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Current Affairs

China proposes a new way to measure academic influence in a departure from impact factor

Chinese researchers have introduced a new methodology for evaluating medical and life science journals worldwide that does not rely on the “impact factor” traditionally used…

By Samantha Johnson / March 29, 2026
Chinese researchers have introduced a new methodology for evaluating medical and life science journals worldwide that does not rely on the “impact factor” traditionally used in the academic world.

Experts view this as part of China’s broader efforts to strengthen its “academic discourse power”.

Two new Dongbi Index journal lists, covering 4,027 medical and 3,064 life-science journals selected from more than 40,000 worldwide, were unveiled in Shanghai on March 21. They were developed by the Shenzhen-based data technology firm, Dongbi Data, in collaboration with the Institute of Medical Information & Library, an affiliate of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

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The rankings and underlying data analyses mapped China’s academic output across both fields, showing that Chinese researchers contributed nearly one-third of all global academic papers in the life sciences.

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Wu Dengsheng, founder of Dongbi Data and a professor at Shenzhen University’s college of management, said the team had built “a multidimensional, multilevel evaluation system centred on research quality”.

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