Pioneering Carbon Research: Unveiling a Decade of Academic Exploration through SCIE Highly Cited Papers

Carbon, with the symbol ‘C’ and atomic number 6, is a versatile and abundant non-metallic element found in the Earth’s crust, which has several allotropes, including graphite and diamond, each with unique properties. Carbon is the foundation of organic chemistry, forming the backbone of molecules in living organisms, as well as creating diverse compounds essential for life, such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and nucleic acids. Carbon finds extensive use in industries, from steel production using carbon as an alloying element to activated carbon in purification processes and carbon black in manufacturing various products like tires and ink. The carbon cycle involves the circulation of carbon through the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms. It encompasses processes like photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and fossil fuel combustion. Understanding carbon sequestration processes, such as natural storage in forests or engineered methods like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), is crucial for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, which contributes to the development of carbon markets, incentivizing emission reductions and fostering financial mechanisms to address climate change. The significance of carbon research lies in its potential to drive sustainable development, combat climate change, promote innovation, and pave the way for a more resilient and environmentally conscious future.

WoS’s Highly Cited Papers feature a curated selection of scholarly articles recognized for their exceptional impact and influence within their respective fields. These papers represent the pinnacle of impactful research, as they have received high citation counts,^[1,2] indicating their significant contributions to advancing knowledge and shaping their fields.^[3,4]

WoS database encompasses various categories of publishers, covering a wide range of disciplines and specialties.^[5,6] Categories of publishers, such as Medical Publishers, Social Sciences and Humanities Publishers, Multidisciplinary Publishers, Society Publishers, Technical Publishers, et al., contribute to the diversity and depth of scholarly literature accessible through the WoS database, offering a comprehensive resource for researchers across various domains.

WoS categorizes academic research into several dozen disciplinary fields to better organize and retrieve relevant literature. These disciplines cover a wide range of areas, including natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, technology, medicine, and health, whose specific number may vary over time due to updates, but typically encompasses several dozen or even more.

The keywords for articles included in WoS are typically provided by the authors or journal editors, which are used to describe the main topics, content, and key concepts of the articles, making it easier for readers to find relevant literature. The selection of keywords should accurately and comprehensively reflect the article’s subject matter, aiding in retrieval and categorization, as well as being used within the WoS database to index and label articles, assisting users in finding relevant literature through keyword searches.

WoS defines an abstract as a brief summary of the article’s content, typically provided by the authors, and utilizes abstracts to assist users in swiftly browsing and assessing a large volume of literature, making them crucial for literature retrieval and screening. The abstract covers the main points, research methods, results, and conclusions of the article, whose purpose is to offer readers an overview of the article’s content, facilitating a quick understanding of the research’s focus and significance, aiding in the decision of whether to delve further into the full text. Therefore, authors often strive to ensure that abstracts accurately and clearly convey the core information of the article.

WoS introduces the feature of searching by the authors’ affiliated country or region to facilitate users in retrieving and analyzing research outcomes specific to certain countries or regions, which allows users to filter results according to particular countries or regions, enabling exploration of literature published within those areas, thereby uncovering the research focus, developmental trends, and contributions within the region. This capability proves highly beneficial for international comparative research, tracking academic output in specific regions, and gaining insights into global research dynamics. Additionally, it assists researchers and policymakers in understanding the research levels, strengths, and trends across different regions and disciplines, thereby providing reference and support for decision-making. Hence, this search functionality based on authors’ affiliated country or region holds significant importance within the framework of WoS.

The display of citation counts and citing article information in WoS aims to provide insights into the impact and scholarly communication of the indexed papers, which could reveal how other academic articles reference a specific paper, indicating its influence and adoption within the academic community. This information is critical for assessing a paper’s impact, significance, and academic contribution, by which researchers can discern which scholars, journals, or fields contribute to a specific research area, aiding in tracking the dissemination and reach of a particular research output. These data are widely used for academic assessments, comparative analyses of research outcomes, and evaluating the significance of specific papers within certain fields or disciplines.

