Purposes This study aims to systematically explore the practical pathways and experiential lessons from the cluster-based development of scientific journals in Chongqing， conduct an in-depth analysis of its current status， practical approaches， and insights， and provide empirical references for the cluster-based development of regional scientific journals. Methods Combining qualitative and quantitative research， in-depth interviews were conducted with four typical journal clusters in Chongqing for first-hand data and qualitative analysis to examine their practical pathways and summarize experiences. Structured questionnaires were designed based on interviews with seven domestic publishing experts. A survey of Chongqing scientific journals collected 93 valid responses from 67 editorial offices （covering 64.42% of local journals）， analyzing the current status and features of clustered development. Findings Chongqing has formed eight scientific journal clusters， showing an overall pattern of “university-led， discipline-focused， and platform-established at a preliminary stage”. 75.3% of practitioners agree with the direction of clustered development. Current integration remains mostly in peripheral aspects such as dissemination （42.9%）， research support services （39.3%）， and printing/publishing （35.7%）， while core publishing processes like peer review （17.9%） and editing （10.7%） show low integration. Six characteristic disciplinary clusters have been established in key fields such as materials science and healthcare， with core journals accounting for 43%. Resource-sharing mechanisms exhibit both deep coupling and loose linkages， and 60.8% of clusters remain “integrated in form but separated in spirit”， with official statistics not fully reflecting actual operations. Funding， talent， and technology shortages are key constraints： 60.7% of clusters report “severe lack of funding”， and 67.9% indicate “severe shortage of relevant talent and technical teams”. Conclusions The clustered development of scientific journals must be underpinned by top-level strategic guidance， driven by institutional and mechanism innovation， grounded in a robust resource-sharing platform， centered on the integration of industry， academia， and research， advanced through digital transformation， and oriented toward cultivating think tank journals as a new regional development pathway.

Purposes Through an empirical analysis of the Chongqing region， this study systematically uncovers the practical dilemmas and structural factors constraining the in-depth development of scientific journal clustering， aiming to provide a regional reference and decision-making basis for addressing the nationwide issue of “A collection， not a collective”. Methods A combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods was employed. Qualitative analysis was conducted on in-depth interviews with seven publishing experts and four typical cluster organizations in Chongqing， based on which a structured questionnaire was designed. A questionnaire survey was administered to scientific journals in Chongqing. Findings The cluster-based development of scientific journals in Chongqing faces four core challenges： Insufficient depth in resource integration， with highly homogenized disciplinary distribution （over 80% of journals in technical sciences and medicine/health）， core resources being “nominally integrated but operationally fragmented”， and disconnections between upstream and downstream segments of the industrial chain； Lack of top-level design and institutional mechanisms， where “multi-headed management” leads to an absence of strategic coordination， and administrative-led integration creates challenges in aligning interests； Severe lag in digital transformation， with 75.3% of respondents indicating inadequate digitalization levels， and weak platform support leading to“data silos”； Weak sustainability， as 77.6% of journals face severe funding shortages and lack self-sustaining capacity， while 82.1% struggle with insufficient human resources and imbalanced talent structures. Conclusions To advance scientific journal clustering from “physical bundling” to “chemical fusion”， a multi-level synergistic and systematic pathway must be constructed： at the macro level， top-level design and policy support need strengthening； at the meso level， focused efforts must be made to build an integrated enabling platform； and at the micro level， it is imperative to stimulate the endogenous motivation of individual journals. Only through the positive interaction of these three dimensions can existing bottlenecks be effectively alleviated， and promote high-quality， sustainable development leaps in regional scientific journal clusters.

