China wants more of its top researchers to publish in local journals. But what does this mean for cross-border collaborations, such as the Sun Yat-sen University – Michigan State University joint center for vector-borne diseases in Guangzhou, China?
Evaluation of Researchers and Research Institutions in China
Researchers and research institutions in China are evaluated, ranked, and funded based on their record of publishing articles in journals included in the Science Citation Index (SCI), an international database that includes articles and citation records for about 9,000 journals.
Increased International Collaborations and Potential Concerns
The number of articles in these journals written by authors from Chinese institutions nearly quadrupled between 2009 and 2019. During that time, Chinese researchers increased international collaborations, which helped them secure international publications. However, there are concerns that the widespread use of published metrics incentivizes low-quality work, as well as the fact that some institutions pay bonuses to those who publish in journals.
Changing the Evaluation System in China
This may be about to change. Last month, the Chinese government ordered institutions to stop promoting or hiring solely based on the number of articles or citations, and to halt publication bonuses.
Goals of the Chinese Government
The change is significant, aiming to achieve two important government objectives. Firstly, it aims to help eliminate plagiarism, self-citation, and citation of peers’ works to boost their citations. Secondly, it aims to promote the local research publishing industry, which the government wishes to develop – but is made difficult if the best research is published internationally.
Enhancing Local Research Publishing
To enable more local research publishing, the government last year allocated one billion yuan ($143 million) over five years to improve the standards of about 280 Chinese journals, most of which publish in English. These journals were ranked, and the top 22 received between one million and five million yuan annually to help attract a higher level of articles, not only from China but from around the world.
Protecting International Collaborations
The Chinese government encourages researchers to play their part by publishing articles in local journals. This is important, especially as it will make science more accessible in China. However, in setting up the new evaluation system, the government must be careful to protect the collaborations and relationships that came with the old system.
Source: Nature 579, 8 (2020)
Link: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00625-0
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00625-0
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