The Importance of Citations

The Importance of Citations

The AAO found that an impressive citation history could be used as evidence of impact on the field:

When judging the influence and impact that the petitioner’s work has had, the very act of publication is not as reliable a gauge as is the citation history of the published works. Publication alone may serve as evidence of originality, but it is difficult to conclude that a published article is important or influential if there is little evidence that other researchers have relied upon the petitioner’s findings. Frequent citation by independent researchers, on the other hand, would demonstrate more widespread interest in, and reliance on, the petitioner’s work.

In every unsuccessful appeal reviewed for this article, the AAO noted the insufficient number of citations to the petitioner’s work. The AAO, however, did not indicate how many citations would be adequate to demonstrate a measurable impact in the field. In the successful appeal by the organic chemistry research scientist, the exact number of citations to the petitioner’s work was not given. However, the AAO found that the petitioner had demonstrated the petitioner’s influence:

[T]he record contains evidence that the petitioner has been listed as the first author of other articles that show a consistent pattern of recognition in the research community through moderate citation.

Although the AAO found that “moderate citation” was sufficient in demonstrating the influence of the organic chemistry research scientist’s work, the AAO found that eight citations were insufficient to demonstrate measurable influence in the unsuccessful appeal by the Ph.D. candidate and research assistant in agricultural engineering. The following quote reveals the importance the AAO the places on citations:

Numerous independent citations would provide firm evidence that other researchers have been influenced by the petitioner’s work. Their citation of the petitioner’s work demonstrates their familiarity with it. If, on the other hand, there are few or no citations of an alien’s work, suggesting that that work has gone largely unnoticed by the larger research community, then it is reasonable to question how widely that alien’s work is viewed as being noteworthy. It is also reasonable to question how much impact--and national benefit--a researcher’s work would have if that research does not influence the direction of future research