The Impact of Chinese Medicine Research Outputs
Chinese Medicine research demonstrates remarkable interdisciplinary characteristics and substantial impact across academic and societal domains.
The analysis highlights Chinese Medicine research’s success in bridging traditional knowledge with modern scientific approaches while maintaining relevance across academic, clinical, and social spheres.
The field exhibits strong interdisciplinary diversity, particularly evident in the subject area distribution of its research output.
Medicine dominates the research output with a 61.9% share, primarily driven by Complementary and Alternative Medicine (35.4%). This is complemented by significant contributions from Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology (33.1%) and Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmaceutics (28.1%).
ASJC field (top 5) and sub-field (top 3 for each field) distribution for publications in the field of Chinese Medicine, 2014–2023
The field’s interdisciplinary nature is further validated by above-average disciplinary diversity scores, with 11.4% of publications ranking in the top 10% for disciplinary diversity of references (DDR) and 10.6% in the top 10% for disciplinary diversity of authors (DDA), exceeding the broader Medicine field averages.
Share of output with top 10% DDR/DDA score in the field of Chinese Medicine, 2014–2023
The impact of Chinese Medicine research extends well beyond its immediate field, demonstrating substantial influence across various scientific domains.
Citation analysis reveals that Chinese Medicine research is widely referenced across multiple disciplines, with Medicine (46.8%) and Biochemistry, Genetics, and Molecular Biology (32.5%) showing the highest citation rates.
For most disciplines, the FWCI of citing publications surpasses that of the Chinese Medicine field, suggesting that Chinese Medicine research is not only being cited but is also making meaningful contributions to advancing knowledge in these areas.
Subject distribution of publications that have cited the research output of Chinese Medicine, self-citation excluded, 2014–2023
The societal impact of Chinese Medicine research is equally impressive, with significant engagement across various platforms and sectors.
The research has garnered substantial attention from global media, with 11.1% of publications being discussed on social media platforms.
The field’s influence on policy and practice is demonstrated by citations in policy documents (2.9%) and clinical guidelines (0.22%). Moreover, 5.6% of publications have been cited by patents, highlighting the contribution of Chinese Medicine research to technological advancements and innovation.
Share of publications in the field of Chinese Medicine cited by various media, 2014–2023
