This study examines the publication and citation patterns of data papers—scholarly articles that describe research datasets—across 32 journals indexed in Web of Science. As a cornerstone of open science, data papers enhance transparency, reproducibility, and data reuse. By analyzing articles published in 2023, the study reveals that data papers often receive more citations than traditional research articles in several prominent journals, such as Nucleic Acids Research, Earth System Science Data, and Scientific Data. A new metric, Citation efficiency (CE), is introduced to assess the relative impact of data papers. Journals that employ editorial strategies like special issues tend to achieve higher CE scores, suggesting that visibility and thematic focus contribute to citation performance. While data papers are most common in life and earth sciences, their presence is gradually expanding into the humanities and social sciences. Interestingly, some journals with fewer data papers show disproportionately high citation efficiency, indicating that quality and relevance may outweigh quantity. These findings offer valuable insights for researchers, editors, and policymakers aiming to promote responsible data sharing and improve scholarly communication. By highlighting the impact of data papers, this study supports the advancement of open science and encourages a culture of data-driven research.