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Citation Guide - Original Contribution Criterion for O-1 / EB-1A / EB-2 NIW

Updated: Author: Alina Kanametova

Guide Guides 8 pages Anonymized

Guidance on the original-contribution criterion for O-1, EB-1A and EB-2 NIW: how citation metrics (other authors citing your work) help evidence the...

O-1 EB-1A EB-2 NIW Original contribution

About this document

A guide on how to search publication citations and present them for O-1, EB-1A, and EB-2 NIW filings. It explains how citation levels vary by field, names three research databases for citation reports, and lists ways to argue low citation counts with averages, journal quality, rankings, and downloads. It also gives short approval examples tied to RFE responses.

Key points

  • Citations are presented as objective evidence of impact for O-1 petitioners' peer-reviewed work.
  • The guide says citation expectations differ by field, with life sciences often having higher citation rates than electronics.
  • Google Scholar is described as a free way to search scholarly literature across articles, theses, books, abstracts, and court opinions.
  • Scopus is described as a paid database with millions of records and author tools such as h-index, articles, and citations.
  • Web of Knowledge is described as a citation platform with cited-reference search, analysis tools, and Journal Citation Reports.
  • One strategy is to compare the applicant's citation count with the average citation rate in the relevant field.
  • Another strategy is to rely on high Impact Factor journals to support impact when the publication is new and has few citations.
  • The guide also says download counts can help show impact when there are not many independent citations.

What is inside

  1. 1. Relation between citations and field
  2. 2. Search citation reports
  3. 3. Strategies for low citation count
  4. Field-based comparison examples
  5. Impact factors, rankings, downloads

When it helps

A reference sheet for the original contribution / citation evidence part of an O-1, EB-1A, or NIW filing. It shows how to frame citation metrics, database searches, and journal-quality evidence when arguing impact despite low citation counts.

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Source: Community (anonymized). The material opens on the site. Reference material, not legal advice.

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