Abstract: The vibration-based damage identification method has been rapidly developed in the past few decades. The basic idea behind this technology is that the vibration characteristics (such as frequency, mode shape, modal damping, etc.) are functions of the physical properties of the structure (such as mass, damping and stiffness). Therefore, changes in the physical properties will cause detectable changes in the vibration characteristics. In this paper, the meaning, application status and classification of vibration-based damage identification methods in structural health monitoring are described. The structural damage detection methods based on dynamic characteristics and recognition algorithms are presented, and their advantages and shortcomings are analyzed. Finally, some topics which are worth studying further and the future trends for damage detection of civil engineering structures are proposed.