UK academic institution expects more publications

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) expects more publications by Chinese scholars who have been striving to boost global influence on science. "We want to attract more excellent Chinese scholars to become authors and editors of our academic journals," said Stuart Govan, head of IET's publishing branch in China. Govan told Xinhua in an exclusive interview that both the quantity and quality of the Chinese papers have increased in recent years. According to Govan, the number of papers submitted by Chinese scholars currently accounts for 35 percent of the total, or the largest share, and 20 percent of them get published. "The number of papers by Chinese authors in certain fields even ranks in the top," Govan said. "Many Chinese institutions have put more focus on practical issues, such as on transportation management and renewable energy." However, Govan said that Chinese scholars should pay more attention to the English language and citations. "For non-native English speakers, scholars are encouraged to spend more time in refining the article and searching for the most up-to-date academic journals and magazines," said Govan. Govan also said that IET was seeking cooperation with Chinese universities and research institutes as well as publishing houses. "We are seeking to join hands with Chinese publishing houses to promote Chinese publications," he said. The UK-based IET, with over 150,000 members from 127 countries, has 26 journals and a database containing over 12 million bibliographic abstracts and indices to journal articles, conference proceedings, technical reports and other literature in the fields of science and technology.