-psych-120709-145346","volume":"62","author":"Gigerenzer G.","year":"2011","journal-title":"Annual Review of Psychology"},{"key":"bib27","volume-title":"Simple heuristics that make us smart","author":"Gigerenzer G.","year":"1999"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib28","volume":"2","author":"Gilbert N.","year":"1997","journal-title":"Sociological Research Online"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1177\/016555159502100104","volume":"21","author":"Gl\u00e4nzel W.","year":"1995","journal-title":"Journal of Information Science"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"410","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.20973","volume":"60","author":"Guns R.","year":"2009","journal-title":"Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology"},{"key":"bib31","volume-title":"Computer-Assisted Theory Building: Modeling Dynamic Social Systems","author":"Hanneman R.","year":"1988"},{"key":"bib32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511488801","volume-title":"Dissecting the social: On the principles of analytical sociology","author":"Hedstr\u00f6m P.","year":"2005"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"281","DOI":"10.1177\/000169939603900302","volume":"39","author":"Hedstr\u00f6m P.","year":"1996","journal-title":"Acta Sociologica"},{"key":"bib34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"49","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.soc.012809.102632","volume":"36","author":"Hedstr\u00f6m P.","year":"2010","journal-title":"Annual Review of Sociology"},{"issue":"46","key":"bib35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16569","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.0507655102","volume":"102","author":"Hirsch J. E.","year":"2005","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"673","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-018-2994-1","volume":"118","author":"Hirsch J. E.","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1167","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-019-03019-w","volume":"118","author":"Hirsch J. E.","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"key":"bib38","volume-title":"Darwin\u2019s Conjecture: The Search for General Principles of Social and Economic Evolution","author":"Hodgson G.","year":"2011"},{"issue":"10","key":"bib39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1140\/epjb\/e2013-40207-0","volume":"86","author":"Ionescu G.","year":"2013","journal-title":"The European Physical Journal B"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"927","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-014-1241-7","volume":"99","author":"Ivanova I. A.","year":"2014","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"key":"bib41","volume-title":"MOREMATA: Stata module (Mata) to provide various functions, Statistical Software Components S455001","author":"Jann B.","year":"2005"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1287\/deca.1100.0191","volume":"8","author":"Katsikopoulos K. V.","year":"2011","journal-title":"Decision Analysis"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"379","DOI":"10.1007\/s10734-015-9910-x","volume":"71","author":"Kwiek M.","year":"2015","journal-title":"Higher Education"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib44","first-page":"U20","volume":"4","author":"Leydesdorff L.","year":"2001","journal-title":"Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2197","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-015-1630-6","volume":"105","author":"Leydesdorff L.","year":"2015","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"issue":"3","key":"bib46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1163","DOI":"10.1007\/s11192-019-03004-3","volume":"118","author":"Leydesdorff L.","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scientometrics"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"173","DOI":"10.1016\/S1061-7361(00)80004-1","volume":"21","author":"Leydesdorff L.","year":"1998","journal-title":"Journal of Social and Evolutionary Systems"},{"key":"bib48","first-page":"309","volume-title":"Computing Anticipatory Systems: CASYS'97","author":"Leydesdorff L.","year":"1998"},{"key":"bib49","volume-title":"Evolutionary Economics and Chaos Theory: New Directions in Technology Studies","author":"Leydesdorff L.","year":"1994"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib51","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.3724\/SP.J.1041.2010.00072","volume":"42","author":"Marewski J. N.","year":"2010","journal-title":"Acta Psychologica Sinica"},{"key":"bib52","first-page":"115","volume":"1","author":"Merton R. K.","year":"1942","journal-title":"Journal of Legal and Political Sociology"},{"issue":"3810","key":"bib53","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1126\/science.159.3810.56","volume":"159","author":"Merton R. K.","year":"1968","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"bib54","volume-title":"The sociology of science: Theoretical and empirical investigations","author":"Merton R. K.","year":"1973"},{"issue":"4","key":"bib55","first-page":"A224","volume":"12","author":"Meyer M.","year":"2009","journal-title":"Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation"},{"issue":"17","key":"bib56","volume":"365","author":"Moed H. F.","year":"2018","journal-title":"FEMS Microbiology Letters"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib57","volume":"64","author":"Newman M. E. J.","year":"2001","journal-title":"Physical Review E"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib58","volume":"64","author":"Newman M. E. J.","year":"2001","journal-title":"Physical Review E"},{"key":"bib59","first-page":"423","volume-title":"Proceedings of the Science and Technology Indicators Conference 2014 Leiden \u201cContext Counts: Pathways to Master Big and Little Data\u201d","author":"Perianes-Rodrigueza A.","year":"2014"},{"issue":"43","key":"bib60","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15316","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1323111111","volume":"111","author":"Petersen A. M.","year":"2014","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"},{"key":"bib61","volume-title":"Objective Knowledge: An Evolutionary Approach","author":"Popper K. R.","year":"1972"},{"issue":"5","key":"bib62","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"292","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.4630270505","volume":"27","author":"Price D. J. d. S.","year":"1976","journal-title":"Journal of the American Society for Information Science"},{"key":"bib63","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-23068-4","volume-title":"Models of Science Dynamics: Encounters Between Complexity Theory and Information Sciences","author":"Scharnhorst A.","year":"2012"},{"key":"bib64","volume-title":"Models of Man, Social and Rational","author":"Simon H. A.","year":"1957"},{"key":"bib65","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1162\/106454602753694765"},{"issue":"2","key":"bib67","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"406","DOI":"10.1002\/asi.21678","volume":"63","author":"Waltman L.","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology"},{"issue":"7","key":"bib68","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"828","DOI":"10.1016\/j.physleta.2015.12.022","volume":"380","author":"You Z.-Q.","year":"2016","journal-title":"Physics Letters A"},{"issue":"1","key":"bib69","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"21","DOI":"10.1140\/epjb\/e2015-60757-1","volume":"89","author":"\u017boga\u0142a-Siudem B.","year":"2016","journal-title":"The European Physical Journal B"}],"container-title":["Quantitative Science Studies"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mitpressjournals.org\/doi\/pdf\/10.1162\/qss_a_00008","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,12]],"date-time":"2021-03-12T21:30:16Z","timestamp":1615584616000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/qss\/article\/1\/1\/331-346\/15565"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]},"references-count":67,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1162\/qss_a_00008"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1162\/qss_a_00008","relation":{},"ISSN":["2641-3337"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2641-3337","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2019-05-27","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2019-09-28","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-02-20","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}