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Journal of library and information science in agriculture

   

Construction and Empirical Study of Journal Hotspot Index Based on Highly Cited Papers

GAI Yingzhao1,2, HUANG Qimeng1, WANG Ning1, ZHANG Ying3, ZHOU Qun1()   

  1. 1. Library of China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083
    2. Institute of Science and Technology Strategy Consulting, Beijing 100190
    3. International Office, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083
  • Received:2025-12-29 Online:2026-03-23
  • Contact: ZHOU Qun

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Abstract:

[Purpose/Significance] To promote the development of world-class scientific journals, it is necessary for journals to enhance their understanding of the evolving trends in scientific frontiers and research hotspots. Therefore, characterizing the participation and functional role of journals in research hotspots from the perspective of the journals themselves is of great significance for advancingg journal evaluation theory and promoting discipline development, and journal construction. Relatively little existing research has addressed the role of journals in forming research hotspots within disciplines. It is difficult to reveal the functional differences between journals in the formation and evolution of research hotspots. This study proposed a journal hotspot index evaluation and method based on highly cited papers, revealing the role and function of academic journals in research hotspots in the field, promoting the diversified evaluation of academic journals, and providing a new perspective and useful supplement to journal evaluation. [Methods/Process] Highly cited papers are often concentrated on research topics that have received high attention and continuous discussion in the academic community within a specific period. Their concentrated appearance usually corresponds to the formation of research hotspots or important theoretical progress. Based on the participation and citation of highly cited papers by journals, this study constructed two measurement indicators: the journal's hotspot leadership and hotspot absorption. Based on this, a quadrant diagram was established to classify and evaluate four different types of journal sets, revealing their distribution characteristics and patterns. This study used ESI agricultural science journals as an example to explore the correlation between the journal hotspot index and traditional journal metrics. [Results/Conclusions] The journal hotspot index demonstrates good discriminatory and identifiable characteristics, complementing existing journal evaluation metrics to some extent and identifying journals playing a key role in the development of research hotspots in the field. As a valuable supplement to the journal evaluation index system, the journal hotspot index offers a new analytical perspective on journal development and quality levels, facilitating a more comprehensive and accurate evaluation and positioning of journals, and providing a reference for the development and construction direction of journals in my country. However, the index system still has certain limitations, mainly in the time window for highly cited papers and its adaptability to different subject areas. Future research could expand into more subject areas to further verify the interdisciplinary applicability of this method. Furthermore, we will consider introducing more dynamic window mechanisms to enhance the index's adaptability to emerging disciplines and journals, thereby improving the universality and explanatory power of the journal hotspot index.

Key words: journal hotspot index, impact factor, journal evaluation, highly cited papers

CLC Number: 

  • G350

Fig.1

Quadrant for journal hotspot index evaluation"

Table 1

Descriptive statistics of journal indicators in the first quadrant"

指标 热点引领度 热点吸收度 影响因子 载文量/篇 篇均被引频次 JCI 特征因子
最大值 13.764 4.451 20.961 20 001 43.364 3.090 0.020
最小值 1.002 1.070 3.480 29 4.533 0.600 0.001
均值 3.155 1.808 7.999 2 822 19.948 1.476 0.004
标准差 2.828 0.722 3.564 3 798 9.852 0.478 0.005
离散系数 0.896 0.399 0.446 1.346 0.494 0.324 1.250

Table 2

Descriptive statistics of journal indicators in the second quadrant"

指标 热点引领度 热点吸收度 影响因子 载文量/篇 篇均被引频次 JCI 特征因子
最大值 0.944 2.500 6.317 10 700 21.594 2.050 0.089
最小值 0.000 1.017 1.138 18 1.222 0.270 0.000
均值 0.357 1.368 3.644 2 290 10.581 0.763 0.006
标准差 0.300 0.383 1.171 2 463 4.872 0.318 0.015
离散系数 0.840 0.280 0.321 1.076 0.460 0.417 2.500

Table 3

Descriptive statistics of journal indicators in the third quadrant"

指标 热点引领度 热点吸收度 影响因子 载文量/篇 篇均被引频次 JCI 特征因子
最大值 0.919 0.979 6.391 11 675 22.381 2.320 0.115
最小值 0.000 0.011 0.022 57 0.079 0.020 0.000
均值 0.123 0.405 1.822 1 071 6.071 0.499 0.003
标准差 0.210 0.236 1.226 1 350 4.192 0.351 0.009
离散系数 1.707 0.583 0.673 1.261 0.690 0.703 3.000

