The h index has been comprehensively developed and diffusely applied following its initial proposal in 2005 by Jorge Hirsch. However, while the numbers of papers and authors measured continue to grow, it is not known whether such increases in quantity mean that the research itself is advancing. Accordingly, the present study sets out to establish an analysis method, based on the concept of entropy, with which to elucidate the evolution of the h index. The results suggest that there are four stages, as follows: the emerging stage, the preliminary growth stage, the real growth stage, and the maturity stage. Meanwhile, the research of the h index is found to be in flux, and it is concluded that further development of the metric will require profound theoretical achievements as well as embedded innovation, or else the evolution of the h index will decline following a shortened maturity stage.

中文翻译：

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一种基于熵的 h 指数研究演化度量

h 指数在 Jorge Hirsch 于 2005 年首次提出之后得到了全面发展和广泛应用。然而，虽然论文数量和作者数量持续增长，但尚不清楚数量的增加是否意味着研究本身正在取得进展。因此，本研究着手建立一种基于熵概念的分析方法，以阐明 h 指数的演变。结果表明有四个阶段，分别是：萌芽阶段、初步成长期、真正成长期和成熟阶段。同时，发现h指数的研究不断变化，得出的结论是，该指标的进一步发展需要深刻的理论成果和嵌入式创新，