Abstract: The filed in-situ stress methods have some obstacles limiting its application such as the difficulty of site operation， the complex of measurement processes，and high measurement environment requirements. Only a few on-site measurement points can be usually adopted to obtain in-situ stress information. The study on some relatively simple and easy methods for in-situ stress measurements has been an important subject of rock mechanics and engineering. The Kaiser effect of rock acoustic emission is an important method to measure in-situ stress in laboratory. The Kaiser effect of rock acoustic emission has been studied for more than half a century. But there is no acknowledged and unified method of Kaiser point identification till now. In this paper，the mechanism of Kaiser effect in rock acoustic emission，the identification method of Kaiser effect point and the factors affecting Kaiser effect are summarized and discussed. The mechanism of Kaiser effect and the evolution mechanism of microcracks are discussed. Based on the above discussion results，the main research directions and contents of the Kaiser effect of rock acoustic emission are proposed，which can provide a reference for researchers in this field.

Key words: acoustic emission, Kaiser effect, rock, in-situ stress