In the realm of carbon research, it is crucial to understand the current state of knowledge and how it has evolved over the past decade. This study, “Pioneering Carbon Research: Unveiling a Decade of Academic Exploration through SCIE Highly Cited Papers,” seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the advancements in carbon research by analyzing highly cited publications indexed in SCIE. Through this exploration, the study aims to identify emerging trends, patterns, and significant achievements that have shaped the field. Additionally, the research delves into the interdisciplinary significance of carbon research, examining its far-reaching implications for both the environment and societal development. A critical objective of this work is to pinpoint existing knowledge gaps and prioritize areas where further research is needed to drive innovation and sustainability in carbon-related studies.

Analyzing the Development Trends and Significance of Carbon Research. This paper, for the first time, divides the six characteristics of the WoS -indexed papers mentioned above into an XYZ coordinate axis for research analysis. In a groundbreaking approach, this study introduces a novel method by mapping the 6 distinct attributes of the WoS-indexed papers into a tri-dimensional XYZ coordinate system. This innovative framework allocates the X-axis to denote the platform, the Y-axis to signify the textual elements, and the Z-axis to encapsulate the scholarly impact, thereby facilitating a comprehensive and multifaceted analysis of the research corpus.

Within the XYZ coordinate system, a sophisticated analytical framework is employed to classify the attributes of each WoS-indexed paper. The X-axis encompasses the publisher, journal, and the categorized discipline, amalgamating these elements to signify the platform on which the paper is published. The Y-axis is constructed by compiling the keywords and abstract content, which together form a representation of the paper’s textual substance. Finally, the Z-axis aggregates the authors’ affiliated country or region, citation count, and citation journal details, providing a comprehensive measure of the scholarly influence exerted by the paper. This tridimensional approach provides a comprehensive and structured view of the research corpus, allowing for in-depth analysis and insights into the various facets of academic publishing.

Text mining, also known as text data mining or text analytics, extracts meaningful information from text data using techniques such as Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning.^[7] These techniques help identify significant words, phrases, and entities like names and organizations,^[8] and can be applied for tasks such as sentiment analysis^[9] and topic modeling.^[10] Tools like SAS Text Miner, VOSViewer, XSTAT, and Apache OpenNLP are commonly used, depending on the project’s requirements for scalability, ease of use, and integration with other software. CiteSpace is popular for analyzing scientific literature,^[11] focusing on bibliometrics and visualizing research trends.^[12] It identifies keyword co-occurrences and performs cluster analysis to uncover thematic clusters within a field.^[13,14] VOSviewer, similarly, analyzes text within scientific literature using NLP techniques^[15,16] and generates visual representations like word clouds to highlight relationships between terms.^[17] ArcGIS is geographic information system software widely used for spatial analysis, mapping, and managing geospatial data across various industries.^[18] GraphPad Prism is another versatile tool used for scientific graphing, statistical analysis, and data visualization, offering a user-friendly interface for researchers across different fields.^[19,20]

This study searched the SCIE dataset of the WoS core database using the keyword ‘carbon,’ applying filters for ‘article’ and ‘review article.’ As a result, 19,155 highly cited papers published between 2013 and 2022 were retrieved. The publishers and journals (publication titles) of these papers, along with data regarding keywords, abstracts, authors’ affiliated countries or regions, and citation counts, were downloaded and archived for analysis from the WoS database.

The research focuses on highly cited papers related to global carbon research published from 2013 to 2022, indexed in the WoS database (Table 1). The number of such papers has shown a steady upward trend, from 1,336 papers in 2013 to 2,557 papers in 2022. The largest increase occurred in 2019, with an 18.35% rise compared to 2018. The analysis covers eight main aspects: publisher, publication, sponsoring organization, subject classification, authors’ affiliations, authors’ institutions, h-index, and citation status. These eight items provide a broad measure of the influence of the papers (Table 2).

The XYZ coordinate system, constructed from six characteristics of the indexed papers, represents the academic landscape, covering publication platforms (publishers and open access), textual content (keywords and abstracts), and scholarly impact (regions and citations). The tools used for analysis are outlined in Table 3, offering a framework for examining the data.

