Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Research in China’s Colleges - A Review of Policy Reforms, 2000–2020

Oct 15, 2026

This study conducts a systematic review of policy reforms governing the evaluation of scientific and technological research (E-STR) in China’s colleges from 2000 to 2020. Drawing on policy documents from 2003, 2013, and 2020 and using content analysis, it traces how objectives evolve and assesses the realizability of the most recent reform. Findings emphasize targeted measures, a monitoring mechanism, and lessons learned from earlier efforts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Originality/Value

Evaluation of E-STR Policy Reforms, 2000–2020

Differences Between Measures, 2000–2020

Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Research in China’s Colleges: A Review of Policy Reforms, 2000–2020 Junwen Zhu East China Normal University ECNU Review of Education 2020, Vol. 3(3) 556–561 ª The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/2096531120938383](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120938383)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/2096531120938383)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study conducts a systematic review of policy reforms for the evaluation of scientific and technological research (E-STR) in China’s colleges. In doing so, it identifies changes to past policies, as well as the objectives and realizability of the most recent policy reform. Design/Approach/Methods: This study systematically reviews the contexts of E-STR policy reforms in China’s colleges post 2000 using three important related policy documents from 2003, 2013, and 2020 as samples. Research findings were obtained via content analysis. Findings: Unlike previous attempts, the most recent policy reform has incorporated the lessons learned while introducing highly targeted measures and a monitoring mechanism. Such reform should accelerate the promotion of major original scientific research in China’s colleges, enhance the contribution of scientific research to socioeconomic development, and strengthen support for the cultivation of undergraduate talents. Originality/Value: Initiated in the early part of 2000, China’s latest E-STR policy reform constitutes an important turning point in the initiative to burst the research bubble and return to the essence of innovation. It will drive China’s colleges to embark on a research path that places value on original innovation and contribution to socioeconomic development. Corresponding author: Junwen Zhu, Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, China. Email: [jwzhu@ed.ecnu.edu.cn](jwzhu@ed.ecnu.edu.cn) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Keywords China, higher education, policy reform, research evaluation, Science Citation Index Date received: 21 April 2020; accepted: 9 June 2020 In the mid-1990s, Scientific Citation Index (SCI) indicators were introduced into the evaluation of scientific and technological research (E-STR) in China’s colleges. Subsequently, China’s international publications have grown rapidly. But the original innovation performance has not improved accordingly. After 2000, the demand for reforming E-STR has grown. In 2020, the Chinese government released two policy documents that attracted widespread attention. The first was Several Suggestions on Standardizing the Usage of SCI Papers and Related Indicators by Colleges and Establishing the Correct Approach Toward Evaluation—jointly issued by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST; MOE-MOST [2020] No. 2) . The second was Several Measures to Eliminate the Incorrect “Paper-Centric” Approach of Evaluating Scientific and Technological Research (Trial)—jointly released by the MOST and Ministry of Finance (MOF) (issued by MOST [2020] No. 37) . Both documents were immediately reported on and discussed by Nature (Mallapaty, 2020; Nature Editorial, 2020), while fervent debate occurred in China’s mainstream media (Deng, 2020; Li, 2020; Zhao, 2020) . This study provides a systematic revi

FAQs

What is the purpose of this study?

It systematically reviews policy reforms for evaluating scientific and technological research (E-STR) in China’s colleges and identifies how policies changed, including the objectives and realizability of the newest reform.

Which policy documents are used as samples?

The study uses three related policy documents from 2003, 2013, and 2020 to examine the contexts of E-STR policy reforms after 2000.

What does the study say about the most recent reform’s features?

It incorporates lessons from earlier attempts and adds highly targeted measures plus a monitoring mechanism to support original research, socioeconomic contribution, and undergraduate talent cultivation.

Oct 15, 2026

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