Self-citations and citations of unpublished manuscripts uploaded to research sites such as ReserchGate may increase the citation count of a researcher's publications, but they will not necessarily increase their h-index level if those citations do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the h-index calculation. For example, self-citations are typically excluded from h-index calculations, and citations of unpublished manuscripts may not be counted if the manuscript has not been peer-reviewed or published in a reputable venue.