China Releases 2025 Directory of Over 6,000 Global Science Journals

The Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China and partner research bodies officially released the 2025 World-Class Science and Technology Journals Directory on September 12 at the 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum. The directory encompasses 6,132 scientific and technical periodicals from 55 countries and regions, covering 23 languages. China accounts for 353 of the selected publications. Organizers stated that the benchmark relies on the World Science Citation Database and an evaluation index intended to offer equitable assessment opportunities across languages, particularly for publications from emerging countries and newly founded titles.

Global academic publishing evaluation has long relied heavily on a handful of Western commercial indexing databases, which predominantly favor English-language journals. By constructing a cross-linguistic evaluation system encompassing 23 languages across 55 jurisdictions, this initiative seeks to provide greater visibility for scientific contributions from emerging markets and newly launched publications, potentially diversifying global scholarly communication channels.

On September 12, the 2025 World-Class Science and Technology Journals Directory was officially launched at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Pujiang Innovation Forum, according to a report by People's Daily. The compilation was led by the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (ISTIC) in coordination with partner research institutions. The catalog includes 6,132 science and technology journals distributed across 55 countries and regions, representing 23 distinct languages. Within the total selection, 353 journals are from China. According to forum organizers, the listing was established using the World Science Citation Database alongside an evaluation indicator system tailored specifically for world-class science and technology periodicals. Organizers emphasized that the directory is designed to establish an impartial assessment framework across varying geographic regions and language backgrounds. By evaluating publications across a wider linguistic spectrum, the index aims to grant periodicals from emerging economies and newly launched academic ventures equal visibility alongside legacy international journals. State media reported that the project is intended to support the high-quality development of scholarly publishing, optimize the global academic environment, and facilitate international scientific cooperation. The release takes place amid broader domestic efforts to elevate China's scientific publishing sector. Global academic evaluation systems have historically centered on major commercial databases that predominantly feature English-language outputs from North America and Western Europe. By cataloging non-English titles across dozens of jurisdictions, the new listing seeks to address longstanding imbalances in how non-Western scientific outputs are recognized. While the listing marks an ambitious effort to formalize alternative citation metrics, the practical impact of the directory will depend largely on its transparency and adoption. Analysts will be monitoring how widely the framework is integrated into Chinese institutional assessments and whether foreign publishing houses engage with its underlying evaluation criteria.