Academia as a d-index measuring contest

Social scientists are trapped by quantification: deans can't read but they can count, so researchers are judged by metrics like the h-index and Impact Factor. Kevin Munger critiques the new D-index from Research.com, arguing it's just another flawed metric, and introduces his own alternative: the k-index. Designed to reward diverse contributions—solo work, methods citations, recent activity—it aims to counter the gaming of existing metrics. Built on open data from OpenAlex, the k-index covers over 36,000 political scientists, and Munger also highlights the cost of for-profit publishing, noting his journal has saved $400,000 in fees.