Table 4

Descriptive statistics of journal indicators in the fourth quadrant"

指标 热点引领度 热点吸收度 影响因子 载文量/篇 篇均被引频次 JCI 特征因子
最大值 12.871 0.990 9.323 22 449 57.176 2.400 0.018
最小值 1.007 0.275 2.560 193 5.666 0.370 0.000
均值 2.355 0.654 5.869 2 994 20.068 1.299 0.003
标准差 2.435 0.195 1.384 4 573 8.999 0.472 0.004
离散系数 1.034 0.298 0.236 1.527 0.448 0.363 1.333

Fig.2

Evaluation chart of hot spot index for journals in the field of agricultural science"

Table 5

Results of the hot topics index measurement for journals in the first quadrant"

期刊 热点引领度 热点吸收度 影响因子
Nature Food 6.268 2.194 20.961
Trends in Food Science & Technology 13.764 2.443 16.002
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety 11.328 1.768 15.786
Food Hydrocolloids 5.373 3.261 11.504
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 5.480 1.584 11.208
Current Opinion in Food Science 2.811 2.601 9.800
Food Chemistry 2.889 1.711 9.231
Global Food Security-Agriculture Policy Economics and Environment 5.255 1.497 9.027
Food Packaging and Shelf Life 2.505 4.451 8.749
Soil Biology & Biochemistry 5.015 1.261 8.546
Food Science and Human Wellness 2.865 1.427 8.022
Food Research International 1.937 1.904 7.425
Geoderma 1.971 1.179 7.422
Soil & Tillage Research 1.449 1.298 7.366
Annals of Agricultural Sciences 5.128 1.650 7.241
Innovative Food Science &Emerging Technologies 1.270 2.154 7.104
Meat Science 1.659 1.157 7.077
npj Science of Food 2.367 1.828 7.000
Postharvest Biology and Technology 1.409 1.079 6.751
Food Engineering Reviews 2.247 1.878 6.738
Food Control 1.425 1.146 6.652
Biology and Fertility of Soils 1.621 1.522 6.605
Soil 4.013 1.501 6.373
Food Quality and Preference 1.578 1.070 6.345
Current Research in Food Science 1.862 2.757 6.269
Journal of Food Engineering 1.392 1.321 6.203
Field Crops Research 1.783 1.079 6.145
Food Reviews International 1.539 1.913 6.043
Foods 1.011 2.279 5.561
Food Bioscience 1.002 2.474 5.318
Frontss in Sustainable Food Systems 1.058 1.290 5.005
Chemical and BiologicalTechnologies in Agriculture 2.448 1.316 4.839
European Journal of Soil Science 1.395 1.218 4.178
Efsa Journal 2.161 2.256 3.480

Table 6

Percentage of journals from major research countries in each quadrant"

国家 期刊总数/个 第一象限占比/% 第二象限占比/% 第三象限占比/% 第四象限占比/%
美国 80 17.65 36.59 20.48 25.00
英国 57 32.35 21.95 11.65 25.00
荷兰 30 26.47 14.63 3.61 18.75
德国 25 5.88 4.88 7.63 6.25
巴西 20 0.00 0.00 8.03 0.00
日本 15 0.00 0.00 6.02 0.00
法国 11 0.0 4.88 3.21 3.13
瑞士 10 5.88% 2.44 2.01 6.25
中国 10 5.88 2.44 0.80 15.63
意大利 9 2.94 0.00 3.21 0.00

Fig.3

Distribution of Chinese journals in each quadrant"

Table 7

Percentage of journals from major publishing institutions in each quadrant"

出版机构 期刊总数/个 第一象限占比/% 第二象限占比/% 第三象限占比/% 第四象限占比/%
Elsevier 48 58.82 21.95 4.02 28.13
Wiley 45 8.82 34.15 9.64 12.50
Springer 33 8.82 17.07 8.03 9.38
Taylor & Francis Group 33 5.88 7.32 10.84 3.13
Cambridge University Press 10 0.00 0.00 3.21 6.25
Oxford University Press 6 0.00 2.44 0.40 12.50
Czech Academy Agricultural Sciences 6 0.00 0.00 2.41 0.00
MDPI 5 2.94 2.44 0.80 3.13
Sage Publications 3 0.00 2.44 0.80 0.00
Amer Soc Horticultural Science 3 0.00 0.00 1.20 0.00

Fig.4

Heatmap showing the correlation between journal popularity index and traditional journal metrics"

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