Preface: Over the past 4 decades of reform and opening-up, China has made great achievements in scientific research acknowledged throughout the world. At present, it has entered the key transition from quantity to quality. Recently, Professor Zhou Wenyong of the Department of Management Science and Engineering of the School of Economics and Management, Tongji University published the article Accelerating the High-Quality Development of Scientific Research in Social Sciences in China. It has been reprinted by more than 30 official media websites, including xuexi.cn, haiwainet.cn, youth.cn, chinanews.com, chinadaily.com.cn, huanqiu.com, toutiao.com, and ifeng.com. The following is the original article published.

Over the past 4 decades of reform and opening-up, China has made great achievements in scientific research acknowledged throughout the world. At present, it has entered the key transition from quantity to quality. Adhering to the “Four Orientations” and accelerating the high-quality development of scientific research is not only the objective requirement for China’s modernization drive, but also an important mission and responsibility for China’s scientific research institutions and researchers in the new era.

Comprehensively Understand the Connotation of Scientific Research Quality

Scientific research is a systematic activity in which human beings explore the intrinsic nature and development law of objective things, taking natural, social and thinking phenomena as the objects. During development of scientific research, specialized academic institutions have gradually emerged. The emergence of modern science has accelerated the systematization and standardization of specialized academic institutions, formed social scientific institutions, and thus formed a discipline system covering philosophy and social, natural, and technological sciences.

As the development of human scientific research accelerates, the quality of scientific research has become increasingly prominent, and has gradually become an important factor affecting the economic and social development as well as scientific and technological progress in China and even the world. The quality of scientific research refers to the degree to which the inherent characteristics of scientific institution, scientific research process and scientific research achievements meet the requirements of subjects of scientific research value, which represents the dialectical relationship between the quality of scientific research and the requirements of value subject.

The quality of scientific research includes the characteristics of scientific institution, scientific research process and scientific research achievements. In the first place, scientific institution is composed of values, behavior norms, organization mode, material support and other elements, and is characterized by purpose, hierarchy, integration, synergy, adaptability, etc. In the second place, research process is composed of research question raising, research scheme design, implementation process, formation and application of scientific research products and other processes, and is characterized by efficiency, effectiveness, repeatability, suitability, etc. Last but not least, scientific research achievements are expressed by scientific research papers, academic works, newspaper articles and research reports, and spread through academic journals, published books, newspapers, Internet, media and other carriers, with the characteristics of innovativeness, informativeness, scientificity and practicality.

The requirements of subjects of scientific research value reflect the value demands of the suppliers, research buyers, and related parties in scientific research. In the first place, suppliers are the undertakers of research tasks, at such three levels as research institutions, research teams and scientific researchers, whose value demands are hierarchical and focused respectively. In the second place, buyers, also known as customers, are individuals or organizations that accept scientific research results, including the value subjects such as the funders, entrusting parties, and users of scientific research. Due to different perspectives, different buyers have different demands and requirements of scientific research value. Last but not least, the related parties include scientific research partners, management departments, intermediaries and the public. Research related parties vary in value demand and focus and would put forward specific requirements of suppliers and buyers during the production and use of scientific research products.

Three Yardsticks for Measuring High-Quality Development of Scientific Research

High-quality development has been the core concept of promoting the development of all economic and social undertakings in China since the 19^th CPC National Congress. The high-quality development of scientific research focuses on the extension, connotation deepening and substantial contribution of scientific research, in which the quality of scientific research increasingly meets the requirements of the subjects of scientific research value. It can promote the development in the cause of scientific research, support the high-quality development of economy and society, empower grass-roots organizations, and enhance the public’s sense of gain. From the macro aspect, the following three yardsticks can be used to judge whether scientific research is in a state of high-quality development.

In the first place, whether it is conducive to enhancing the international competitiveness of the cause of scientific research. Scientific research is a knowledge production activity aimed at revealing the intrinsic nature and development law of objective things in such fields as nature, human society and thinking. Amid increasingly fierce competition of scientific research worldwide, taking the lead in obtaining high-quality scientific research results from 0 to 1 or 1 to N is the realistic demand for self-reliance and self-improvement of the cause of national scientific research, as well as the objective requirements of high-quality development of scientific research.

In the second place, whether it is conducive to supporting the high-quality development of economy and society. Scientific research plays two main roles in supporting high-quality development of economy and society. First, scientific research can gain a leading edge in international competition, make up the weakness or narrow the gap, and power the high-quality development of national economy and society. Second, scientific research provides the state with effective supply of scientific knowledge, better meets the objective needs of the buyers and related parties in the state’s economy and society fields, and plays a leading, guiding and promoting role in fueling the high-quality development of national economy and society.

Last but not least, high-quality scientific research enhances the sense of gain of grass-roots organizations and the public. Public finance allocations from the state and local governments at various levels, funding from scientific research entrusting party and social donations are the main sources of scientific research funds for scientific research institutions in China. The public finance funds are derived from the tax revenue paid by the grass-roots organizations and the public. Basic research, applied basic research and applied research share the same goal to better meet the requirements of various grassroots organizations and the public.