Purposes Through a regional empirical study of Chongqing， this research systematically analyzes the internal and external demand drivers for the clustering development of its scientific journals， aiming to identify the genuine drivers and barriers， thereby providing a precise decision-making basis and strategic references for clustering practices in similar regions across China. Methods Adopting a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative research， in-depth interviews with seven senior publishing experts were thematically analyzed to construct a core problem framework and design a structured questionnaire. A survey was subsequently administered to professionals working in scientific journals in Chongqing. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0. Findings The study collected 93 valid questionnaires， covering 67 editorial departments （representing 64.42% of all journals in the city）. The demand for clustering were driven by intertwined internal and external factors. Internally， this is reflected in the following four aspects. A fragile quality control system： 65.7% of journals lack methodological review， and 61.3% conduct insufficient scrutiny of research authenticity. Severe mismatch of human resources： 69.9% of editorial time is consumed by mechanical proofreading， with only 32.3% available for content planning. Pressure to reduce costs and increase efficiency： 76.3% of journals urgently need to achieve this， with self-sustaining journals showing significant conflict between “revenue generation” and “academic quality”. Cognitive contradiction： Practitioners display the prominent features of “high recognition （75.3% believe clustering is necessary）， shallow cognition （only 36.6% associate it with marketization）， and slow practice”. External drivers stem from： new requirements for journal service capabilities under national strategies， the differing performance?based demands of researchers toward Chinese and English?language journals， and the pressure from digitalization and market competition. Clustering can address this series of challenges in journal development. Conclusions This study reveals a key “cognition-practice” paradox. Chongqing’s scientific journals show a pattern of “high recognition， shallow cognition， and slow practice” regarding clustering. The demand for clustering development is urgent and multi-dimensional. The current situation is characterized by “aggregation without integration”， rooted in insufficient cognitive depth among stakeholders and a lack of synergy in core publishing processes. Therefore， the key to future development lies not simply in expanding the scale of clusters， but in triggering a profound systemic change that drives substantive breakthroughs among all participants in three key areas： consensus building， interest coordination， and process reengineering.

Purposes This study aims to summarize the construction and practical experience of ChinaXiv’s open peer review service for preprints， providing references for collaborative promotion of open peer review between preprint platforms and academic journals. Methods Through systematic online research， this study comprehensively analyzed major service models of open peer review on international preprint platforms and domestic research progress. Based on these findings， the open peer review functionality for ChinaXiv preprints was designed and implemented. By integrating platform practice data， this study conducted in-depth analysis of key challenges in implementing open peer review for preprints and distilled insights for academic journals to construct open peer review mechanisms. Findings Internationally， open peer review platforms and communities have become new arenas for rapid exchange and evaluation of scientific outcomes. However， practical implementation in China still faces core challenges in policy environment， participation mechanisms， and technical management. Conclusions Preprint platforms and academic journals should collaboratively establish a symbiotic development ecosystem， including achieving standard coordination and interoperability， clarifying functional differentiation and integration， promoting decoupling of review and publication processes， and appropriately opening peer review reports， thereby advancing the application of “open dialogue” principles in academic publishing.

Purposes To systematically sort out the evolution and connotation transformation of LU Jiaxi’s “dragon head” and “dragon tail” concept， and provide references for the construction of world-class scientific and technological journals in China under the background of building a world scientific and technological power by 2035. Methods Based on the citation analysis theory， 56 cited literatures of the paper Being both the “dragon tail” and the “dragon head”： attach importance to do a good job in scientific and technological journal work were selected as the research objects. The citation contents were located through manual interpretation， and the vertical content analysis method was adopted for minimum semantic unit segmentation and theme clustering to identify the concerns of citing literatures on this concept in different periods. Findings The connotation of the “dragon head” and “dragon tail” concept has been continuously expanded with the development of national science and technology undertakings： the “dragon head” has evolved from initially “enlightening scientific research and guiding directions” to a forward-looking leading core that “leads disciplinary development， drives achievement transformation and supports national strategies”； the “dragon tail” has extended from “summarizing and inheriting scientific research achievements” to a back-end guarantee core that “ensures achievement inheritance， regulates scientific research ecology and guards scientific and technological security”. After the issuance of the Opinions on deepening reform and cultivating world-class scientific and technological journals in 2018， relevant research on this concept entered an active period， highlighting its contemporary value and guiding significance. Conclusions The expansion of the “dragon head” and “dragon tail” concept has always been in step with the development of China’s science and technology undertakings， providing a fundamental guideline for the construction of world-class scientific and technological journals in the new era. In the future， it is necessary to strengthen the “dragon head” to enhance its leadership and strategic value， consolidate the “dragon tail” to lay a solid foundation for scientific and technological security， and promote the “linkage between the head and tail” to integrate resources and improve overall efficiency. This will help scientific and technological journals achieve the leap from following to running side by side and then to leading， providing solid support for building a world scientific and technological power.

