Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study reviews the 20-year history (2005-2025) of Chiropractic & Manual Therapies as an open-access, peer-reviewed journal. Originally launched in 1992 as COMSIG Review, the journal has undergone multiple title changes and is currently financially supported by three chiropractic societies. This review critically examines 20 years (2005-2025) as an open-access online journal and makes recommendations for future growth. METHODS: Data on all published articles in the journal Chiropractic & Manual Therapies for the period April 11, 2005, until April 10, 2025 were manually entered into SPSS Version 30.0.0.0 between the dates May 7, 2025 and May 16, 2025. The analysis examined article type, publication year, access numbers, citation counts, and Altmetric scores for each published article. Conclusions were then drawn, and recommendations made. RESULTS: Of the 800 articles published, research articles comprised the majority (59.1%) of publication type, yet systematic reviews demonstrated significantly higher citation rates and online engagement. There has been strong growth in research outputs over the 20 years. Systematic reviews, debate articles and narrative reviews showed notable higher accesses and impact, than other article types. Open access has broadened global reach with 7.49 million accesses over the 20 years examined. The current Impact Factor is 2.3 (2024), the highest for any chiropractic journal worldwide. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the journal's substantial contribution to the chiropractic and manual therapy literature and offer insights for future editorial direction and impact enhancement. The journal's unique role as a society-supported publication has enabled exploration of emerging and controversial topics that have attracted high numbers of accesses indicating popularity and reach.