A Study on Bibliometrics and the Scientific Achievement Communication Model of University Journals: A Case Study of the Journal of Xi'an University of Science and Technology

Journal Center of Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710054

Abstract

[Objective] University journals serve as primary platforms for scientific research development and achievement dissemination. This paper aims to investigate the communication patterns of scientific journals by analyzing bibliometric data from university journals. [Method] Grounded in the theoretical framework of bibliometrics and using the Journal of Xi'an University of Science and Technology as a case study, this research employs Lotka's Law and Price's Law from bibliometrics to analyze journal literature indicators and study the development models of scientific journals. [Results] The study identifies that accurately positioning distinctive columns forms the foundation for scientific journal development, strengthening topic planning represents the key to growth, organizing high-quality special issue manuscripts constitutes the core, and multi-media integrated publishing serves as an essential condition. [Conclusion] The findings demonstrate that utilizing bibliometric indicators to analyze journal communication methods and proposing a scientific achievement communication model for university journals can provide valuable references for the development of university journals and offer insights for other types of scientific journals.

Keywords: communication model; distinctive column; Lotka's Law; Price's Law; bibliometrics
Classification Codes: G237.5; G232
Document Code: A
Article ID: 1671-0134(2025)04-38-04
DOI: 10.19483/j.cnki.11-4653/n.2025.04.007
Citation Format: Li Keyong. A Study on Bibliometrics and the Scientific Achievement Communication Model of University Journals: A Case Study of the Journal of Xi'an University of Science and Technology [J]. China Media Technology, 2025, 32(4): 38-41.

University journals, as scientific periodicals sponsored by universities, have become an important driving force in accelerating scientific research development and achievement dissemination. In recent years, with the development of domestic scientific journals, university journals have exhibited characteristics including multiple disciplinary categories, relatively low academic quality of achievements, narrow audience scope, insufficient funding and personnel, unclear professional features, and lack of high-quality manuscript sources. Although different experts have proposed various operational models for university journals from different perspectives and discussed development models from multiple angles [1], university journals still cannot break free from the influence of traditional operational models during their development, and most journal development research lacks feasibility demonstration.

The Journal of Xi'an University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as the Journal) is a scientific periodical featuring distinctive columns in safety science and engineering, mining engineering, geological resources and geological engineering, among other specialties. Using the Journal as a case study, this paper employs Lotka's Law and Price's Law from bibliometrics, combined with editorial practice, to analyze the Journal's bibliometric data and achievement dissemination, summarizing patterns of journal achievement dissemination and development models for university journals.

1.1 Application of Lotka's Law

Lotka's Law analyzes the relationship between the number of authors and the number of papers, proposing that the number of authors who have published 2 papers equals one-quarter of those who have published 1 paper, and that the number of authors who have published N papers equals 1/n² of those who have published 1 paper. According to this theory, authors who have published only 1 paper account for approximately 60% of all authors. Applying this theory to analyze the Journal's publication output from 2017 to 2021, the total number of articles published over these five years was 760, with authors who wrote only 1 paper comprising 56.84% of the total—approximately 60%—which conforms to Lotka's Law. Based on this law, by counting the number of authors who have published 1 paper [TABLE:1] in a particular specialty or discipline, we can calculate the number of authors who have published 2, 3, 4, 5, ..., n papers, enabling journal editors to formulate publication plans, develop manuscript solicitation strategies, and set target authors for commissioned work in a focused manner.

1.3 Application of Zipf's Law

Zipf's Law posits that a quantitative relationship exists between the frequency (f) of words in an article and their ranking (r), proposing that any article contains n keywords. When these keywords are sorted in descending order of frequency, the product of rank r and frequency f approximates a constant, i.e., fr = C (where r = 1, 2, 3, ...). Simon constructed a probability model suggesting that the more frequently a word is used in literature, the greater the likelihood of its reuse—a model closely approximating Zipf's Law. Based on these laws, this study analyzed the quantitative relationship between keyword frequency (f) and ranking (r) in two articles published in the Journal of Xi'an University of Science and Technology.

In the article "Characteristics and Favorable Interval Optimization of Tight Sandstone Reservoirs in the Benxi Formation, Central-Eastern Ordos Basin," the word "reservoir" (rank r = 1) appeared 135 times, giving fr = 135; "Benxi Formation" (r = 2) appeared 71 times, fr = 142; "pore" (r = 3) appeared 48 times, fr = 144; "tight sandstone" (r = 4) appeared 34 times, fr = 136; and "Ordos Basin" (r = 4) appeared 28 times, fr = 140. From these five words, the fr values range from 135 to 144, with an average fr = 139, demonstrating a certain regularity in word frequency distribution (Table 1, Figure 3 [FIGURE:3]).

Similarly, in the article "Simulation Study on Creep Characteristics of Large Ancient Loess Landslides," the term "numerical simulation" (r = 1) appeared 35 times, fr = 35; "ancient loess landslide" (r = 2) appeared 19 times, fr = 38; "creep effect" (r = 3) appeared 13 times, fr = 39; "long-term stability" (r = 4) appeared 9 times, fr = 36; and "field monitoring" (r = 5) appeared 7 times, fr = 35. For these five words, the fr values range from 35 to 39, with an average fr = 36, also showing regular distribution patterns (Table 2 [TABLE:2], Figure 4 [FIGURE:4]).

1.4 Application of Garfield's Law

Garfield's Law proposes that the tail of literature in one discipline is composed of the core literature from other disciplines, thereby reflecting the degree of interdisciplinary cross-pollination in scientific journal publications. Paper cross-citation is substantial, with a relatively small number of journals concentrating the majority of citations.