Purposes This study aims to accurately identify the core gaps between China’s world-class English-language scientific journals and top international journals， and to provide systematic countermeasures for breaking through development dilemmas and achieving high-quality advancement. Methods Taking 22 leading journals and 29 key journals funded by the first phase of the “Excellent Action Plan for China’s STM Journals” as samples， this study integrates a structured questionnaire survey targeting the core personnel of journals with bibliometric analysis based on Web of Science （from 2019 to 2023）， constructing a research paradigm of “subjective perception ? objective verification ? in-depth attribution”. Findings The study finds that the gaps between China’s world-class journals and top international journals are not unidimensional but represent systematic and structural “fourfold gaps”： publication capacity gap： deep reliance on international platforms leads to structural contradictions between large-scale development and lack of autonomy； Manuscript quality gap： significant localization of manuscripts and insufficient appeal for high-quality global manuscripts， falling into a vicious cycle of “evaluation system lock-in”； Operational efficiency gap： lagging application of cutting-edge technologies coupled with shortages of interdisciplinary talent， with the international efficacy of editorial and review teams not being fully realized； Communication impact gap： regional reach versus global leadership， creating a “brand divide”. Conclusions Breaking through the fourfold gaps requires implementing a systematic project of “categorized strategies and coordinated advancement”， making concerted efforts across four dimensions： independent platform empowerment， evaluation system optimization， technology and talent synergy， and brand precision communication， to drive China’s world-class English-language sci-tech journals from “excellence” to “superior”.

Purposes To investigate the practical effectiveness of domestic scientific journal publishing platforms in the whole chain of production， communication and operation， analyze the gaps between domestic platforms and international advanced platforms， and propose optimized paths to promote the development of domestic self-built platforms and adapt to the needs of Chinese academic publishing. Methods The platform testing method was adopted to conduct practical research on domestic scientific journal publishing platforms （Founder HyCloud Publishing Platform， SciEngine Platform， Renhe XML Publishing Platform， SciOpen Platform） to obtain data and materials. The comparative analysis method was used to compare and analyze the complementary advantages of three major domestic full-chain platforms： Founder HyCloud， SciEngine and Renhe XML， and an international benchmarking analysis was carried out between SciOpen and IEEE Xplore. Findings Domestic platforms have made remarkable progress in achieving full-process online operations， XML structured typesetting， and the initial implementation of intelligent services， forming a differentiated complementary pattern of "standard-led， international connectivity， inclusive adaptation"， and have formed local advantages in open access， professional after-sales service， AIGC content identification and risk prevention and control and other aspects. However， domestic platforms still face issues such as relatively weak resource integration and internationalization capabilities， insufficient and uneven application of intelligent technologies， lagging platform ecology and brand building， as well as an incomplete operation and service support system. Obvious gaps exist between domestic and international platforms in terms of journal cluster scale and professional academic communities. Conclusions Domestic platforms should strengthen resource integration and international communication， deepen the application of intelligent technologies and remedy functional shortcomings， build characteristic ecology and enhance brand and standard construction， optimize operation services and improve a sustainable guarantee system. Meanwhile， efforts should be made to strengthen data security， talent team construction， and policy and financial support to adapt to the trend of open access and promote the high-quality development of platforms.

