During 2025, CHNR published Volume 31 across four issues, comprising a total of 28 articles written in English. The number of articles varied by issue, with seven publications in Vol. 31(1), followed by five in Vol. 31(2), six in Vol. 31(3), and 10 in Vol. 31(4). This distribution reflects a flexible publication pattern across the year rather than a uniform output across issues. The average number of authors per article was 2.4 (standard deviation=1.1; range, 1–5), indicating that most studies were conducted by small to moderately sized research teams (Table 1).

In terms of authorship characteristics, the overwhelming majority of contributors were affiliated with institutions in Korea (96.6%), whereas 3.1% of authors were based in Indonesia. Compared with the previous year, this represents an 11.5 percentage point decrease in the proportion of international authors. Although this reduction suggests a temporary contraction in the diversity of authors in terms of nationality, it should be interpreted in the context of the journal’s overall publication volume and thematic focus during 2025. By contrast, the proportion of externally funded research increased, with 42.8% of the published articles supported by government agencies, universities, or public institutions, representing a 9.5 percentage point rise from the previous year and indicating sustained investment in child health nursing research.

The composition of article types published in CHNR during 2025 is summarized in Table 2. Original research articles constituted the majority of publications (82.1%), accompanied by three editorial articles (10.7%) and two review articles (7.1%), a distribution that was largely comparable to that observed in 2024. The original research articles exhibited substantial methodological diversity. Experimental studies, secondary data analyses, and qualitative research designs were each represented by four articles (14.3%), demonstrating a balanced representation of empirical approaches. In addition, two mixed-methods studies (7.1%) were published, while program development research and real-time Delphi method studies each accounted for one article (3.6%).

Although the total number of original articles published in 2025 declined compared with the previous year, the number of review articles remained unchanged, comprising one systematic review and one integrative review. Nevertheless, the overall volume of review submissions continued to be relatively low. Taken together, these findings underscore several ongoing challenges for CHNR, including the need to expand the diversity of authors and to encourage a greater number of high-quality review and synthesis studies. Addressing these areas will be essential for strengthening the journal’s international visibility and scholarly impact in future publication cycles.

The papers published in CHNR in 2025 can be classified into five major thematic areas.

In 2025, child and adolescent mental health remained a central thematic focus of CHNR. Numerous studies examined stress, self-esteem, resilience, and coping mechanisms among children and adolescents, reflecting heightened societal concern and growing clinical attention to psychological well-being. School- and community-based interventions aimed at promoting positive mental health outcomes were frequently investigated, highlighting the expanding role of pediatric nursing in preventive care and psychosocial support.

Research addressing chronic and complex health conditions remained prominent, with a sustained emphasis on family-centered care. Studies involving allergic diseases, pediatric cancer, and developmental disorders consistently highlighted parental stress, caregiving burden, and unmet educational needs. These findings reaffirmed the interdependent relationship between child health outcomes and family functioning, underscoring the necessity of nursing interventions that simultaneously support children and their families.

Neonatal nursing, particularly research related to premature infants and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care, continued to constitute a defining strength of CHNR. Articles published in 2025 increasingly emphasized evidence-based interventions, parental experiences, and long-term developmental outcomes, rather than focusing primarily on descriptive analyses. This shift reflects the journal’s progression toward more practice-oriented and outcome-driven neonatal research.

Nursing education emerged as another key thematic area, with studies examining simulation-based learning, self-efficacy, and competency development among both nursing students and practicing pediatric nurses. Technology-enhanced educational strategies, including virtual reality and digital simulation, illustrated ongoing pedagogical innovation and a clear commitment to improving clinical preparedness and patient safety.

Finally, the application of digital health technologies and early-stage artificial intelligence featured more prominently in 2025 than in prior publication years. Research utilizing mobile applications, data-driven approaches, and technology-assisted nursing interventions reflected CHNR’s increasing responsiveness to the digital transformation of healthcare delivery. These studies signal an expanding research frontier that positions pediatric nursing practice in closer alignment with contemporary technological advancements.

