Publish or Perish in Social Science? Tension, challenges and opportunities for Chinese academics in the humanities and social sciences

Abstract

The national "Double First-class" strategic plan, a new ambitious higher education policy, which was officially launched at the end of September 2017. This emphasises that 42 Chinese universities have a target of being ranked in the global "First-class" category within ten years. Under the guidance of the strategic plan, Chinese academics in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) will face significant opportunities and challenges. Compared with those in Science and Technology (S&T), academics in the HSS have less internationalisation in terms of academic discourse power. This study used a mixed-research method to investigate Chinese HSS academics' perceptions of this innovative strategic plan across different types of universities, academics' ranks and locations of academic training. Findings showed that these three variables have significant influences on Chinese academics' perceptions in research publications, research policy understandings and academic promotion strategies.