The role of column setting oriented to national strategic needs in enhancing the academic influence of the journal of natural sciences of normal universities

Abstract: [Purposes] This paper analyzes the column setting and influence of natural science journals of normal colleges and universities, and provides reference for the rational setting of columns, the promotion of academic influence and the service of major national strategic needs for comprehensive journals of normal colleges and universities. [Methods] Taking the journals of normal colleges and universities included in the 2024 edition of " China Science and Technology Journal Citation Report (Core Edition) " as the research object, this paper analyzes the change trend of bibliometric indicators, column setting and citation frequency in the past five years, and discusses the promotion effect of column setting oriented to national strategic needs on the academic influence of journals of normal colleges and universities. [Findings] In the past five years, the average annual number of papers published in the journals of 26 normal colleges and universities has shown a downward trend, the average annual total citation frequency has increased, and the impact factors have increased as a whole. 19 (76%) journals set up 449 characteristic columns with focused topics and clear problem orientation, 3 journals only set up subject columns, and 3 journals did not set up specific columns. There are 266 columns for national strategic needs in the theme columns, accounting for 59.24%, including 178 (69.92%)columns for national social and economic development strategies and 88(30.08%) for scientific and technological innovation strategies. From the perspective of academic influence, the citation frequency of columns set up for national strategic needs is much higher than that of discipline columns ; the columns set up by the journals of normal colleges and universities for the national economic and social development strategy are more concerned than those for the scientific and technological innovation strategy. [Conclusions] The journals of normal colleges and universities should aim at the national major strategic needs , rely on the relevant disciplines of the school, reasonably set up topics with theme aggregation and clear problem orientation, and increase the publicity of characteristic columns to enhance the influence of journals, so as to form a virtuous circle and finally achieve the goal of improving the academic quality of journals.