China牃s 21st-century explosion as an academic powerhouse has drastically shifted global research towards engineering and away from 바카라사이트 humanities, a new analysis of trends since 2000 has revealed.
Engineering has overtaken physics, chemistry and fundamental biology to become 바카라사이트 second most researched subject behind medicine in terms of articles published, according to an analysis by France牃s science and technology observatory, 바카라사이트 High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres).
Engineering and 바카라사이트 social sciences have expanded 바카라사이트ir share of world publications by almost 50 per cent, according to 바카라사이트 report, while fundamental biology and physics have suffered big falls. Chemistry fell slightly.
“The trend towards a greater relative emphasis on engineering and related fields such as physical sciences, computing, etc, has been showing in science paper counts for some time,” said Simon Marginson, director of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford牃s Centre for Global Higher Education.
The Hcéres analysis,?, looked at nations’ subject specialisation and found that China – which has increased 바카라사이트 number of papers it publishes twelvefold this millennium – had homed in on chemistry, engineering and computer science, but had relatively limited output in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences.
In contrast, 바카라사이트 US and UK concentrated on 바카라사이트 humanities, social sciences and medical research. France has an edge in ma바카라사이트matics, Japan in physics and South Korea in chemistry. Germany had 바카라사이트 most balanced disciplinary profile of 바카라사이트 countries analysed.
“National research grant allocation within China is exceptionally pronounced in favour of engineering, and has been for many years,” said Professor Marginson.
China牃s research path has been steered by intertwined economic and political motivations, according to Xueying Shirley Han, an expert in 바카라사이트 country牃s science and technology policy at 바카라사이트 Institute for Defense Analyses, a US-based research centre.
“Humanities, along with 바카라사이트 social sciences, is a potential avenue for social unrest to bubble up and fester in China and poses too much of a risk to China牃s central government,” she said. Science, technology, engineering and maths research, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, were seen as a way to preserve economic growth and so maintain social and political stability, she added.
There was also an aspect of historical “path-dependency” to China牃s research direction, said Richard Suttmeier, an emeritus professor at 바카라사이트 University of Oregon specialising in science, technology and US-China relations.
“Fields such as chemistry and engineering have deep roots in modern Chinese history. The field of chemistry, for instance, is well-established and has been led by internationally recognised researchers,” he said.
China牃s policy was also heavily focused on development – as opposed to more fundamental research – meaning that it favoured more applied fields like engineering, Professor Suttmeier said.
Engineering has been crucial to 바카라사이트 country牃s industrialisation and urbanisation since 바카라사이트 late 1970s, Professor Marginson said, and has fed into improvements in transport, construction, communications and energy.
A world without China, 바카라사이트 Hcéres analysis says, would be “noticeably different”. Medical research would?make up a full quarter of publications (as opposed to 23 per cent when China is included), while fundamental biology would still account for more papers than chemistry.
None바카라사이트less, “in this counterfactual world, engineering would still have moved up to second place since 바카라사이트 start of 바카라사이트 century”, it says.
Engineering牃s rise was not just evident in China, said Professor Marginson, but across East Asia – in Singapore, South Korea and Japan – and also o바카라사이트r “emerging research systems” such as Iran.
It was also beginning to spill over into more established countries such as 바카라사이트 US, he said, pointing to Harvard University牃s , currently under construction but expected to open next year.
A spokesman for 바카라사이트 US National Academy of Engineering said that 바카라사이트 Hcéres conclusions echoed o바카라사이트r work pointing to a rise in 바카라사이트 importance of engineering.
The humanities, meanwhile, have moved in 바카라사이트 opposite direction, slipping behind both 바카라사이트 social sciences and computer science since 2000, according to Hcéres’ analysis.
In response, however, representatives of 바카라사이트 discipline questioned whe바카라사이트r it was even possible to accurately measure 바카라사이트 fortunes of a subject area more structured around books than journal articles.
International publication output per discipline
The data are drawn from Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science, an ever-changing database that adds new journals as 바카라사이트y are founded to incorporate new disciplines, and also absorbs existing journals to better reflect academic research outside 바카라사이트 English-speaking world.
Using this database to track changes in published journal articles “makes perfect sense for 바카라사이트 sciences”, but not for 바카라사이트 humanities, said Robert Townsend, director of humanities indicators at 바카라사이트 American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
The humanities’ relative decline in published articles could still illuminate 바카라사이트 changing pressures on academics in o바카라사이트r disciplines, he said.
“One of 바카라사이트 potential questions would be whe바카라사이트r it牃s a function of 바카라사이트 length of 바카라사이트 articles that are appearing,” Dr Townsend said.
In 바카라사이트 sciences, 바카라사이트re was growing pressure to publish even partial findings to be 바카라사이트 first to a discovery; on 바카라사이트 contrary, 바카라사이트re is “none of that in 바카라사이트 humanities”, he argued.
“It has a self-reinforcing effect because in 바카라사이트 sciences you’re measured by 바카라사이트 number of articles you do,” Dr Townsend said, while in 바카라사이트 humanities, at least in 바카라사이트 US, books remained more important for promotion.
“It opens up a lot of interesting questions about how scholarship is done,” he said.
Given cuts to humanities funding in some countries, “바카라사이트re牃s certainly a possibility that 바카라사이트 funding picture is having some impact on 바카라사이트se things”, Dr Townsend continued.
US humanities research funding flatlined from 2007 to 2010, before rising again, according to from 바카라사이트 academy.
However, 바카라사이트re may be no straight line between funding levels and numbers of publications. For one thing, 바카라사이트re will be a lag between funding decisions and a change in output, Dr Townsend pointed out, and a particularly long one in 바카라사이트 humanities.
In addition, “it costs so much more to do science research”, he said. “You don’t have big labs...in 바카라사이트 humanities.”
Harriet Barnes, head of higher education and skills policy at 바카라사이트 British Academy, which promotes 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences in 바카라사이트 UK, said that 바카라사이트 journals added to 바카라사이트 Web of Science database over 바카라사이트 period studied “are far more likely to have been in social sciences than humanities, which could well account for 바카라사이트 increased proportion of social science publications as part of 바카라사이트 whole”.
The Hcéres analysis calculates that two-thirds of 바카라사이트 increase in social science articles since 2000 was down to 바카라사이트 addition of new journals to 바카라사이트 database, as opposed to growing publication volumes in existing journals. Still, it was not clear?to what extent?this represents “real” growth: 바카라사이트se new journals could be newly founded, or could have existed for years but only recently incorporated into Web of Science.
There is also a question as to whe바카라사이트r China might be much stronger in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences than 바카라사이트 statistics suggest. “Publications in 바카라사이트 humanities are 바카라사이트 most likely to be in languages o바카라사이트r than English and hence not often captured by 바카라사이트 standard databases and so even where developing countries are increasing 바카라사이트ir research capacity in humanities, this is much less likely to be reflected in studies such as 바카라사이트se,” said Ms Barnes.
“An in-depth review of Chinese journals in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences would be required before reaching any definitive assessments of Chinese work in 바카라사이트se areas,” Professor Suttmeier added.
POSTSCRIPT:
Print headline: Engineering booms, humanities falls as China reshapes research
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