Based on "the special database of the overseas Chinese documentation and information", this thesis utilizes the theory and method of metrology of documents to emphatically analyze and appraise the overseas Chinese studies, which were published between 1980-2003 in mainland China, from the perspectives of times, themes, periodicals, areas, authors, etc. The result shows most of theses were published during the middle period of 1990s. Since then the steady period has come. The heated topics has been about "economy" and "culture",and the number of studies on the overseas Qiinese history has decreased, but the quantity of studies regarding the affairs has increased. The studied areas have focused on Southeast Asia and North America; the periodicals have been distributed extensively, but the rate of the key periodicals publishing the theses, was relatively low; the active author groups have been formed. Therefore the conclusion is drawn that the overseas Chinese studies have gone through the stages from beginning, development, peak, to maturity. The field of its research is expanding constantly, and the trend of the multi-disciplinary cross research is prominent. The quality of the theses still remains to be improved, and "the phenomenon of partiality for certain food" should arouse our attention.