Continuously Promote the High-Quality Development of Scientific Research

In the first place, we must establish the high-quality scientific research concept and improve the standard for scientific research quality evaluation. First, we need to identify common requirements of all parties and sticking to the bottom line of scientific research quality. When investigating the quality characteristics of scientific research, different subjects of scientific research value should respect each other, we should seek common ground while reserving differences, and seek harmony without uniformity. We should objectively recognize and understand the differences in value demands of each other, and identify common requirements of all parties. Second, we need to understand the quality characteristics of scientific research and their interrelation correctly. When investigating the quality characteristics of scientific research, we need to correctly understand the internal relations and interactions among scientific institution, scientific research process, scientific research achievements and quality characteristics of scientific research. We must adhere to the systematic thinking and connecting point of view can not only help to objectively understand the characteristics and causes of quality characteristics of scientific research, as well as find, analyze and solve the quality problems of scientific research better. Third, we must improve the standard for scientific research quality evaluation. As for the quality evaluation of scientific research achievements, we must adhere to the principle of classified evaluation and objectively evaluate the essence and actual contribution of scientific research achievements. As for the quality evaluation of scientific research process, we should focus on the evaluation of the effectiveness, verifiability and suitability of scientific research process. As for the quality evaluation of scientific institution, we should focus on the evaluation of the consistency and synergy of value demands among different subjects of scientific research value.

In the second place, we need to improve the scientific institution and promote self-reliance and self-improvement of the cause of scientific research. First, we must set up the national feelings and advocate the spirit of science. Government administrative departments should follow the respective development laws of humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, deepen the reform of scientific research talents, scientific research institutions, scientific research projects and discipline evaluation mechanism, create a macro-social ecological environment that meets the requirements for high-quality development of scientific research, and promote self-reliance and self-improvement of the cause of national scientific research. Scientific research institutions should set up the overall view and the political achievement view that put the interests of the state and the people first, improve the scientific research evaluation and incentive system as well as the research support system in line with the law of talent growth and that of verification of achievement value, optimize the micro academic ecological environment, and guide scientific researchers to devote themselves to scientific research and serve the country. Second, we must deepen the reform of the scientific research system and improve the conduct norms for scientific research. Government administrative departments should adhere to the “Four Orientations”, deepen the reform of scientific research system and mechanism, release more reform bonuses, promote the classified development of different disciplines, such as humanities, social sciences and natural sciences, break the institutional barriers restricting interdisciplinary research and integrated innovation, stimulate the creativity of research institutions and researchers, and promote the continuous emergence of high-quality scientific research achievements. Third, we must adhere to the principle of classification and optimize the allocation efficiency of scientific research resources. The free exploratory basic research should strengthen the supporting investment and compensation incentive mechanism in the later stage; the forward-looking basic research should focus on the superior scientific research strength to produce a series of major original achievements from the basic theory to the practical application; applied basic research should integrate the superior research resources of government and research institutions; applied research should provide new ideas, new approaches, new methods, etc. for specific purposes or uses, and integrate superior research resources of research institutions and users.

Last but not least, we should adhere to cultural confidence and strengthen the construction of academic discourse system with Chinese characteristics. First, we must strengthen the top-level design. At the present stage, in order to meet the practical needs of high-quality development of national economy and society, we must not only build a framework of academic discourse system with Chinese characteristics and continuously expand its connotation, but also know what we should do and what we should not while participating in international academic discourse exchanges. After the construction of academic discourse system with Chinese characteristics has achieved initial results, we should not only expand its connotation, but also continuously enhance its influence in the Chinese community, the countries alongside the “Belt and Road” and even the world. Second, we must speed up the design of regulation. In participating in international academic exchanges and cooperation, we must strengthen policy guidance, adhere to cultural confidence, enhance the subject consciousness of scientific research institutions and researchers, and accelerate the construction of rules and systems of independent academic discourse. We must adhere to the “Four Orientations”, introduce supporting policies for the regulation of academic discourse to meet the requirements of high-quality development of scientific research, and promote the transformation of academic discourse content in China from following international hot spots to serving the cause of national construction. Third, we must strengthen the construction of Chinese as the carrier. We need to further deepen the reform of evaluation mechanism of the platform for the exchange and communication about Chinese academic achievements and create a fair competition environment for the carriers of the exchange and communication about Chinese academic achievements; continuously increase the input of relevant resource elements, deepen the reform of peer review system of academic achievements, attract high-quality manuscripts from scholars at home and abroad, and create a large number of carriers of the exchange and communication about Chinese academic achievements including Chinese excellent academic journals, Chinese on-line paper publishing platforms, and Chinese academic achievement retrieval platforms.

Source: Social Sciences in China January 5, 2021