In 2022, CHNR underwent a comprehensive review and reorganization of its editorial system through an internationalization consulting program supported by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies. During this period, the journal revised its instructions for authors, manuscript formatting guidelines, and editorial workflows to improve clarity, internal consistency, and alignment with global academic publishing standards. These foundational efforts played a critical role in strengthening the journal’s credibility and positioning it for subsequent international engagement.

Beginning in 2023, CHNR actively sought to diversify its scholarly content by encouraging submissions of editorials, review articles, and methodologically varied studies addressing emerging and pressing issues in child health nursing. Particular emphasis was placed on topics such as child and adolescent mental health, chronic illness management, family-centered care, and technology-based nursing interventions, reflecting convergence between domestic research needs and global scholarly priorities. These initiatives contributed to an expanded thematic scope and greater visibility of the journal within the academic community.

Toward the end of 2024, in response to updated recommendations from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, CHNR further reinforced its publication ethics framework. Beginning in 2025, the journal implemented enhanced policies addressing data sharing practices and the disclosure of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies used in research and manuscript preparation. These measures were introduced to promote research transparency, reproducibility, and the responsible use of emerging technologies. Through these sustained and cumulative efforts, CHNR has reaffirmed its commitment to serving as a reliable, ethical, and forward-looking academic platform dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of children and their families worldwide.

Since 2022, CHNR has demonstrated a steady and meaningful improvement in its bibliometric performance, reflecting both quantitative growth and qualitative maturation of the journal (Table 3).

According to Scopus data, CHNR’s CiteScore increased from approximately 0.9 in 2021 to 1.3 in 2022, followed by a further rise to 1.7 in 2023 and reaching 2.1 by 2024. This upward trajectory indicates a sustained increase in the average number of citations received per published document over a 4-year period.

Similarly, CHNR has shown a steady upward trend in its SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) over recent years. This sustained growth culminated in a meaningful advancement in Scopus quartile classification, with the journal moving from Q3 in 2022–2023 to Q2 in 2024 within nursing- and pediatrics-related subject categories. Alongside this shift, CHNR’s percentile ranking improved from the lower 30th percentile range to the 51st percentile, reflecting a consistent rise in its relative standing among indexed journals. This progression indicates that CHNR has moved beyond a marginal position and has begun to establish itself within the upper tier of mid-performing journals in its disciplinary field.

These changes are particularly notable given the journal’s relatively small annual publication volume and its specialized focus on child health nursing. The observed citation growth suggests that CHNR articles are increasingly recognized and utilized by the international research community, especially in areas such as child and adolescent mental health, family-centered care, neonatal nursing, and nursing education.

To further accelerate this positive trend, several strategic approaches should be prioritized.

First, strengthening the publication of high-impact article types is essential. Review articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and rigorously designed secondary data analyses are consistently associated with higher citation rates than descriptive studies alone. While CHNR has published a limited number of review articles in recent years, expanding this category—particularly through invited reviews and thematic review series—may substantially enhance citation density. Editorials that synthesize emerging research trends and situate CHNR articles within broader scholarly conversations may also function as citation anchors.

Second, enhancing international visibility through multinational collaboration represents a critical strategy for further growth. Although the proportion of international authors increased from 7.3% in 2023 to 14.6% in 2024, additional diversification remains necessary to broaden the journal’s citation network. Encouraging submissions from multinational research teams, particularly those addressing globally relevant child health issues such as mental health crises, health equity, and digital health interventions, may increase both readership and citation potential. Collaborative research is more likely to circulate across broader academic networks, thereby amplifying citation impact.

Third, reinforcing thematic coherence and internal citation networks within CHNR can contribute to sustained bibliometric improvement. Identifying and cultivating core thematic clusters—such as stress and coping in children and families, NICU nursing practice, and technology-enhanced nursing education—enables the journal to establish recognizable areas of scholarly expertise. Editorials and special sections that explicitly connect newly published articles with prior CHNR studies may promote internal cross-citation, strengthen scholarly continuity, and reinforce the journal’s intellectual identity.

