The academic genealogy of scientists is an important subject in the field of history of science. This study can explain the construction and development of the discipline. This paper combs and analyses the development and origin, the definition of concept, research methods, academic lineage platforms and measurement indicators, and combines existing research to discuss the status and development of scientific lineage. The research found that the academic genealogy research of Chinese scientists is still in its infancy and development stage and the research is mainly qualitative research. Relying on the database of academic genealogy and bibliometrics, the quantitative research is gradually enriched. At present, there is a lack of platform and widely recognized measurement standards for evaluating academic genealogy in China.