From 1136 papers in 2013 to 2557 papers in 2022, the volume of highly cited papers in the field of carbon research nearly doubled. The significant 18.35% increase in global carbon-related papers indexed in the WoS Core Database from 2018 to 2019 can be attributed to several key factors. The release of the IPCC’s Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C in 2018 heightened global awareness of the urgent need to address climate change, driving intensified research on carbon emissions and neutrality technologies. Simultaneously, policy drivers such as the European Union’s 2050 Carbon Neutrality Strategy and China’s low-carbon development plans spurred academic and industrial focus on carbon-related studies. Enhanced funding opportunities from programs like the EU’s Horizon 2020 and China’s National Natural Science Foundation further supported research in areas such as carbon capture and carbon markets. High-impact journals launched special issues and columns dedicated to carbon research during this period, attracting a surge of high-quality submissions. Additionally, the rapid development of interdisciplinary research, leveraging advanced technologies like AI and big data analytics, deepened collaborations and broadened the scope of studies in this field. Collectively, these factors contributed to the marked growth in carbon-related publications, reflecting a dynamic interplay of policy, technology, and academic innovation. This highlights the escalating attention directed towards the carbon research domain on a yearly basis. The varying annual growth rates of carbon-related highly cited publications in the WoS Core Collections SCIE Database from 2013 to 2022 can be attributed to several interconnected factors. Global awareness and policy developments, such as the 2015 Paris Agreement, often drive significant surges in research output, while years without groundbreaking initiatives see slower growth. Research funding cycles, with large programs like Horizon 2020 or China’s National Natural Science Foundation, also play a crucial role, as funding announcements or renewals stimulate output, but delays in allocation can cause fluctuations. Technological advancements, such as AI and carbon capture technologies, periodically expand research scope, although their adoption often requires a lag period, influencing growth trends. Interdisciplinary collaborations across fields like chemistry, energy science, and environmental science bring new perspectives and increased output, but these efforts take time to develop and mature, leading to irregular growth rates. Lastly, external disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, can slow research productivity and publication processes. Together, these factors create a dynamic landscape that reflects the complex interplay of policy, funding, technology, collaboration, and global events in shaping academic research. The growth trajectory between publishers and publishing journals remained relatively consistent from 2013 to 2022. The growth trajectory remained relatively consistent due to several key factors. First, the annual growth rate fluctuations for publishers and journals were relatively small, mostly staying within a ±10% range, indicating a stable trend. Second, the total numbers of publishers and journals showed steady increases over the decade, rising from 55 to 62 publishers and 360 to 486 journals, respectively, despite minor year-to-year variations. Third, the global publishing ecosystem for carbon research has matured, with major publishers consolidating their roles and maintaining consistent growth. Fourth, the close correlation between the growth of publishers and journals reflects a mutually reinforcing dynamic, where publishers support the expansion of the ecosystem by launching new journals or broadening existing ones. Lastly, the stable demand for carbon research, driven by global carbon neutrality policies and increased research funding, has ensured sustained publishing activity. Together, these factors underscore the robust and steady development of the publishing landscape in carbon research. The number of author affiliations by country and region also exhibited a steady rise, reaching its peak in 2020 and 2021. Over the past 10 years, the quantity of open-access publications among highly cited papers in the field of carbon research has shown a steady increase annually. This signifies that open access has become a major trend in global scholarly publishing. Among the 19,155 highly cited papers in the field of carbon research, the number of disciplines into which WoS classified these papers reached its peak in 2022, totaling 124 categories. Over the span of the last decade, the count generally remained above 100 disciplines, except for 2017, where it stood at 99 categories.

