Bigger than You Thought: China's Contribution to Scientific Publications

27 Pages Posted: 16 Jul 2018 Last revised: 6 May 2023

See all articles by Qingnan Xie

Qingnan Xie

Nanjing University of Science and Technology

Richard B. Freeman

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); University of Edinburgh - School of Social and Political Studies; Harvard University; London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP)

Date Written: July 2018

Abstract

From 2000 to 2016 China increased its scientific publications in the international journals indexed by Scopus to become the largest contributor to global science, accounting for about 23% of journal articles adjusted for the Chinese share of addresses or names on publications. Publications with all-China addresses contributed the most to the increase, followed by cross-country collaborations and papers by Chinese-named researchers outside the country. The same period also saw a huge increase in scientific publications in Chinese language journals not indexed in Scopus. We estimate that while Chinese language papers gain about 1/5th as many citations as non-Chinese (largely English) papers in Scopus they are so numerous that even valued as making 1/5th the contribution of a Scopus paper, China accounts for 36% of global scientific papers defined as Scopus papers and China language equivalent papers and for 37% of citations to those papers. China's move to the forefront of scientific inquiry makes it a key driver of the direction of scientific and technological progress and of the knowledge-based economies of the foreseeable future.

Suggested Citation

Xie, Qingnan and Freeman, Richard B., Bigger than You Thought: China's Contribution to Scientific Publications (July 2018). NBER Working Paper No. w24829, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3214375

Qingnan Xie (Contact Author)

Nanjing University of Science and Technology ( email )

No.219, Ningliu Road
Nanjing, Jiangsu 210094
China

Richard B. Freeman

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
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United States
617-868-3900 (Phone)
617-868-2742 (Fax)

University of Edinburgh - School of Social and Political Studies ( email )

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Harvard University ( email )

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Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
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London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) ( email )

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London WC2A 2AE

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