Evolving target: A 16-year progressive framework for shifting the rubric of scientific publishing toward transparency, artificial intelligence, and the Economic Impact Factor for impact that matters

Figure 1 A timeline of the genesis and growth of the World Journal of Stem Cells. A: Journal Impact Factors (JIFs) and total citations of World Journal of Stem Cells from 2017 to 2022 (data from Web of Science); B: Total views/accesses and total downloads of World Journal of Stem Cells from 2017 to 2022. JIF up to 5.326 (2020); C: Heatmap illustrating normalized citation trajectories (2010-2025) for the top-10 World Journal of Stem Cells articles, aligned with Science Citation Index Expanded median JIF benchmarks. JIF: Journal Impact Factor; SCIE: Science Citation Index Expanded.

Figure 2 Estimating the universal average Journal Impact Factor across the Web of Science Core Collection. JIF: Journal Impact Factor.

Figure 3 A new paradigm for scientific publishing: From transparency to economic impact. AI: Artificial intelligence.

Figure 4 The Economic Impact Factor impact wheel for the BoNT/A-Hall (BOTOX^® Gene Study). Illustrating how a single publication radiates translational influence across five interconnected dimensions: Scientific discovery, patents/IP, regulatory integration, economic performance, and policy adoption. Each axis reflects its normalized contribution to the overall Economic Impact Factor = 0.92[23].