A 20-Year Bibliometric Analysis of the Korean Journal of Neurotrauma Including its Transition From Domestic to International Journal

The Korean Journal of Neurotrauma (KJNT) has been the official journal of the Korean Neurotraumatology Society for over 2 decades, and has evolved from a domestic publication to an internationally indexed journal. We aimed to comprehensively evaluate this journal’s long-term development and academic trajectory using bibliometric analysis. A bibliometric analysis was conducted on all articles published in the KJNT between 2005 and 2025. Publication trends, article types, authorship, institutional participation, geographic distribution, research topics, and citation patterns were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Keyword trends were assessed using Medical Subject Headings-based standardization supplemented with title-based keyword extraction from earlier publications. Over a 20-year period, the KJNT has demonstrated a steady increase in publication volume, accompanied by notable structural changes in article composition. Traumatic brain injury remains the predominant research topic, with the number of studies on spinal cord injury and spinal trauma having increased over time. Review articles are the most highly cited publications, although one case report proposing an alternative treatment strategy has also achieved high citation impact. International submissions increased after the KJNT’s transition to an English-language journal and major database indexation, currently representing approximately 30% of all publications, predominantly including case reports. Authorship analysis revealed broad institutional participation without concentration among specific individuals or centers. KJNT achieved stable growth through a strong clinical focus and collective academic engagement. To further enhance its global influence, continued efforts to promote high-quality original research and international collaborations are warranted.