To evaluate and improve the quality of Chinese Journal of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases (CJPPD), the highly cited papers published in CJPPD from 1983 to 2018 were searched through the full-text database of Chinese journals in Chinese Academic Journal Network Publishing Database and the Chinese Citation Database of CNKI. Total 515 highly cited papers with more than 15 citations were identified from CJPPD since 1983. The publication time, authorship, covered parasite and research categories of these highly cited papers were analyzed using bibliometric method. The results showed that the 515 highly cited papers had been cited for 15 496 citations, with average of 30 citations for each paper. The research related to schistosomiasis covered the highest number of the highly cited papers, accounting for 27.6% (142/515). Most of the highly cited papers are associated with immunology and diagnosis of parasitic diseases, accounting for 75.6% (166/515). Among the 515 highly cited papers, only 27 were single-authored papers and others were co-authored (94.8%, 488/515). The analysis on the highly cited papers published in CJPPD reveals the research trends in the area of parasitology and parasitic diseases, objectively reflects the research dynamics and hotspots related to the control of parasitic diseases. The analysis also provides reference for researchers to grasp the research direction, for journal editors to make better editorial planning and topic selection.