Taking 2021 as an example, we calculated the Journal's impact factor: n = total number of citations in 2021 to all papers published by the Journal in 2019 and 2020; Y = total number of papers published by the Journal in 2019 and 2020; IF₂₀₂₁ = n(2019, 2020) / Y(2019, 2020). The Journal's comprehensive annual index, comprehensive impact factor, comprehensive non-self-citation impact factor, and comprehensive 5-year impact factor for 2021 were 0.259, 1.246, 0.901, and 1.019, respectively (Table 3 [TABLE:3]).

2.1 Condensing Publication Characteristics and Creating Distinctive Columns

University journals generally have unique publication purposes and operational models, yet all are influenced by their sponsoring universities' educational characteristics. Whatever advantageous disciplines the university possesses, the university journal will have corresponding distinctive columns. Consequently, university-sponsored scientific journals exhibit a "patchwork" operational characteristic featuring "multiple column settings, comprehensive disciplinary coverage, and encompassing the university's full range of disciplines" [2]. University journals enjoy natural advantages in disciplines, achievement resources, and team strengths [3], which can be leveraged to cultivate high-level author groups, expand academic resources, and enhance journal recognition. University journals can commission manuscripts from experts and scholars in the university's advantageous specialties, create distinctive columns, condense publication characteristics, and pursue a specialized operational path [4-5]. Through the distinctive expert advantages and unique resources of their universities, university journals possess innate conditions for developing distinctive columns and maintaining stable author groups, facilitating the establishment of special columns [6-8].

For instance, based on the university's advantageous disciplines and the Journal's publication record, the Journal has established distinctive columns such as "Coal Mine Safety Management and Mining Theory," "Distribution Patterns and Mining Technology for Steeply Inclined Coal Seams," "Green Mines and Dual-Carbon Technology," "Geological Resource Distribution and Exploration-Development Technology," and "Intelligent Mines and Intelligent Robots," accounting for 52.63% of total publications. These published achievements have addressed critical production-constraining research problems, disseminated academic results, enhanced the Journal's specialized operational capabilities, and improved its influence.

2.2 Strengthening Topic Planning and Organizing Special Issue Manuscripts

Scientific journal editors collect and research academic information closely related to their journals, monitor disciplinary development frontiers and hotspots, actively maintain close contact with leading experts and scholars in fields related to the journal's distinctive columns, understand research progress and latest achievements, plan topic content, adjust the direction of distinctive columns and commissioned manuscripts, and promptly organize special issue manuscripts to disseminate academic achievements. This approach enables journals to serve disciplinary construction and allows disciplinary achievements to use journals as communication media, fully leveraging the function of scientific journals as information exchange and dissemination platforms. By planning special features, journals can strengthen topic planning and ensure acquisition of high-quality manuscripts [9]. Regarding distinctive columns, scientific journals should conduct thorough discussion and demonstration during column establishment and topic planning, fully utilize editorial board functions, solicit opinions and suggestions from industry experts and editorial peers, and develop appropriate topic planning strategies to organize special issue manuscripts [10-11].

For example, the Journal planned a special feature on "Intelligent Coal Mine Robots," organizing 10 special issue manuscripts. Among them, the article "Key Technology Research on Intelligent Roadway Excavation Robot Systems in Coal Mines" has been cited 50 times and downloaded 1,150 times, earning recognition as a high-impact paper, a "three highs" paper, and a high PCSI paper in the Academic Essentials Database, achieving significant impact and effective dissemination in a short period.

2.4 Media Convergence Publishing and Enhanced Achievement Dissemination

Scientific journals serve as primary venues for knowledge dissemination and academic exchange, aggregating substantial research achievements. With increasing numbers of published papers, they have effectively promoted academic achievement dissemination [12]. The emergence of media convergence publishing in recent years has both challenged traditional media and significantly facilitated the dissemination of scientific journal papers [13-15]. For instance, the Journal has intensified website content development, enhanced manuscript submission and review system functionalities, added mobile HTML reading capabilities, and provided full-text downloads of published articles. Using WeChat groups, the Journal has created an official WeChat account for scientific achievement dissemination, promptly releasing information about distinctive columns, special topics, key manuscripts, published articles, and editorial activities through the WeChat account and groups, enabling readers to access relevant Journal information instantly via mobile clients. Through the OSID platform, the Journal provides extended functions for research achievements, including audio introductions to papers, interactive Q&A between authors and readers, author academic circles, and open scientific data, which facilitates the dissemination of university journal scientific achievements. Utilizing the Founder Publishing Cloud Platform, the Journal has achieved XML intelligent production and dissemination, generating print and online PDF files, enabling XML full-text reading, providing multimedia storage and online playback capabilities for images and videos, and implementing one-click forwarding and dissemination to relevant media, thereby establishing an effective communication model suitable for scientific achievements in university journals.

Although university journals exhibit weaker focus on specialized achievements compared to professional scientific journals during development, they possess high-quality academic resources from their universities. Editorial departments of university journals should fully leverage their advantages, utilize bibliometrics and related methods to analyze journal evaluation indicators and publication records, strengthen the construction of distinctive columns, enhance editors' topic planning capabilities, commission higher-quality special issue manuscripts that facilitate achievement dissemination, intensify media convergence publishing, and establish effective communication models for scientific achievements in university journals.

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Author Biography: Li Keyong (1970—), male, from Junan, Shandong, Ph.D., Associate Editor, Master's Supervisor, Executive Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Xi'an University of Science and Technology. Research interests focus on editorial theory and practice.

(Responsible Editor: Li Yansong)