2024 Annual Report of Exploration of Neuroprotective Therapy

Launched in August 2021, Exploration of Neuroprotective Therapy (ENT), as a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, has always committed to publishing papers of high quality and significance in neurological research, especially in neurodegeneration, neuroprotection, and neurorestoration. It continuously expands its impact among experts and researchers and gains recognition from important databases. Following its inclusion in DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) and CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) in 2022, Google Scholar in 2023, Scopus in 2024, we are now aiming for the next goals of PMC/PubMed and WOS.

Here, we are pleased to share the significant achievements of ENT Journal in 2024 with you. Over the past year, with the unwavering contribution of our Editorial Board members, authors, reviewers, and other researchers, ENT has continued to grow and expand its influence, and was successfully indexed by Scopus in Oct. 2024, marking a critical step in enhancing its global visibility and academic credibility. Also, through extensive multi-channel promotion and enhanced engagement in important academic databases, the exposure and visibility of articles published in the ENT journal have been significantly elevated, resulting in 112 new citations for the journal’s articles. The mean citation of ENT journal has also reached 2.1. Meanwhile, reader engagement reached unprecedented levels, with average views of 2,574 and downloads of 93 per article in ENT journal. In 2024, ENT achieved many significant milestones, solidifying its position as a reliable platform in neuroscience research.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• New Indexing: Scopus

• 121 new citations increased; Mean Citation: 2.1

• 117 submissions; 29 articles published

• Rejection rate: 74%

• 5 special issues launched

• 15 new Editorial Board Members appointed

• 3 meeting promotions

Databases Indexing

On October 28, 2024, ENT received the exciting news that the journal has been accepted for Scopus, the world’s leading academic research database. It is not only a great recognition and encouragement for our journal’s quality, but also a very important step in being acknowledged as a valuable academic publication. In January 2025, ENT was updated to the Scopus source publications list, with all published articles included. Meanwhile, it also got a CiteScore Tracker of 1.9 in Jan., a great initial score for newly included journals. We are excited about this meaningful achievement and expect a higher level in the future.

Now, the journal has been indexed in the following databases:

Baiduxueshu, BASE, CAS, DOAJ, Dimensions, Google Scholar, MyScienceWork, OUCI, Portico, ROAD, Scopus, Semantic Scholar, Scilit, The Keepers, WorldCat

Citation Growth

All published articles in the ENT journal received a total increase of 121 citations in 2024, a growth of 39% compared with last year, reaching a total of 208 times. In just over three years, the journal has rapidly gained recognition among researchers in the field due to its publication of impactful research contributions; the consistent publishing of high-quality content has driven a notable increase in attention and citations, and by the end of 2024, its mean citation rate surpassed 2.1. Compared with 2023, the monthly citation trend showed a significant increase (see Figure 1 below). These metrics underscore ENT’s transition toward becoming a high-visibility and impactful platform. By maintaining rigorous review while wide promotional strategy, the journal will continue to strive to expand its exposure and impact on the academic community.

Figure 1  Citation Trends of ENT 2023-2024

Submissions and Publications

As the journal continues to develop and expand its influence, it has also attracted enthusiastic support and contributions from many researchers around the world. Compared to 2023, submissions ENT journal received have increased by more than 31% over the last year (2024: 117 submissions). As shown in Figure 2 below, the types of manuscripts are diverse and well-distribute. The two main types of articles, original article and Review, accounted for 44% and 36% respectively, of which the number of original articles has increased significantly this year, up 62% year-on-year (YoY).

Figure 2  Type of Submissions

All submissions are mainly from 32 countries, led by the United States, Turkey, India, China, Spain, etc. Compared to last year, the internationalization of the journal’s author group has continued to deepen, with contributions from the United States jumping to the top (see Figure 3). 

Figure 3  Country Distribution of ENT Submissions

In line with the principles of strict review and high-quality publication, 29 wonderful articles have been published in 6 issues of ENT Journal this year. Among them, two articles are funded by NIH. Till now, A total of nine articles have been included in PMC/PubMed, see here.

The main types of published articles are the same as in previous years, mainly Review, and the publishing share of Perspective up this year (Figure 4).

Figure 4  Type of Published Articles

Over the past three years, the authorship of ENT journal has maintained a steady upward trend in seniority. The H-index of corresponding authors has increased slightly this year compared with 2023, and the average H-index reached 24 (Figure 5). One-third of the authors had an H-index between 20 and 50, and 10% had an H-index of more than 50. ENT is increasingly trusted as an impactful publishing platform by more senior experts. We’re honored to receive contributions from outstanding experts including Prof. Jesus Avila at Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Prof. Diego Guidolin at the University of Padova, Prof. Süleyman Kaplan at Ondokuz Mayıs University, Prof. Tanja Schmitz-Hübsch at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, etc.

Figure 5  Authors H-index of ENT Journal

Among the 29 articles published in ENT 2024, the total number of views reached 44,992 and the average number of views was 1,551, with a remarkable increase of 200% YoY. One standout article garnered 4,868 reads, highlighting significant audience engagement. The number of downloads reached 1,285, and the average number of downloads was about 44, an increase of about 88% YoY. In these articles, 8 articles have been viewed more than 1,000 times or downloaded over 100 times. 