Collectively, these strategies underscore that citation growth is not merely a numerical outcome, but the product of deliberate editorial planning, thematic clarity, and international engagement. By maintaining its commitment to research quality while strategically expanding its scholarly reach, CHNR is well positioned to achieve further gains in citation metrics and to solidify its standing as a competitive international journal in child health nursing.

To ensure the sustained development of CHNR, a phased roadmap is proposed that builds upon recent bibliometric gains while strategically positioning the journal for further international recognition. This roadmap emphasizes continuity, consolidation, and long-term vision, aligning editorial practices with evolving global standards in academic publishing.

In the short term, CHNR should prioritize stabilizing recent improvements in citation metrics by maintaining rigorous peer review standards and reinforcing methodological quality. Continued emphasis on transparent reporting, adherence to international guidelines, and ethical governance will remain essential. Increasing submissions of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and advanced methodological studies is particularly important, as these article types tend to generate higher citation impact and contribute to the journal’s scholarly authority. Invited reviews and thematically focused editorials may further enhance visibility and internal coherence.

In the mid-term, CHNR should aim to establish clearly recognizable research clusters that reflect its core academic strengths. Areas such as family-centered care in chronic pediatric conditions, neonatal and NICU nursing, mental health promotion, and AI-assisted nursing interventions have already emerged as recurring themes. By cultivating these domains through special issues and targeted calls for papers, the journal can strengthen its academic identity and foster sustained scholarly engagement within the international pediatric nursing community.

In the long term, sustained improvements in citation performance, thematic consistency, and author diversity will be critical for advancing CHNR’s global standing. Expanding multinational collaborations and increasing the proportion of internationally coauthored manuscripts will broaden citation networks and readership. These efforts will support the journal’s eligibility for inclusion in additional indexing databases, such as MEDLINE and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), thereby further solidifying CHNR’s role as a leading Asian journal dedicated to advancing child health nursing research.

The progress of CHNR from 2022 to 2025 has been driven by collective effort rather than individual leadership. During this period, advances in editorial rigor, thematic breadth, and bibliometric performance were achieved through the shared commitment of the child health nursing community. I extend my sincere appreciation to the authors who entrusted their work to CHNR, as well as to the many reviewers whose careful, fair, and constructive evaluations were essential to safeguarding the journal’s scientific quality and integrity. Although it is not possible to acknowledge each reviewer individually, their anonymous yet indispensable contributions have formed a critical foundation for CHNR’s continued growth.

I am especially grateful to the editorial board members who supported CHNR throughout this important period of development and transition. Their scholarly insight, professional judgment, and sustained engagement were central to maintaining high editorial standards and to shaping the journal’s strategic direction. I would also like to express my appreciation to our editors and reviewers, whose contributions extended beyond individual manuscripts to the overall strength of the editorial process. It was a privilege to work alongside colleagues whose dedication and expertise consistently advanced CHNR’s mission.

Over the 4 years of my service as Editor-in-Chief, this experience proved both profoundly meaningful and deeply instructive. The period was marked by continuous learning and shared responsibility, through which I gained a renewed appreciation for the collaborative effort required to sustain and advance a scholarly journal. I remain sincerely grateful for the trust placed in me and for the opportunity to serve the child health nursing community in this role.

As I conclude my term as Editor-in-Chief, I do so as a continuing member of the CHNR community, both as a reader and as an advocate for the journal’s mission. CHNR has established a solid foundation through strengthened editorial policies, enhanced research transparency, and steadily expanding international visibility. I also extend my sincere appreciation to the incoming editorial leadership for their willingness to assume this responsibility and guide the journal forward. With confidence in their vision and commitment, I believe that CHNR will continue to build upon these foundations and progress as a trusted platform for evidence-based child health nursing research and practice worldwide.

Citations to this article as recorded by