Review of changing policies across key markets in APAC and the impact that these policies are having on research and research outputs

1. Research policies in Asia Pacific
Lyndsey Dixon
Regional Journals Editorial Director, APAC
15th March 2017

3. Asia Pacific research output trends
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%%ofGlobalResearchOutput
China
Japan
South Korea
Taiwan
Singapore
Data Source: Web of
Science (2017)

4. Research policies
• Everybody loves a five year plan
• Innovation, innovation, innovation
• R&D investment into “knowledge economy”
• Research funding on subject basis
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5. Research policy objectives
• Internationalisation of research
– Greater international collaboration and more APAC PIs
– English language publication prerequisite for progression
• Research to drive economic growth
– China looking to promote Chinese research within China
• Closer ties between research and industry (and government)
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6. Open Science policies
“Promoting sharing and making mutual use of research findings
beyond existing academic disciplines and national borders is
increasing the possibilities for creating knowledge and value
outside conventional frameworks”
- JST The 5th Science and Technology Basic Plan

7. Open Science policies
China: Institutional repositories growing, APC funds available and education efforts abound
• CAS and NSFC Mandate: Green OA with 12 month embargo
 GoOA project to assist researchers in evaluating Gold OA journals
 Research group working on a policy regard research data.
Japan: JST 2013: public access a key aspiration but no clear policy. Expecting gov mandate for
Green OA with 12 month embargo for AAM
South Korea: appetite is growing. but no clear policy. NRF working on a mandate to implement at
an institutional level.
The KCI OA Repository requests NRF funded SSH research to be deposited
Singapore: reactionary approach with actions at institutional levels.
• A*STAR – Aug 2013: Green OA with 12 month embargo
• Data policies emerging at institutional levels
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8. Research integrity
• Openness as a step towards addressing integrity issues?
• Trust: international reputational issues
• Acceptance of need to change
• Education: ECRs need support and guidance
• Motivations: Is the carrot still bigger than the stick?
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9. Research impact
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10. Research impact
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• Citation metrics still used as a proxy for success
• Is the pursuit of the IF stifling research?
• International collaborations?
• How to measure translatable results?
• How to measure and make full use of failures?

11. Questions
• Growth from region likely to increase with the continued
investment – will it continue to be in English?
• Until research assessment moves to alternative measures will
quality trump quantity?
• Openness of industrial research?
• Globalisation of publishing industry?
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