This study downloaded the open-access status of 19,155 papers and generated a heatmap spanning 10 years to analyze the trend in open-access availability of papers over the decade. Using the open-access status data obtained from WoS for these papers, the heatmap (Figure 1) was created with a ten-year timeframe along the horizontal axis and open-access types of publications along the vertical axis. The Open-Access (OA) heat map provides a detailed visualization of the distribution and trends of OA types across 19,155 highly cited papers over a decade, offering significant insights into open-access publishing. The horizontal axis represents the temporal progression from 2013 to 2022, highlighting the gradual increase in OA availability and reflecting global shifts towards OA mandates by funding agencies and institutions. The vertical axis categorizes publications into 7 OA types-Gold, Green, Hybrid, Bronze, Diamond, Closed, and Repository-based-allowing for comparative analysis of their prevalence and evolution over time. The color intensity of the map visually communicates the density of publications within each OA type, revealing patterns such as the dominance of Gold and Hybrid OA in recent years and the decline of non-OA publications. When combined with data from Tables S1 and S2, which detail the top 25 publishers and their publication metrics, the map illustrates the contributions of major publishers and their adoption of OA models. It also reflects the impact of global OA policies like Plan S and national mandates, with notable peaks in OA types corresponding to policy implementation. Overall, the heat map serves as a valuable tool for understanding OA trends, the strategic shifts by publishers, and the influence of global policies, offering actionable insights for researchers, policymakers, and publishers.

Figure 1:
Open access heat map.

Attached Tables S1 and S2 list the top 25 publishers and the names of their publications, along with the number of publications and the percentage of their publications out of the total number of nearly 20,000 highly cited papers over the past decade. The inclusion of data on the top 25 publishers and their publications, along with the percentage of their contributions to nearly 20,000 highly cited carbon research papers, significantly enhances the paper’s value. This comprehensive insight provides a detailed understanding of the leading publishers’ roles, highlighting their alignment with global scientific priorities and establishing benchmarks for evaluating high-impact carbon research dissemination. The ranked list facilitates comparative analysis across a wide spectrum of publishing entities, enabling researchers, policymakers, and funding bodies to identify key contributors and potential collaborators. Moreover, emphasizing the publishers’ share in highly cited papers underscores their role in promoting research accessibility and impact, encouraging the adoption of open-access practices. This data-driven evaluation supports strategic decision-making for academic institutions and researchers, helping them align their publishing strategies with prominent journals to maximize visibility and influence. Together, these aspects create a robust framework for understanding publication dynamics in carbon research, making the study an invaluable resource for the global academic and publishing community.

The analysis of hot keywords in carbon research from 2013 to 2022 reveals dynamic trends, reflecting the evolving priorities within the field. Using tools like CiteSpace and VOSviewer, highly cited papers were examined to identify recurring terms in their abstracts, uncovering insights into the development of carbon science. Notably, the analysis found no consistent keywords across all years, highlighting the field’s rapid evolution and diverse focus areas. Keywords such as ‘emission,’ ‘soil,’ ‘electrode,’ ‘photocatalyst,’ ‘forest,’ ‘cancer,’ and ‘nanofluids’ emerged as significant indicators of the interdisciplinary nature of carbon research. These terms encapsulate the multifaceted nature of the field, spanning environmental issues, technological advancements, and biomedical applications. For example, the presence of terms like ‘emission’ and ‘soil’ underscores the sustained focus on climate change and ecological conservation, while ‘electrode’ and ‘photocatalyst’ point to innovations in energy storage and conversion technologies. Additionally, keywords such as ‘forest’ and ‘cancer’ reveal the broad applicability of carbon research, highlighting its relevance to ecological studies and biomedical advancements. Terms like ‘nanofluids’ signify progress in nanotechnology and materials science, demonstrating carbon’s role in developing cutting-edge solutions for energy and thermal management. This evolving landscape of keywords also reflects global efforts to address pressing challenges such as carbon neutrality and sustainability through innovative technologies. The visualized mapping of these terms provides valuable insights into emerging trends, interdisciplinary collaborations, and potential areas for future exploration. By understanding the co-occurrence and context of these keywords, researchers and stakeholders can better align their efforts with the evolving trajectory of carbon research, ensuring continued progress and impactful contributions to global challenges. This analysis not only captures the current focus areas within carbon research but also serves as a predictive tool for identifying new opportunities and directions in the field.

