Several aspects of the proposal, which aims to expand open access, require serious discussion and, in some cases, a rethink.
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Contributed by Yu Xie, May 6, 2014 (sent for review January 30, 2014)
Significance
New data reveal that in the past three decades, China has become a major contributor to science and technology. Four factors favor China’s continuing rise in science: a large population and human capital base, a labor market favoring academic meritocracy, a large diaspora of Chinese-origin scientists, and a centralized government willing to invest in science. These factors may serve as an example to other nations aspiring to advance their standing in science. However, China’s science also faces potential difficulties due to political interference and scientific fraud.
Abstract
In the past three decades, China has become a major contributor to science and technology. China now employs an increasingly large labor force of scientists and engineers at relatively high earnings and produces more science and engineering degrees than the United States at all levels, particularly bachelor’s. China’s research and development expenditure has been rising. Research output in China has been sharply increasing since 2002, making China the second largest producer of scientific papers after the United States. The quality of research by Chinese scientists has also been improving steadily. However, China’s rise in science also faces serious difficulties, partly attributable to its rigid, top–down administrative system, with allegations of scientific misconduct trending upward.
Footnotes
- ↵1To whom correspondence may be addressed E-mail: chunnizhang{at}pku.edu.cn or yuxie{at}umich.edu.
Author contributions: Y.X. designed research; C.Z. and Q.L. performed research; C.Z. and Q.L. analyzed data; and Y.X., C.Z., and Q.L. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1407709111/-/DCSupplemental.
China’s rise in science and technology
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