The fast-growing economy has had one unintended consequence: Scientists must pay more if they want to get published in international journals, which no longer consider China a low-income country. For example, US online publication PLoS One charges Chinese researchers as much as $1,350 per article, a standard fee for contributors from the United States and Europe. In comparison, it charges nothing for papers submitted from low-income countries such as Afghanistan, Cambodia and Ethiopia, while charging $500 for lower-middle-income countries such as India, Cuba and Egypt, in accordance with a country's per capita GDP and investment in science and technology. Many other international journals do not recognize China as a developing economy. Li Jing, a Chinese researcher working in Finland, used his blog to call on Chinese scientists to boycott PLoS One - and more than 60 scientists signed up to protest the fees. However, the nation's scientists believe the ultimate solution lies closer to home. Wu Yishan, deputy director of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China, said: "Although China produced 168,000 sci-tech papers in 2012 - the second highest number in the world - the vast majority of these papers are published in foreign journals, because our domestic sci-tech publications are far less influential than foreign publications. There are several excellent journals in China, but the number is too small. Most first-class papers go to foreign journals, because the author wants the recognition of the international science community," Wu said. "China needs better science journals to provide a better platform for our own scientists." The institute, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is designed to provide decision-making support to government agencies and keep the science and technology community up to date. In 2000, only 47 of China's sci-tech publications were included in the Science Citation Index published by Thomson Reuters, which covers the world's most notable and significant journals across 100 disciplines. By 2011, the number had increased to 155, accounting for 1.9 percent of all SCI journals. Journals: Rapid increase in sci-tech papers At the same time, the number of China's sci-tech papers increased. Between 2001 and 2011, Chinese scientists published 836,300 international papers. In 2010 alone, they authored 121,500 international papers. "This number is still too small compared with the total output of papers in China," Wu said. As of 