Paper keyword data spanning a decade was analyzed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to visualize the dynamic trends and thematic evolution of carbon research. Figures S1 to S10 from CiteSpace illustrate annual keyword co-occurrence networks, revealing the evolving associations and significance of terms. Similarly, Figures S11 to S20, generated via VOSviewer, complement this analysis by visualizing abstract content trends, offering insights into broader thematic landscapes. This dual-visualization approach unveils the intellectual contours shaping carbon research, emphasizing the significance of keywords as indicators of prevailing scientific interests and emerging focal points. The analysis highlights five critical insights into the implications of these keywords in carbon research. Firstly, keywords serve as proxies for identifying shifts in research priorities, reflecting global responses to pressing issues such as climate change and carbon neutrality. Secondly, they demonstrate interdisciplinary integration, showcasing connections between carbon research and fields like materials science, environmental studies, and renewable energy. Thirdly, co-occurrence networks reveal collaborative and citation patterns, indicating influential authors, institutions, and regions driving innovation. Fourthly, temporal trends in keywords point to emerging technologies and methods, such as the rise of nanomaterials or advanced analytics, shaping the field’s future. Lastly, the visualization fosters a meta-perspective on the progression of carbon research, offering researchers, policymakers, and industry stakeholders a clearer understanding of the field’s developmental trajectory and impact. By focusing on these conceptual implications rather than methodological specifics, the study leverages keywords to provide a richer narrative of the scholarly discourse, demonstrating their utility as powerful tools for decoding scientific progress and guiding future research directions.

Information regarding the countries or regions of affiliation for the paper authors was downloaded. Within ArcGIS, country or regional data was imported to ensure the inclusion of spatial information related to author affiliations. Using the map-making capabilities of ArcGIS; a point-based map was created based on the data depicting the countries or regions of author affiliations, showcasing the geographic distribution of authors. Observations were made regarding the distribution patterns and related trends of author affiliations based on the visualized map and analytical outcomes (Figure 3). This aids in comprehending the geographical characteristics of author distribution and aspects related to international collaboration. Figures S21 to S30 in the Supplementary material illustrate the worldwide distribution of author regions for highly cited papers published annually across a decade. Table S3 catalogues the top 25 regions ranked by the volume of highly cited papers issued over the entire course of the past ten years. Tables S4 to S13 in the Supplementary section present detailed information on the top 10 highly cited papers published each year over a ten-year period.

Figure 2:
Regions (ArcGIS).

Figure 3:
Regions (ArcGIS).

The surge in highly cited papers reflects increased global interest in carbon research, urging scientists to embrace interdisciplinary collaboration for innovation and address environmental challenges effectively. The nearly doubling of highly cited papers in research period indicates a significant rise in research activity and interest in the field of carbon research. Scientists can take this as a sign of the growing importance and recognition of their work, motivating them to contribute further. Additionally, the stable growth trajectory between publishers and publishing journals from 2013 to 2022 suggests a steady and reliable platform for disseminating research findings. Researchers can expect continued opportunities for publishing their work in reputable journals. The steady increase in the number of author affiliations by country and region, peaking in 2020 and 2021, reflects a trend towards greater international collaboration. Scientists should seek to leverage these global networks to enhance their research through diverse perspectives and resources. Furthermore, the peak in the number of disciplines classified by WoS in 2022, totaling 124 categories, highlights the interdisciplinary nature of carbon research. Researchers should consider engaging with different scientific disciplines to enrich their studies and foster innovation. Over the past decade, the classification of highly cited papers into over 100 disciplines, with only a slight dip in 2017, underscores the broad and diverse impact of carbon research. This trend emphasizes the importance of maintaining a wide-ranging approach and staying informed about developments across various fields. Overall, these insights encourage carbon research scientists to pursue interdisciplinary collaborations, take advantage of stable publication opportunities, and recognize the growing global interest and importance of their work. Through keyword analysis with VOSviewer, researchers gain a visual representation of key term frequency and interrelationships in abstracts, facilitating the identification of central themes and trends. Additionally, scholarly impact data highlights China and the United States as prolific contributors to academic publications in carbon research, aiding in the identification of leading research institutions and regions. Moreover, the interdisciplinary nature of highly cited papers underscores the importance of collaboration across diverse fields to address complex challenges and foster innovation. Overall, these insights empower experts to stay informed, identify key contributors and institutions, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations to advance knowledge and address pressing environmental issues in carbon research.

