Abstract:

Earth Science Frontiers is a top-ranked Earth science journal in China. In this article, we performed bibliometric analysis to evaluate the journal's development over the past decade (2014-2023), using data from five well-known domestic and international databases: Incopat, F5000, CSCD, SCIE and Scopus. First, we performed citation, keyword co-occurrence, co-citation, and co-authorship analyses, focusing on the publication numbers, paper quality, core authors and research groups, and topics. Earth Science Frontiers ranked among top Chinese geological journals in terms of publication numbers, with steady growth over the past decade, but there is still room for improvement compared to top-ranking international journals. It ranked fifth in F5000 paper quality and fourth in impact factor rankings. To aid the editorial office in manuscript selection in the future a co-authorship network was constructed. Using cluster analysis “hot topics” categories were identified, which included mineral resource development and utilization, oil and gas accumulation laws, environmental pollution and climate change, and geological hazards and tectonic plates; while emerging topics (such as livable environments and climate change) were more likely the topic of special issues. Next, we evaluated the journal's influence in the areas of scientific and technological innovation, development of academic disciplines, and academic representation. Notably, Earth Science Frontiers was the only Chinese geological journal to publish world-leading paleontology researches that made the Year-End Top Ten Advances in Chinese Paleontology list (2020). In another example, a publication of an innovative research entitled “Natural mineral photoelectric effect: non-classical mineral photosynthesis” (2020) had since generated three patents and influenced five. Earth Science Frontier played an active role in bridging basic and applied geoscience researches. In the past decade it had doubled its publications related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, the special issue “Demand and Challenges of Urban Underground Space Development and Utilization in China” (2019) had generated broader impact extending to the field of engineering technology, far surpassing other publications on the same topic. According to big data analysis, the main contributing factors to the high journal influence included maintaining close contact with leading research groups as source of high-quality manuscripts, fully utilizing the editorial board's initiative in selecting topics, and conducting extensive international promotion and precise content dissemination. In future, big data should aid the editorial office with intelligent decision-making, so as to further enhance journal influence and its role in developing Earth science disciplines, providing a platform for research publication and knowledge dissemination, promoting innovation and breakthroughs in the field of geology, as well as in supporting national development strategies.

Key words: Earth Science Frontiers, scientific journal, bibliometric analysis, journal influence assessment