Figure 6  Publish Data of ENT Articles in 2021-2024

Manuscript Processing

Under the EIC Prof Franco’s professional guidance, all manuscripts submitted to ENT underwent a strict review process, resulting in the selection of high-quality and significant content for publication. The rejection rate of ENT maintains a significant increasing trend from 2021 to 2024, rising from 26% in 2021 to 65% in 2022, and then to 68% in 2023, and 74% in 2024. It signals heightened selectivity this year and our unwavering pursuit of publishing high-quality works.

In 2024, 80 outstanding and experienced reviewers worldwide actively participated in the review process of ENT journal, making great contributions to the quality control of journal publication. These experts who come from 20 countries around the world, including the United States, China, and Italy, dedicated their considerable time and expertise to safeguard the journal’s rigorous academic standards. The average H-index of these reviewers is about 24, 40% of reviewers have an H-index of more than 20, and 14% of reviewers have an H-index of more than 40. With the rigorous review by these excellent reviewers, each article will receive an average of 3.03 insightful review reports, reinforcing the journal’s dedication to rigorous, evidence-based quality control.

Editorial Board

In 2024, ENT appointed 15 new EBMs from 10 countries, with the United States leading this international cohort; including Prof. Moussa Youdim at Technion-Rappaport Family Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Elliott J. Mufson at Barrow Neurological Institute, Prof. Jari E. Koistinaho at University of Helsinki, etc. The average H-index of these new members is 61, and about 53% of them have an H-index of more than 50. These distinguished scientists not only bring new impetus to the development of the journal, but also balance the distribution of subject areas in the journal to ensure broader coverage, further strengthening the academic level and international influence of the editorial board. Their participation enhances cross-regional scholarly networks, critical for increasing global submission rates and readership engagement in underrepresented regions.

Currently, the Editorial Board of ENT journal comprises 62 distinguished experts spanning 20 countries, with core representation from the US, Italy, Spain, France, and China, reflecting intentional geographic diversity (see Figure 7). 

Figure 7  Country Distribution of ENT Editorial Board

Special Issue

ENT has collaborated with seven distinguished experts from the United States, China, Italy, Greece and Portugal to launch five attractive special issues covering topics such as ADHD, marine plant natural products, ischemic stroke, interdisciplinary treatment approaches, mechanisms and treatments of neurodegenerative diseases, etc. Additionally, three special issues ended in full publication in 2024, bringing many outstanding and high-quality works. They attracted great attention after publication and were cited many times. For example, the special issue “Dry Needling for Neurological Disorders” edited by Prof. Noureddin Nakhostin Ansari, and one of published articles “Economics of dry needling and botulinum toxin type A for treatment of post-stroke spasticity: a review”.

Publicity & Promotion

Thanks to the help of our Editor-in-Chief Prof. Franco and Board member Prof. Noureddin Nakhostin Ansari, ENT journal was well-promoted in the International Congress on Neurodegenerative Diseases ICND2024 (Lisbon, Portugal) and a workshop on Research Methods held at the Kaviani Educational Institute (Tehran, Iran). These meeting promotions further expand the journal’s visibility and influence in the field of neuroscience, allowing more researchers to learn about the journal and attracting potential readers and authors from around the world.

Figure 8  ENT promoted in academic conferences

Strategies for Future Development

For over three years, ENT always strived to establish itself as a reliable open-access platform dedicated to advancing neuroscience research, and strengthened its capacity to disseminate high-quality scientific findings in neuroscience. Recognized for its scholarly rigor, it has been indexed by prestigious databases including Scopus, DOAJ, and CAS, and engaged a group of over 1,000 authors and experts. To date, it has published 95 peer-reviewed articles that contribute meaningfully to advancing neuroscience research, achieving a mean citation of 2.1. As we enter 2025, our commitment remains unwavering in publishing cutting-edge, innovative research while expanding our global academic impression through multiple channels of promotion, and radiating outward with authorship and editorial board members as the core, exploring more cooperation and content output with outstanding experts. Building on this foundation, ENT will intensify efforts to curate high-impact special issues addressing hot and frontier topics in the field, extend more global submissions, publish forward-looking and innovative content to increase citations, and thus advance the all-round development of the journal. Also, priority will be given to soliciting high-quality articles and exploring potential explosive articles (especially original articles) this year. 

To encourage high-quality submissions and better serve authors, based on Scopus, Google Scholar, and DOAJ indexing, ENT will still provide free publishing services to authors. Additionally, the authors will also enjoy open access, holding the copyright, the Highly Cited Paper Award ($300-1000), extensive email promotion to maximize articles’ visibility and impact in the field, etc. At the same time, the journal also provides an honorarium of 600-1000 USD for senior experts who serve as guest editors to lead special issues in ENT, as well as promotional awards for experts who promote the journal at academic conferences.

We warmly invite passionate researchers and scholars worldwide to join our intellectual community - whether as authors, reviewers, or guest editors. Together, let's shape ENT into a leading academic journal!

Annual Development Report for ENT - 2024.pdf