Chinese scientific journals gain global influence, reports annual Blue Book

Recently the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) announced the release of the Blue Book on China's Scientific Journal Development 2024 (Hereinafter referred to as the “Blue Book”), shedding light on the rising prominence of Chinese scientific journals on the global stage.

Cover of Blue Book on China's Scientific Journal Development 2024

Photo credit: Chinanews.com

The Blue Book indicates a steady increase in both the total citation frequency and impact factor of these journals from 2013 to 2022, with an average annual growth rate of 4% and 8%, respectively.

This upward trend has been particularly notable since the launch of the Action Plan for Excellent STM Journals in 2019, which has significantly bolstered the overall quality of scientific publications in China.

The Blue Book reveals a numerical increase in the total count of STM journals in China, rising from 5,163 in 2022 to 5,211 in 2023. The majority of the new additions, a total of 48, are English-language scientific journals.

Statistics highlight a significant surge in the academic influence index of these English journals. In comparison to 2021, the total citation frequency per journal in 2022 reached 617.34, marking a 10.37% increase, while the impact factor per journal climbed to 0.717, representing a 15.83% increase.

This growing academic clout has led to an increasing number of Chinese English-language scientific journals being recognized and included in prestigious international databases.

Source: People's Daily