2011, only 20 percent of China's SCI papers were published in domestic journals. The rest went to foreign journals. Wu said the most obvious reason for China's sci-tech journals lagging behind is language. "In the United Nations, you may have different working languages, but in the international science community, English is the de facto working language," he said. Out of more than 5,000 domestic sci-tech journals in China, about 200 are published in English. "The percentage of China's journals in English is far lower than that of Poland, Hungary, the Republic of Korea and Japan, and many other countries," Wu said. Nevertheless, Wu blames too much government intervention for hampering the development of science journals. "In recent years, very few sci-tech journals were approved, sometimes fewer than 10 a year, due to strict scrutiny by the General Administration of Press and Publication. "If it (the administration) just stops restraining the total number of journals, ... good sci-tech journals will survive in a competitive market and bad journals will be eliminated." Wu also said most of China's sci-tech journals are run by inexperienced managers. "Some world-famous publishers have 30 percent profit margins, but most of China's academic journals hardly make money," Wu said. (中國日?qǐng)?bào)記者程盈琪編譯,英文原文刊登于5月10日版《中國日?qǐng)?bào)》) |
4月19日,財(cái)政部發(fā)布公告,2006-2011年,全國財(cái)政科技累計(jì)支出18625.7億元,年均增幅23.76%,明顯高于財(cái)政經(jīng)常性收入增幅。財(cái)政科技支出帶動(dòng)全社會(huì)研發(fā)投入快速增加,2012年預(yù)計(jì)超過1萬億元,約占GDP的1.97%。 然而,中國科技投入的大幅提升卻帶來了一個(gè)意想不到的“副作用”:一些國際期刊紛紛對(duì)來自中國的投稿收取高額版面費(fèi)。 國際學(xué)術(shù)期刊《公共科學(xué)圖書館·綜合》(PLoS One)就是其中之一。PLoS One按照三類標(biāo)準(zhǔn)收費(fèi)。第一類是針對(duì)貧困國家和地區(qū)如阿富汗、巴勒斯坦等這樣的國家和地區(qū),實(shí)行免費(fèi)政策。第二類是針對(duì)印度、牙買加、古巴、埃及等中下等收入的國家和地區(qū),收取500美元的版面費(fèi)。第三類是針對(duì)中上等和高收入的國家地區(qū),按每篇1350美元的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)收費(fèi),而中國就被納入到第三類。今年1月,中國學(xué)者李競(jìng)在博客上撰文抨擊該收費(fèi)標(biāo)準(zhǔn),并號(hào)召國內(nèi)科技界抵制PLoS One。超過60名專家學(xué)者簽名同意抵制。 然而,“降低對(duì)中國作者收費(fèi)”的呼吁并未得到正式回應(yīng)。中國科學(xué)家們轉(zhuǎn)而反思,我們?yōu)槭裁匆L期受制于人?為什么中國就不能辦好自己的科技期刊呢?帶著這些問題,中國日?qǐng)?bào)專訪了中國科學(xué)技術(shù)信息研究所的副所長武夷山,為讀者揭開中國科技期刊艱難發(fā)展的幕后故事。 僅2012年,中國科學(xué)家共發(fā)表科技論文16.8萬篇,數(shù)量居全球第二。然而,這些論文卻大多數(shù)都發(fā)表在國外期刊上。 對(duì)此現(xiàn)象,中國科學(xué)技術(shù)信息研究所的副所長武夷山解釋說,“科學(xué)研究是國際性的。每一位學(xué)者,當(dāng)他有了一項(xiàng)研究成果,自然希望全世界的同行都知道,所以他就要選一個(gè)最好的平臺(tái)來展示。這就好像,如果我是一名電視劇的制片人,我是要把我的電視劇賣給影響力較大的中央電視臺(tái)還是影響力較小的地方電視臺(tái)?那么我肯定會(huì)選擇影響力大的。” 