Template-type: ReDif-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Wang L. 
Author-workplace-name: UNU-MERIT
Title: The structure and comparative advantages of China's scientific research: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives
Abstract: In recent decades there has been a sharp increase in Chinas scientific  output. Behind its fast growth, little is known about Chinas  comparative advantages in different academic disciplines. Meanwhile,  despite Chinas rising position now in second place worldwide for  research output, its research quality has been long in dispute. Based  on citation rates, many studies expressed negative opinions on the  quality of Chinas scientific output. This paper argues that citation  reflects more social impact than quality. On the other hand, the time  lag between being cited and the eventual publication of citing papers  masks the real recent situation in developing countries. In particular  prior to 2006, almost half of research papers in China were published in  Chinese journals, which were not visible or readable to people outside  of China. Consequently, it is not surprising that citation rates of  Chinese researchers were rather low. Given that the publication  structure in China has changed tremendously in recent years, evaluation  of the quality of Chinese science needs to be carried out according to  the latest research output from China. This paper examines the  comparative advantages of each academic discipline as well as their  shifts over the years. Focusing on the top 5 per cent journals by each  discipline, we evaluate the quality of Chinas scientific output  compared to the rest of the world. Different from the criticism stated  in previous literature, this paper finds that the quality of Chinas  research in terms of publications in top journals is promising. Since  2006 the growth of scientific publications in China has been driven by  papers published in English-language journals. The increasing visibility  of Chinese science paves the way for its wider recognition and higher  citation rates.     Keywords Bibliometrics, Scientometric analysis, Revealed comparative  advantage, Publications, Scientific output, Publication quality,  Citation, High-impact journals
Keywords: Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives; Management of Technological Innovation and R&D; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes; Comparative Studies of Countries; 
Classification-JEL: O31; O32; O33; O57; .
Series:  Working Papers
Creation-Date: 2014
Number: 028
File-URL: http://pub.maastrichtuniversity.nl/47dd1e27-0c55-4816-9275-6aeef859d662
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 309356
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2014028