Chinese policymakers are discussing reducing incentives for researchers to publish in international journals, including lowering the weight of SCI publications in academic promotion and tenure decisions, citing national security concerns over technology leaks. This shift could reshape China's academic evaluation system, reduce international research collaboration, and impact global scientific publishing by potentially diverting high-quality research to domestic Chinese-language journals. The National Natural Science Foundation of China now requires at least 20% of representative papers from funded projects to be published in Chinese-language journals. A materials scientist reported stopping submissions to foreign journals due to vague and tightening security review standards.
Background
SCI (Science Citation Index) has long been a key metric for academic evaluation in Chinese universities, heavily influencing hiring, promotion, and funding decisions. In recent years, China has strengthened national security reviews of academic publications, especially after a case where a researcher allegedly leaked sensitive data while trying to get published in an international journal.
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Discussion
One community commenter noted that this policy might be intended to combat academic fraud, suggesting that reducing pressure to publish in high-impact international journals could lower incentives for misconduct.