China launching increasing number of journals in English

Chinese universities and publishers are rapidly launching English language journals in a bid to internationalise Chinese research, according to a new survey of the rapidly changing publishing market in China.

“New English journals are springing up like mushrooms,” according to a market report about China, released on 24 August by the Publishers Association, which adds that the trend is driven “by the desire for international impact” among institutes, universities and publishers.

Some of the new English journals – which are mostly in fields such as science, technology and medicine – are making a big impact in global science, with 185 included in this year’s Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Report, which lists the world’s most cited journals, up from 162 two years previously.  

“With the continuing policy and financial support from the government and Chinese publishers’ better understanding of the game rules and processes, there are good reasons to believe that the range of high impact of English journals will enlarge,” the report says.

Although Chinese language journals still form the majority in China, they are increasingly trying to gain international readers by translating certain papers, as well as including English abstracts, figures and tables, the Publishers Association observes.

There is now much tougher competition in China for international publishers, the report adds.

“Newcomers try to win a position in the market, while those who already have been here for years want to introduce more of their services to the market. Chinese librarians and publishers are becoming more demanding than before, for lower prices, better deals, and localised services,” it says. 

david.matthews@tesglobal.com