Self-cited researchers in the USA: Top 2% scientists 2026
Live Directory analytics: the United States mean self_citation_pct is about 8.30% (rank 143 of 170). The USA-scoped author ranking opens with McGee, Robert W. (91.04%, 614 citations).
Which USA Top 2% scientists have the highest self-citation share?
Direct answer: ABS Nexora ranks researchers by the native field self_citation_pct (Stanford–Ioannidis self%). Scoped to country=usa for the 2026 single-year listing, the author ranking opens with McGee, Robert W. (Fayetteville State University; 91.04%; 614 total citations). That is a share of that author’s citations, not a claim that the United States is a high-self-citation system.
The United States country mean on rankings metric avg_self_citation_pct is about 8.30% across 73,459 listed scholars — rank 143 of 170 countries (one of the lowest large-system averages). China is about 9.80% (n=35,681); the United Kingdom is about 8.60% (n=18,269).
What the Directory is actually ranking
| Element | Native API field | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Per researcher | self_citation_pct | Stanford–Ioannidis self% for that author |
| Per country | avg_self_citation_pct | Mean of those percentages |
| World boards | /api/analytics/self-citation-leaderboards | Authors, countries, institutions (min country/institution cohort 5) |
| USA authors | /api/analytics/self-citation/authors?scope=country&entity=usa | Paginated USA ranking |
| Country sort | /api/analytics/rankings?metric=avg_self_citation_pct | 170 countries in this snapshot |
This is not “most self-citations in absolute counts.” A researcher with 200 citations and a 70% self-share can outrank a researcher with 20,000 citations and a 10% self-share.
Top of the USA self-citation author ranking
| Researcher | Institution | Field | self_citation_pct | Citations (all) | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGee, Robert W. | Fayetteville State University | Philosophy & Theology | 91.04% | 614 | 29,626 |
| Fard, Masoud Yekani | Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering | Engineering | 82.47% | 251 | 164,618 |
| Saetti, Umberto | University of Maryland, College Park | Engineering | 77.72% | 193 | 144,938 |
| Huang, Tsungwei | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Information & Communication Technologies | 73.43% | 670 | 41,607 |
| Korchevskiy, Andrey A. | Inc | Biomedical Research | 73.12% | 186 | 296,654 |
| Porter, Frederick Scott | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center | Physics & Astronomy | 72.57% | 627 | 628,619 |
| Kalensky, Matthew T. | Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division | Enabling & Strategic Technologies | 72.55% | 153 | 256,241 |
| Chattopadhyay, Tanmoy | Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology | Enabling & Strategic Technologies | 72.08% | 154 | 604,819 |
| Eckart, Megan E. | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | Physics & Astronomy | 71.61% | 877 | 460,963 |
| Mochalov, Leonid Alexandrovich | The University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Physics & Astronomy | 70.74% | 188 | 601,218 |
Small-n caveat: several names near the top have under 300 total citations (Fard 251, Saetti 193, Korchevskiy 186, Kalensky 153). Percentages swing hard on small denominators. Always read citations (all) and global rank next to self_citation_pct.
Higher-citation USA names still high on self-citation %
Filtering the same USA pull to researchers with ≥500 total_citations_all:
| Researcher | Field | self_citation_pct | Citations (all) | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGee, Robert W. | Philosophy & Theology | 91.04% | 614 | 29,626 |
| Huang, Tsungwei | Information & Communication Technologies | 73.43% | 670 | 41,607 |
| Porter, Frederick Scott | Physics & Astronomy | 72.57% | 627 | 628,619 |
| Eckart, Megan E. | Physics & Astronomy | 71.61% | 877 | 460,963 |
| Spong, Donald A. | Physics & Astronomy | 65.75% | 873 | 95,027 |
| Livadiotis, George P. | Physics & Astronomy | 65.37% | 979 | 8,922 |
| Api, Anne Marie | Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry | 63.29% | 2,340 | 18,318 |
| Liu, Y. Q. | Physics & Astronomy | 63.19% | 1,478 | 58,068 |
Livadiotis, George P. (Princeton University in the author payload; Physics & Astronomy) is a useful mid-rank example: 65.37% self-citation share, 979 citations, global rank 8,922. Api, Anne Marie has the highest citation count in this high-self slice (2,340 cites; 63.29%).
The United States is large and, on average, low-self-cite
Stat sentence: Among 170 countries ranked by avg_self_citation_pct, the United States is #143 at about 8.30%, with the largest Top 2% cohort (73,459). High individual USA percentages exist in the tail; they do not lift the national mean above China (9.80%) or the UK (8.60%).
World country boards (minimum cohort 5) are led by much smaller systems — Uzbekistan (31.71%, n=38), Ukraine (27.47%, n=136). Those boards answer a different question than “self-citation in the United States.”
How to use this metric responsibly
- Prefer the profile over a screenshot of one percentage.
- Compare all-citations vs excluding-self (
ns) ranks on the same scholar page. - Do not treat a high
self_citation_pctas proof of misconduct; field norms and collaboration patterns differ. - For named universities and field mix, use USA top universities and USA field strengths.
- When you cite a paper, the Journal Quality Report is the journal-side companion.
USA cluster and related Directory pages
- USA Top 2% universities 2026
- USA top researchers 2026
- USA self-cited scientists 2026 (this page)
- USA field strengths 2026
- Find, verify, and cite a USA Top 2% scientist
- United States Top 2% directory 2026 (hub)
- Journal Quality Report on ABS Nexora
- Directory home
- Directory search
- United States country analytics
- Analytics workspace
FAQ
Who is the most self-cited USA Top 2% scientist in this snapshot? On self_citation_pct, McGee, Robert W. leads the USA-scoped author ranking at 91.04% (614 citations).
Is the United States a high self-citation country? No. The USA mean is about 8.30%, rank 143 of 170 — low for a large system.
Why do some USA names show 70–90% self-citation? The ranking is a percentage. Small citation totals produce large percentages. Read the citation column.
What API field should I quote? Quote self_citation_pct for a person and avg_self_citation_pct for the United States. Do not relabel them as “self-citation count.”
Does a high percentage mean the scholar is not influential? Not by itself. Check rank_all, rank_ns, field, and the full profile — e.g. Livadiotis, George P..
Where can I reproduce the USA list? /api/analytics/self-citation/authors?scope=country&entity=usa&listing=single_year and the USA country page analytics views.
How do I cite a USA Top 2% scientist after checking self-citation? Follow how to find, verify, and cite: name, listing (single-year vs career), year, rank, and the live scholar URL.