Push the envelope

Meanwhile, the review process and management of Chinese scientific journals should meet the international standards of practice. This will make it easier for scientists from around the world to publish in China and have their work validated and accepted by peers, he said.

Qian Xuhong, president of East China Normal University, said a good scientific journal should not just be a platform for disseminating quality research. Its editorial board should lead global research by selecting and publishing manuscripts that can push the envelope of science.

"Chinese journals should not publish for the sake of publishing. They should serve the bigger goal of building a system of knowledge with Chinese characteristics that can contribute to the world," he said.

Cao Jianlin, former vice-minister of science and technology and the editor-in-chief for Light: Science & Applications, said China's scientific journals can improve substantially by following the best practices of top publications in their respective fields, such as how his journal was using the journal Nature Photonics as a point of reference.

Apart from publishing high-quality research, Nature Photonics also has a variety of columns, features and nonacademic articles that are very influential in the field, Cao said. "This is something Chinese journals need to catch up."