Purposes To develop an intelligent proofreading assistance platform for academic quality control and to explore the feasibility of applying large language model （LLM） vibe coding mode in the editorial workflow of medical scientific journals. Methods Using the vibe coding mode， editors without professional programming background drove AI code generation through natural language prompts. A multidimensional review platform for medical manuscripts，overing text， terminology， logic， statistical analysis， data， and references，was developed alongside RefCheck Pro， a tool for verifying reference authenticity， by integrating the Coze programming platform and Doubao Seed 1.8 LLM. A total of 10 medical manuscripts was used as test samples to compare professional editors’ manual review and AI review in terms of coverage breadth， types of issues detected， and complementarity. Findings In the dimensions of text， terminology， logic， statistical analysis， and data， manual review yielded 1151 categorized annotations （1235 independent comments）， while AI review produced 583 independent comments. Both approaches accurately identified common issues such as spelling errors and punctuation standardization （a total of 197 items）. Manual review demonstrated significant advantages in detecting subtle linguistic issues （e.g.， colloquial expressions， mismatched chart and figure titles）. AI review performed excellently in statistical analysis and independently identified technical details easily overlooked by humans， such as missing formula symbols and omitted unit conversion labels. In the reference dimension， the review of 404 references in 10 sample papers showed that the combined “LLM-based formatting check+RefCheck Pro authenticity verification” approach demonstrated high concordance with manual review. In terms of the timeliness of paper review， manual review took about 2 working days per paper， while AI review only took 3~4 minutes. Conclusions The vibe coding mode markedly lowers the technical barrier for editorial staff to construct professional AI tools， enabling rapid iteration from concept design to deployable system， and can provide practical reference for the development of intelligent tools for sci-tech journal editing. Meanwhile， human-AI collaborative reviewing demonstrates superior efficiency compared to either approach alone， and the two-layer quality control system of “AI preliminary screening-manual detailed review” is particularly valuable in statistical standardization review and reference authenticity identification.

Purposes This study aims to explore the dissemination performance of WeChat official accounts of agricultural and forestry scientific journals， providing empirical references and strategic support for their refined operation and the enhancement of journal academic influence. Methods Taking 115 WeChat official accounts of agricultural and forestry scientific journals as samples， we collected and categorized the post data of 2024， to analyze the dissemination characteristics and differences across various post categories. Findings Editor side tended to produce academic content dissemination posts， particularly issue release and paper introduction. Reader side preferred reading journal operational update posts， with relatively higher engagement in academic team and honors certification. There was a certain degree of supply-demand mismatch between editor and reader sides. Based on four-quadrant model， secondary categories of posts were divided into 4 quadrant types： core content， high-potential topic， routine update， and peripheral content. Each type had a distinct positioning， requiring tailored dissemination optimization strategies. Conclusions To further enhance the overall dissemination effectiveness， WeChat official accounts of agricultural and forestry scientific journals can strengthen content， transform high-potential topic， deepen routine update， and optimize peripheral content， thereby promoting the high-quality development of scientific journals on new media.

Purposes The article explores the resource characteristics and public communication of the scientific journal covers， which is expected to serve as a reference for improvement of public influence of scientific journals in China. Methods This study introduces Lasswell’s 5W communication model to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of public communication of scientific journal cover images， and analyzes the science communication model of cover image promotion activities led by scientific journals for the public. Findings Scientific journal covers provide available materials for public communication. Organizing combined exhibitions and derivative activities based on these covers can enhance public understanding of scientific frontiers and strengthen brand recognition of journals. Conclusions As a link connecting scientists and the public， scientific journals play a key role in the “translation” of innovative achievements for public communication. The narrative of scientific journal cover images that tell science stories for public communication， and effective event organization helps scientific journals attract potential authors and engage science popularization， representing one of the practical scenarios of science communication led by scientific journals.

Purposes This paper aims to explore the implementation pathways and value creation of expanding the science popularization functions of agricultural journal clusters （hereinafter referred to as “the cluster”）， so as to provide practical references for supporting rural revitalization and accelerating the transformation and application of agricultural scientific and technological achievements. Methods Taking the cluster composed of eight agricultural science and technology journals sponsored by the Agricultural Information Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences as the research object， this study adopts case analysis， literature research， and inductive summarization methods to analyze the cluster’s operational management mechanism， core advantages， practical models， and existing problems in expanding its science popularization functions. Findings The cluster has formed an operational mechanism characterized by unified management by the same sponsoring institution， integrated platform services， and cross-journal resource sharing. It possesses three core advantages： authoritative and diversified content resources， a multidisciplinary collaborative talent team， and a platform for precise dissemination covering agriculture， rural areas， and farmers. It has explored three science popularization practice models?content transformation， journal-media integration， and targeted empowerment?achieving multidimensional value creation， including the amplification of academic communication， the demonstration of social value， and the empowerment of industrial upgrading. However， the cluster faces challenges such as insufficient funding， a shortage of professional science popularization talents， and an incomplete intensive institutional system. In response， this paper proposes optimization suggestions from three aspects： establishing a diversified funding guarantee system， cultivating interdisciplinary science popularization talent teams， and improving the cluster’s collaborative governance mechanism. Conclusions The cluster effectively optimizes the science popularization function of individual journals， provides a replicable model for transforming academic resources into science popularization resources， and injects sustained momentum into the modernization of agriculture and rural areas as well as comprehensive rural revitalization.