經(jīng)過多年發(fā)展,中國已經(jīng)擁有了一些高水平的科技期刊,但是絕對(duì)數(shù)量仍然過少。根據(jù)中國科學(xué)技術(shù)信息研究所的統(tǒng)計(jì),2000年時(shí)中國僅有47種期刊被SCI收錄,占全世界的0.826%。到了2011年,這一數(shù)字已經(jīng)增加到155種,也僅占全世界的1.859%。 另一個(gè)數(shù)據(jù)也可以說明問題:在2011年,中國科學(xué)家發(fā)表的SCI論文中,高達(dá)80%都發(fā)在國外的刊物上。 “盡管從SCI收錄數(shù)量和占總量比例上說,我國的科技期刊都取得了一定的發(fā)展,但相對(duì)于我們的論文產(chǎn)出,我國期刊被SCI收錄數(shù)量仍然太少。所以我們的論文基本都是發(fā)在別人的期刊上面了,”武夷山說。他說,科技學(xué)術(shù)期刊是一個(gè)國家科技事業(yè)的重要組成部分,中科院前院長盧嘉錫院士1985年4月20日曾題詞說,“對(duì)科研工作來講,科技期刊工作既是龍尾,又是龍頭”。“龍頭”是指,在科研人員開始做一項(xiàng)學(xué)術(shù)研究之前,首先就需要查期刊文獻(xiàn),了解以往已經(jīng)完成的研究工作;而“龍尾”則是指在完成研究以后在科技期刊上發(fā)表論文,與同行共享成果。 此外,科技學(xué)術(shù)期刊也是文化產(chǎn)業(yè)的重要組成部分。部分國際期刊的出版商利用科技期刊賺取很高的利潤,而反觀中國,“能夠盈利的科技期刊卻寥寥無幾”,武夷山說。 “根本的出路,就是辦好自己的期刊。現(xiàn)在別人不認(rèn)可你,沒關(guān)系。等我們的期刊辦好了,別人認(rèn)可了,外國人都來投稿,那么自然就有更多的學(xué)者選擇投給國內(nèi)期刊了,”武夷山說。 那么,究竟是什么原因,使得中國科技期刊的發(fā)展停滯不前呢? 語言是一個(gè)首當(dāng)其沖的問題。 “在聯(lián)合國我們可能有不同的工作語言,但是在國際科學(xué)界,英語就是唯一的事實(shí)上的工作語言,”武夷山說。 然而,中國的英文科技期刊總體數(shù)量和比例都偏少。據(jù)武夷山介紹,目前中國僅有200余種英文科技期刊,在全國共5000多種科技期刊中占的比例也遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)小于波蘭、匈牙利、韓國、日本等很多國家。 “除了語言以外,管理也是很大的問題,”武夷山告訴記者。 目前,包括科技期刊在內(nèi)的刊物都必須獲得新聞出版總署批準(zhǔn)的刊號(hào),否則就屬于非法出版物,一經(jīng)查出,予以取締。 “近幾年,每年批準(zhǔn)的新刊都很少,有時(shí)甚至不到10種,”武夷山說。與期刊的緩慢增長相比,中國的科技論文產(chǎn)量節(jié)節(jié)攀升:從2001年到2011年,中國的國際科技論文產(chǎn)量達(dá)83.63萬篇。僅2010年,以中國作者為第一作者的國際科技論文就有12.15萬篇。 “有的人想辦期刊,有熱情、有能力,但就是申請(qǐng)不下來刊號(hào)。甚至有些人‘曲線救國’,去香港辦刊,等自己的刊物被SCI收錄后再希望新聞出版總署“追認(rèn)”一個(gè)正式刊號(hào),以取得名正言順的合法地位,這種情況也是有的,”武夷山說。 然而,收緊科技期刊刊號(hào)并沒法控制那些已有刊號(hào)的期刊的質(zhì)量。相反,由于刊號(hào)已經(jīng)成了“稀缺資源”,即使經(jīng)營再差的期刊也不愿停辦而失去刊號(hào)。 “刊號(hào)太寶貴了!辦得不好的期刊,他們可以把刊號(hào)承包出去嘛,一樣可以賺錢,”武夷山說。 今年兩會(huì)期間,全國人大代表、新聞出版總署署長柳斌杰在接受了新華社記者專訪時(shí)也承認(rèn),“…而任何單位寧可賠錢,也不會(huì)放棄刊號(hào)這個(gè)稀缺資源。”在他看來,解決問題的主要思路就是:打破單位部門所有制的局限,拿出一批刊號(hào)在市場(chǎng)流通,政府管理部門不再審批報(bào)刊,而是審批誰有資格來購買,讓資源也流動(dòng)起來。 然而,武夷山并不贊同這種控制科技期刊刊號(hào)總數(shù)量的做法。“如果放開科技期刊的刊號(hào),不好的科技期刊自然就會(huì)死掉。如果不放開,辦得再不好的科技期刊,也會(huì)因?yàn)橛腥顺邪堁託埓彼f。 另一方面,由于期刊的主管單位都是國家機(jī)關(guān),造成了期刊管理部門想裁撤不合格的期刊時(shí)畏首畏尾,這也是不合格的科技期刊得以生存的原因之一,武夷山說。 “中國必須要辦好自己的科技期刊,才能爭奪科學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)的優(yōu)先權(quán),”武夷山說,“有些科研人員也曾遇到這樣的情況,就是投到國外期刊的稿子被一再拖延或拒絕,但不久之后就發(fā)現(xiàn)國外的同行在同樣的期刊上發(fā)表了類似的成果。” 武夷山認(rèn)為,要發(fā)展好中國自己的期刊,主管部門的管理方式,期刊的商業(yè)經(jīng)營模式,和科學(xué)家的思想認(rèn)識(shí)上,都需要逐步改進(jìn)。 “我們中國的科學(xué)家也要正確地看待自己的實(shí)力,既不能妄自尊大,也不能妄自菲薄。要通過積極投稿、審稿、訂購等方式支持國內(nèi)刊物的發(fā)展,這一點(diǎn)不能靠規(guī)定,只能等待我國科技期刊質(zhì)量的逐步提高和人們認(rèn)識(shí)的逐步轉(zhuǎn)變。” |
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