On March 27, 2024, Elsevier, a global information analytics firm, officially released the "Highly Cited Chinese Researchers" 2023. Based on the global prestigious citation and indexing database Scopus as the statistical source of research findings of Chinese researchers, the Elsevier "Highly Cited Chinese Researchers" 2023 has ultimately selected 5,801 highly cited Chinese researchers by adopting the selection methodology designed by Shanghai Ranking. According to the list, a total of 48 CQU researchers were shortlisted in the "Highly Cited Chinese Researchers" 2023, placing CQU in the 30th place in the list of selected institutions.

The finalists of CQU are found in 24 subjects, including Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Instrumentation Science and Technology, Applied Economics, Metallurgical Engineering, Physics, Mining Engineering, Control Science and Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Technology, Business Administration, and Materials Science and Engineering. The top 3 subjects in terms of the number of finalists are Electrical Engineering (7), Civil Engineering (7), and Instrumentation Science and Technology (3). The shortlisted CQU researchers by subject are shown in the table below. In particular, three CQU disciplines like information and communication engineering, architecture, and geological resources & geological engineering have shortlisted CQU researchers on the list for the first time; Six CQU researchers like Ma Minda, Hu Chenguo, Tang Mingchun, Li Qian, He Baojie, and Zou Quanle are included in the list for the first time.

The number of shortlisted CQU researchers in the 2023 list increased by 4 or 9% compared with that of 2022. Over the past five years, a total of 177 CQU researchers have appeared on the Highly Cited Chinese Researchers list. According to historical data, CQU had 12 and 29 finalists for the list in 2019 and 2020, respectively. It has witnessed a steady increase in its number of highly cited Chinese researchers since 2021-2022, when the number was raised to 44. (per Research Center for Academic Evaluation and Analysis of Libraries)