Does USCIS Count Self-Citations? Independent Citations for EB-1 Explained

Independent vs. Dependent Citations for EB-1:

The Ultimate 2026 Guide

The Critical Distinction: Independent vs. Dependent Citations

In the world of academia, a citation is simply a reference. However, in the high-stakes environment of U.S. immigration—specifically for EB-1A (Extraordinary Ability) and EB-1B (Outstanding Professors and Researchers) petitions—not all citations are created equal.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has evolved a sophisticated standard for evaluating a researcher's influence (read USCIS Policy Manual for Extraordinary Ability). They no longer look at just the "raw count" (the total number of citations). Instead, they apply a qualitative filter to determine if your work has truly influenced the field at large or if it has merely been circulated among your professional acquaintances.

This filter relies on the distinction between Dependent and Independent citations.e

1. Dependent Citations: The "Inner Circle"

Dependent citations are references to your work made by authors who have a direct, existing connection to you. USCIS generally views these as "internal" validations. While they are not "bad"—and they certainly contribute to your overall citation count—they carry significantly less evidentiary weight.

Who counts as a "Dependent" citer?

• Yourself (Self-Citations): When you cite your own previous papers in a new publication.

• Co-Authors: Anyone who has listed you as a co-author on any paper, past or present.

• Advisors and Mentees: Your thesis supervisors, Ph.D. advisors, or students you are currently supervising.

• Close Colleagues: Researchers in your immediate department or lab group who collaborate with you frequently.

The USCIS Perspective: Adjudicators view dependent citations with skepticism because they lack objectivity. If your former thesis advisor cites your work, it is expected; they are intimately familiar with your research and have a vested interest in your success. Therefore, dependent citations are often seen as a reflection of your personal network rather than your national or international acclaim.

2. Independent Citations: The "Gold Standard"

Independent citations are references to your work by researchers who have no personal or professional relationship with you. These authors have likely never met you, never collaborated with you, and do not work at your institution. They found your work solely through the merit of its publication and used it to advance their own research.

Who counts as an "Independent" citer?

• Researchers at other institutions: A scientist at Oxford University citing your work while you are at MIT.

• Researchers in other countries: A citation from a laboratory in Japan or Germany when you are based in the U.S.

• Strangers in your field: Authors you have never met, spoken to, or emailed.

The USCIS Perspective: For an EB-1 petition, independent citations are the ultimate proof of "Original Contributions of Major Significance." They demonstrate that your influence has crossed institutional and geographic borders. When a researcher in a different country, whom you have never met, cites your findings to solve a problem in their own lab, it proves that your work is driving the field forward independently of your personal presence. This is exactly the definition of "sustained national or international acclaim."

How Self-Citation Can Negatively Impact Your Application

One of the most common pitfalls in EB-1 petitions is "citation inflation" through excessive self-citation. While citing your own relevant past work is standard academic practice, USCIS officers are trained to spot when this is used to manipulate data.

1. The "Inflation" Red Flag

If you have 200 total citations, but 50 of them are self-citations, your "effective" impact is significantly lower in the eyes of the officer. An adjudicator may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) during your EB-1 petition, demanding that you recalculate your citation count, excluding all self-citations. If the remaining number is low, your case for "extraordinary ability" creates a vacuum.

2. The "Provincial" Argument

High rates of self-citation (or citations by your own lab group) allow USCIS to argue that your work is "provincial"—meaning it is only relevant to you and your immediate collaborators, not the field as a whole.

3. The Calculation Risk

Immigration officers often use tools like Web of Science or Scopus, which have built-in filters to "exclude self-citations." Please make sure to check your citation counts on different platforms, as their citation indexing times are significantly different. If your petition claims 500 citations but the officer's search reveals only 300 independent ones, you lose credibility. It is far better to be transparent from the start.

An Example for Your EB-1 Petition:

A strong EB-1 petition often includes a "Citation Analysis Report" where you proactively filter your data. You might say:

"Dr. [Your Name Here] has a total of 500 citations. Notably, 450 of these are independent citations from researchers at leading institutions such as Harvard, NASA, and CERN, demonstrating broad international reliance on their work."

This approach turns a potential weakness into a verified strength.

Summary and how CitePal can help your EB-1 petition

Ultimately, securing approval for your EB-1 self petition requires more than just a high total citation count; it requires proof of genuine international influence. USCIS officers are trained to look past the surface, and nothing undermines a claim of "extraordinary ability" faster than a record inflated by excessive self-citation.

To build a bulletproof case, you must proactively audit your own research impact. We recommend looking at a specific self-citation example—such as a paper cited primarily by your own co-authors—to understand what an officer might discount. Before you submit, use a reliable self-citation calculator or a manual self-citation checker to filter out these internal references.

By presenting a transparent, high-quality record that accurately reflects self-citation EB-1 standards, you shift the focus to your strongest asset: your independent, global acclaim.

CitePal can efficiently help you with your EB-1 petition by providing quick, organic, independent citations and a professional “citation analysis report” to assess the self-citation status that you will need during your application. You can browse our services that help boost the citation count of scientific publications here.