On Sept. 12, the 2025 Directory of World’s First-Class Scientific and Technological Journals was officially released. Compiled by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China together with partner research institutions, the directory selected 6,132 science and technology journals from 55 countries and regions in 23 languages. China contributed 353 titles, accounting for 5.8 percent. Advanced Agrochem, a journal hosted by Central China Normal University (CCNU), was among those selected.
An English-language, open-access international journal focusing on modern agrochemistry, Advanced Agrochem covers a wide range of sub-disciplines and is co-published with KeAi. It publishes articles on agricultural chemicals, agricultural analytical chemistry and food safety, agricultural biochemistry, chemical biology, agricultural bio-transformation, agricultural biotechnology, pesticide science and plant protection, and the high-value conversion and utilization of agricultural products. The journal is widely recognized in academia for its rigorous peer review and high academic impact. Founded in 2022, it has been indexed in nine major international and domestic databases, including ESCI, Scopus, DOAJ, CAS, EBSCO and CSCD. In 2024 it was selected for the second phase of China's Excellence Action Plan for Science, Technology and Medicine Journals as a high-starting-point new journal; in 2025 it ranked first in agronomy in the World Journal Clout Index (WJCI) Report; and in 2026 it was named a key project under the Chutian Excellence Action Plan.
The directory introduces an innovative “four-capacity” evaluation framework — academic organizing capacity, academic leadership, academic impact and social impact—with nine evaluation indicators. It applies artificial intelligence technologies such as human-machine collaboration and affective computing to build knowledge links across languages, breaking down language barriers in the dissemination of knowledge. This system offers fair and impartial evaluation standards for journals from different countries and languages, giving journals from emerging countries and newly launched titles equal opportunity, which is of great significance for the high-quality development of scientific journals and the improvement of the global academic ecosystem.
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