On January 30, 2026, Elsevier officially released its 2025 “Highly Cited Chinese Researchers” list. Five scholars from the College of Economics, Xiamen University, who were also included in the 2024 list, have once again been recognized. They are:
Theoretical Economics: Chuanwang Sun, Chuanguo Zhang
Applied Economics: Shaohua Chen, Yongmiao Hong, Xin Yao
The list uses Scopus, a globally authoritative citation and indexing database, as the statistical source for the research achievements of Chinese scholars. A total of 6,310 researchers are featured on the 2025 “Highly Cited Chinese Researchers” list, representing 543 universities, enterprises, and research institutions, and covering 10 academic fields and 83 first-level disciplines under the Ministry of Education.
It is reported that the data extraction for Elsevier’s 2025 “Highly Cited Chinese Researchers” list utilized a further optimized and updated mapping of Elsevier’s first-level discipline classifications (now covering 111 disciplines) aligned with the Ministry of Education categories. This provides a clearer and more systematic presentation of Chinese scholars’ disciplinary affiliations and academic performance.
