Nine of the world’s top 10 research institutions are now Chinese.

The latest Nature Index rankings reveal an astonishing trend: nine of the world’s top 10 research institutions are now Chinese

To fully appreciate China’s meteoric rise, one must look back at the academic landscape a decade ago. When the Nature Index Global rankings were first released in 2014, only eight Chinese universities made it into the top 100. Today, that number has more than quintupled, with 42 Chinese institutions now ranking among the world’s best

One of the most notable policy shifts has been the move away from publication-based evaluation metrics. Previously, Chinese academics were incentivized to publish as many papers as possible, often at the expense of quality. However, recent reforms have introduced a more rigorous peer-review system that prioritizes impactful and innovative research over sheer volume. This shift has resulted in a significant improvement in the credibility and global influence of Chinese scientific output.

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.worldEnglish
    282·
    14 days ago

    Please, oh please do or do not research in Chinese. I’m too old to give a flying fuck. But it would be hilarious if suddenly the world had to learn Chinese to be able to use the research results.

    • Damage@feddit.itEnglish
      105·
      14 days ago

      I’d like to learn Chinese (which one though?), but I’m afraid I never will. LLMs may help with translation, though.

      • Bartsbigbugbag@lemmy.mlEnglish
        155·
        14 days ago

        Mandarin is the most accessible and widely spoken, Cantonese is good if you want to spend a lot of time in the south. Good luck if you want to learn one of the hundreds of other dialects, maybe make a friend from one of the places and have them help you.

        • kerrigan778@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          1·
          13 days ago

          I thought they were identical written languages but different spoken. Surely if you were learning to read research papers it wouldn’t matter.