Analysis of the citations and core authors of the articles published in the Chinese Journal of Hypertension over the past 30 years since its inception

Objective To analyze the citation status of articles published in the Chinese Journal of Hypertension（the Journal） from 1993 to 2022, in order to explore the overall academic quality of the journal, determine core authors, and improve the academic level of the journal. Methods All literature information published in the Journal from 1993 to 2022 were retrieved through the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database（CNKI）. The citation information of the literature being cited from 1993 to 2022 were obtained through the CNKI on July 5, 2023. Statistical analysis was conducted on the citation status of articles published in the Journal using bibliometric methods. The main indicators included annual citation rate, average citation frequency per article, author citation status, region of cited authors, and distribution of high-yield institutions. The objective laws of the development of the Journal, the impact in the field of hypertension, as well as the quality of published papers and the laws of literature dissemination and utilization were summarized. Price’s law and comprehensive index were used to determine the core author. Results A total of 9 730 articles had been published in the Journal over the past 30 years, of which 6 306 were cited, accounting for 64.8%. The total citation frequency was 79 172 times, with an average of 8.14 citations per article. There were 17 articles with a citation frequency greater than 200 times, mainly focusing on guidelines within the field（9 articles, accounting for 52.94%）. "The Chinese Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension 2010" had the highest total citation frequency, with 7 734 citations. The total citation frequencies of articles written by the top 10 authors in first author?s citation ranking were all above 400 times, and these authors came from hospitals, research institutions, and medical colleges. The region with the highest number of published articles, total citation frequency, and average citation frequency was Beijing. The author?s affiliation with the highest total citation frequency was the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University; the affiliation with the highest citation frequency per article was the National Center for Cardiovascular Disease. After calculating the average number of publications and citations of core author candidates, 29 core authors were ultimately determined. Conclusions The articles and authors published in the journal have a high academic influence, but there is still possibility for optimization in management. Development strategies need to be planned to further enhance the academic status and technological influence of the journal.