Purposes To explore the enhancement of the influence of thematic publishing on Scientia Silvae Sinicae， and to provide practical references for similar journals. Methods Taking Scientia Silvae Sinicae as the case， by comparing and analyzing the reading volume， download volume， and citation volume of thematic and non-thematic published articles， the effectiveness of thematic publishing in enhancing the influence of the journal was investigated. Findings By combining the key thematic publishing topics selected by the Central Propaganda Department and the national major demands to set the thematic publishing strategy. The comparison analysis results show that thematic publishing significantly increased the download volume and citation volume of related articles. Conclusions Thematic publishing has enhanced the citation volume and reading volume of related thematic articles in Scientia Silvae Sinicae， indirectly enhancing the influence of Scientia Silvae Sinicae， but future thematic publishing still needs to be further optimized.

purposes To provide basic data and evaluation indicators for management departments at all levels， research institutions， journal editorial departments and researchers. Methods Using data from Chinese core scientific journals， statistical analysis was conducted on the overall including citation and source indicators， disciplines， regions， the number of articles and basic information of the journals. Findings From 2022 to 2024， the main indicators such as the core impact factors， and the ratio of funded papers in journals have remained largely stable. Beijing， Shanghai， Jiangsu， Hubei and Shaanxi provinces have the largest number of core journals. In 2024， 434.7 thousand articles； were published in core journals in the field of natural sciences and 49.4 thousand articles in the field of social sciences. The majority of Chinese core S&T journals （including natural science and social science fields） have been published for 20 to 50 years， and most of them are issued monthly or bimonthly. Conclusions The academic influence of Chinese core scientific journals is increasing.

Purposes To explore the key factors influencing the adoption behavior of open peer review （OPR） mode in academic journals， and propose several strategies for effectively promoting journal practice in China. Methods Following the standards and norms of systematic review， select relevant thematic literature on OPR mode adoption behavior at home and abroad； Using the grounded theory research paradigm to explore various influencing factors. Findings Objective and subjective external stimuli， as well as journal cognition and conditions， are key factors influencing the adoption behavior of the OPR model. These factors interact through the transmission path of “objective and subjective external stimuli - journal cognition and conditions - peer review mode selection”， jointly influencing journals’ adoption decisions of the OPR model. Conclusions Promoting the adoption of the OPR model in academic journals requires collaborative efforts from all parties. By deepening the understanding of the OPR model by journals and editors， improving and refining the OPR policy system， promoting the “preprint + open review” model， creating a good atmosphere， and strengthening the control of the implementation process， we can help journals form positive external stimuli， shape positive cognitive attitudes， gather sufficient resource conditions， and further promote the landing and development of the OPR model in China.

Purposes This study aims to evaluate the role of critical comments on PubPeer in driving article retractions， and to provide empirical evidence for journals to improve post-publication peer review mechanisms. Methods This study examined 15 retracted papers authored by 2019 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine， Gregg L. Semenza. Comment data were systematically collected from the PubPeer platform and compared with official retraction notices. The time lag from the first critical comment to the formal retraction was calculated. Findings Among the 15 retracted papers， 14 had been questioned on PubPeer. Content analysis revealed that in these 14 retracted papers， the first critical comment had identified the core issues at least 23 months prior to the eventual retraction. During the period from the emergence of criticism to retraction， only one article received a single author response， and journals issued an “Editor’s Note” or “Correction” for only three papers. These findings indicate that while PubPeer can effectively identify academic errors， there is a significant delay in translating its criticism into formal retraction actions. This delay stems from three interrelated factors： ongoing debates over platform credibility， disconnections in stakeholder responsibilities， and insufficient public participation in discussions. Conclusions It is recommended that journals implement post-publication peer review systems to enhance responsiveness to community criticism， and establish sustainable contribution recognition mechanisms to strengthen the role of post-publication peer review in academic governance.