Publishers in carbon research must recognize influential players, prioritize rigorous peer review, promote innovation, foster strategic collaborations, invest in editorial teams and technology, embrace interdisciplinary research, and leverage visualization tools to enhance impact and facilitate collaboration, advancing the field. These conclusions offer several key insights for publishers dedicated to the field of carbon research. Firstly, they should recognize the leading influence held by publishing powerhouses such as Elsevier, Wiley, the American Chemical Society, Springer Nature, the Royal Society of Chemistry, NATURE PORTFOLIO, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Understanding the strategies and standards set by these organizations can enhance their own impact and visibility. Secondly, maintaining rigorous peer-review processes and supporting high-quality research are crucial for achieving recognition and citation rates akin to those of the top publishers, who collectively produce 90% of highly cited papers in the field. Thirdly, publishers must actively shape the narrative and boundaries of carbon research by promoting innovative studies that drive the field forward. Fourthly, strategic collaborations with top research institutions and scientists are invaluable for curating impactful content and staying competitive. Additionally, investment in robust editorial teams, advanced publication technologies, and comprehensive dissemination strategies is essential to emulate the success of leading publishers. Lastly, embracing interdisciplinary research is a key, as it broadens the scope and impact of journals in the carbon research domain. By focusing on these areas, publishers can strengthen their role, increase the impact of their publications, and contribute significantly to the advancement of carbon research. VOSviewer’s visualization of keywords and their interrelationships within abstracts provides publishers with a deeper understanding of prevalent themes and trends. By analyzing distribution, color intensity, and associations within the heatmap, publishers can identify popular topics and areas of interest among researchers, informing editorial decisions to focus on content aligned with current trends. Understanding scholarly impact and affiliation patterns, particularly the significant contributions from China and the United States, guides publishers in targeting publications and marketing efforts, enhancing journal prestige and reach. Moreover, the interdisciplinary nature of highly cited papers highlights opportunities for publishers to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and submissions. By fostering collaboration between researchers from different disciplines, publishers facilitate the dissemination of innovative research addressing complex challenges in carbon science. Overall, these insights empower publishers to strategically position their publications, attract high-quality submissions, and contribute to advancing knowledge in the field.

These findings offer significant insights for readers engaged in the field of carbon research. Firstly, the consistent uptick in the quantity of open-access publications among highly cited papers signals a notable trend in global scholarly publishing towards open access. This reflects an emerging acknowledgment among researchers and institutions of the advantages of disseminating research freely to the public. Secondly, the comprehensive heatmap analysis spanning a decade provides readers with a holistic understanding of the trajectory of open-access availability in carbon research. This analytical approach facilitates insight into the evolution of open access within the field and its implications for scholarly communication practices. Furthermore, the study exposes variations in different types of open access. While overall open-access paper numbers have steadily risen, the particularly notable growth rates of certain types, such as green published articles, highlight diverse pathways and models within open access publishing. However, concerns arise from the apparent stagnation in the quantity of free-to-read open access articles and the relatively unchanged number of gold-hybrid open access articles since 2016.

The rise of open-access publications, along with heatmap analysis and interdisciplinary collaboration, empowers readers to navigate trends and challenges in carbon research, fostering informed engagement and advancement in the field. These trends raise pertinent questions and suggest areas requiring further investigation to understand the dynamics and challenges of open access publishing in the carbon research domain. Through keyword analysis with VOSviewer, readers can visualize the interrelationships of keywords within abstracts, aiding in understanding prevalent themes and trends. By observing the distribution, color intensity, and associations within the heatmap, readers can identify key topics and areas of interest, helping them stay updated on current research directions. Understanding scholarly impact and affiliation patterns, particularly contributions from China and the United States, allows readers to recognize leading contributors and institutions driving advancements in the field. This context aids in interpreting research findings and identifying potential collaborators or research partners. Additionally, the interdisciplinary nature of highly cited papers highlights the diverse fields and perspectives contributing to impactful research in carbon science, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Overall, these insights empower readers to stay informed, identify key contributors and institutions, and foster interdisciplinary collaborations to address pressing challenges and advance knowledge in the field of carbon research.

