Ultrasonography in evolution: current position and priorities for global expansion

As the official journal of the Korean Society of Ultrasound in Medicine (KSUM), Ultrasonography has advanced steadily since its relaunch in English in 2014. Over the past decade, it has evolved from a regionally focused publication into an internationally recognized, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE)–indexed journal [1]. However, in today’s highly competitive publishing environment, merely maintaining our current standing is not enough. We must not only sustain our quality but also strategically position Ultrasonography for greater visibility, influence, and impact within the global ultrasound community [2].

At the recent World Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) Congress, we presented a poster summarizing the journal’s current metrics and benchmarking Ultrasonography relative to leading ultrasound journals. This editorial provides an update on our status, challenges, and a plan to boost the journal’s academic standing.

Current Position of Ultrasonography

According to the 2024 Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Ultrasonography holds an Impact Factor (IF) of 2.5, ranking 82nd among 212 journals (Q2) in the Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Medical Imaging category, and our 5-year IF is 3.1. In SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), Ultrasonography is a Q1 (top 25%) journal in Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Imaging. These bibliometrics demonstrate the journal’s consistency and scholarly relevance. The journal’s influence is further underscored by a Hirsch index (H-index) based on Scopus and a Google Scholar h5-index. Ultrasonography shows an H-index of 42 and an h5-index of 30, highlighting the increasing role of accessibility in increasing scholarly impact and citation performance (Table 1).

Table 1.

Benchmarking the performance of key medical ultrasound journals

	Journal Citation Reports				Scopus				h-5 index in Google Scholar
	Citable articles	IF	5-Year IF	Rank by JIF	CiteScore	SJR2024	Rank by SJR2024	H-index in SCImago
Ultrasonography	110	2.5	3.1	Q2	6.2	0.928	Q1a)	42	30
UMB	496	2.6	2.9	Q2	4.9	0.663	Q1b)	153	47
JUM	382	2.4	2.4	Q2	5.0	0.708	Q2a)	108	44
UiM/EJU	88	2.9	3.5	Q2	4.8	0.539	Q2a)	72	32
JMU	119	0.8	1.0	Q4	1.3	0.629	Q3a)	23	14

IF, Impact Factor; JIF, Journal Impact Factor; SJR, SCImago Journal Rank; UMB, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology; JUM, Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine; UiM, Ultraschall in der Medizin; EJU, European Journal of Ultrasound; JMU, Journal of Medical Ultrasound.

^a)Category: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Imaging.

^b)Category: Acoustics and Ultrasonics.

In terms of visibility, approximately 55% of corresponding authors are based in Korea, while 45% come from outside Korea over the last three years. The proportion of authors from outside Korea has increased over the last 10 years: 10% in 2014-2015, 29% in 2016-2017, and 46% in 2018-2019 [2]. This balanced authorship profile reflects the journal’s dual identity: firmly rooted in the Korean academic community, yet increasingly recognized abroad. Based on the Web of Science Core Collection, the number of countries of authors citing Ultrasonography in the most recent three-year period was 25, and the top-ranking countries were Korea, China, the United States, Japan, and Italy.

To assess our position more critically, we compared Ultrasonography with four prominent journals focusing on ultrasound (Table 1). Despite being published by a small-society publisher, Ultrasonography is competitive in impact metrics and leads in open-access ultrasound publishing among non-commercial platforms.

Challenges and Strategic Opportunities

Despite its achievements, Ultrasonography faces several critical challenges that must be addressed to ensure continued growth. First, the journal has reached a citation plateau; while citation counts increased rapidly after indexing in SCIE in 2019, this growth has recently stagnated (Fig. 1). This trend suggests a need to reassess the types of manuscripts we publish and to align our content with topics that are more likely to generate academic impact. Although the journal has achieved a strong author base across Asia, we must further expand our global reach and attract submissions of highly citable content such as expert guidelines, consensus statements, and technical innovations [3].

Fig. 1. Citations of Ultrasonography.

Second, brand recognition remains a challenge. As a relatively young international journal, Ultrasonography still struggles with name recognition, particularly in Europe and North America, where legacy journals dominate. To further solidify Ultrasonography’s status as a truly international journal, it is essential to improve its global visibility and attract a broader spectrum of authors and readers.

To overcome current challenges and strengthen the journal’s global presence, we propose a three-pronged strategic plan. First, we will diversify the journal’s content by actively inviting structured reviews, expert consensus statements, and thematic issues on high-impact topics such as artificial intelligence, point-of-care ultrasound, and contrast-enhanced imaging. We will also expedite the review and publication process for groundbreaking original research. Second, we will reinforce and expand global partnerships by launching editorial collaborations and co-sponsored issues with leading societies, including WFUMB, European Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (EFSUMB), and American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM). We will invite distinguished guest editors from top-tier institutions to lead thematic issues and promote international engagement. Third, we aim to boost visibility through broader indexing in platforms such as MEDLINE and Europe PMC. This will be supported by proactive promotion via global networks, digital media, and an increased focus on publishing citable, globally relevant content.

Through these strategies, Ultrasonography will solidify its role as a premier platform for cutting-edge ultrasound research worldwide.

Conclusion

The field of medical ultrasound is advancing rapidly, and journals must evolve accordingly to remain relevant. Ultrasonography is uniquely positioned as a high-quality, open-access journal supported by a leading academic society. However, continued progress will require a proactive strategy, editorial agility, and global engagement. We are confident that by implementing the roadmap outlined above, Ultrasonography will strengthen its role as a core platform for cutting-edge ultrasound research and practice worldwide. We invite researchers, clinicians, and educators across the globe to join us in shaping the next chapter of Ultrasonography.