Evaluating the Research Quality of Education Journals in China: Implications for Increasing Global Impact in Peripheral Countries

• Published in: Review of educational research 2017-06, Vol.87 (3), p.583-618
• Main Authors: Zhao, Juanjuan, Beckett, Gulbahar H., Wang, Lihshing Leigh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chief executive officers; Content Analysis; Cultural differences; Education; Educational Research; Foreign Countries; Literary translation; Literature Reviews; Periodicals; Publishing; Quality; Research Design; Statistical Analysis
• ISSN: 0034-6543; 1935-1046
• DOI: 10.3102/0034654317690813

There has been a rapid growth of academic research and publishing in non-Western countries. However, academic journal articles in these peripheral countries suffer from low citation impact and limited global recognition. This critical review systematically analyzed 1,096 education research journal articles that were published in China in a 10-year span using a multistage stratified cluster and random sampling method and a validated rubric for assessing research quality. Our findings reveal that the vast majority of the articles lacked rigor, with insufficient or nonsystematic literature reviews, incomplete descriptions of research design, and inadequately grounded recommendations for translating research into practice. Acknowledging the differences in publishing cultures in the center-periphery divide, we argue that education research publications in non-Western countries should try to meet Western publishing standards in order to participate in global knowledge production and research vitality. Implications for emerging countries that strive to transform their research scholarship are discussed.