Widely used by academic institutions, researchers, librarians, and decision-makers, SCIE serves as a foundational tool for scholarly research, aiding in literature reviews, grant applications, and informed decision-making. Highly Cited Papers provide insights into research trends, identifying seminal works that have shaped the trajectory of scientific inquiry within various disciplines. This study, for the first time, categorizes six relevant elements of highly cited carbon research papers over a decade into the XYZ axes for a three-dimensional analysis. The platform information of research papers can better provide authors and readers with future selection criteria for submitting to publishers and journals. The textual content of research papers can better provide authors and readers with current hotspots in carbon research, and also establish future research directions and areas by laying the groundwork. The scholarly influence of research papers can better provide authors and readers with information about the research institution, its impact, and the significance of the thematic research. Analysis of these 19,155 highly cited papers in the field of carbon research over a decade reveals that the field of carbon research spans various disciplines and addresses critical global challenges related to climate change, materials science, energy, environmental sustainability, et al., and ongoing advancements in these areas are crucial for developing innovative solutions to global challenges associated with carbon emissions and their impact on the planet. Carbon research is crucial for advancing our understanding of carbon-related challenges, developing effective mitigation strategies, and working towards a more sustainable future. Collaboration across disciplines and sectors is essential to tackle carbon research gaps comprehensively.

The exploration of specific keywords aids in the efficient retrieval of pertinent articles while inspiring novel research avenues. Examining the abstracts of highly cited articles offers rapid insight into the core research content and methodological approaches utilized, fostering an in-depth understanding of pivotal contributions. This assessment helps researchers grasp the prevailing trends and areas of interest within their field, providing valuable guidance for future research directions. In research publishing, the careful selection of publishers and specific publications is of utmost importance, as it directly impacts how the researchers’ scholarly contributions can be seen. The process of discerning suitable publishers and publication platforms is integral to establishing the credibility and reach of research findings. Besides, assessing how easily the research can be shared and cited is vital to understanding its impact in the academic community. By analyzing the extent to which research findings can be shared and referenced, researchers gain critical insights into the significance of their work.

Furthermore, understanding the national and institutional affiliations of authors of highly cited articles is instrumental in identifying opportunities for international collaboration and recognizing valuable research centers. This insight enables researchers to establish connections and partnerships with experts in the field, fostering a collaborative environment that promotes innovation and knowledge exchange. In summary, through a comprehensive analysis of these factors, researchers may gain a holistic understanding of the landscape of highly cited articles within the field of carbon research. This comprehensive understanding could serve as a guiding compass for their research endeavors, informs decisions related to the choice of suitable publication platforms, and facilitates the establishment of collaborative networks.

The limitations of this study include the reliance on highly cited carbon research papers, which may not fully represent emerging research trends or underrepresented areas in the field. Additionally, while the study provides valuable insights into research trends, platform information, and scholarly influence, it is constrained by the specific timeframe and data sources used, limiting its scope to a particular period and set of research papers. For future research, there is potential to expand the analysis by incorporating newer papers, exploring interdisciplinary collaborations more deeply, and considering broader global challenges beyond carbon research. Further exploration of keywords, abstracts, and institutional affiliations can enhance understanding of the field and foster international partnerships, guiding researchers in selecting publication platforms and advancing innovation in carbon research.

The authors would like to thank the research grants provided by New Journal of Excellence of Guangdong Province “Carbon Research” (Project No.:2024B1212060011), Guangdong Science and Technology Journal Intelligent Service Management Platform (Project No.: 2024B1212080007) and Guangdong Science and Technology Journal Editors Association Fund Projects (Project No: 2024-YB-22; 2024-ZD-02; 2024-ZD-05). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.