Research Hub

Regional Focus: China

In November 1869, when Nature, Springer Nature’s flagship journal, published its first issue, China was already mentioned in its pages. In 1907, Macmillan appointed its first sales agent in China, marking an early step in building a local presence.

Today, Springer Nature serves the Chinese community widely, supporting researchers, students, educators, institutions, professionals and the wider public, enabling them to learn more, discover more, and be part of progress.

Delivering value through trusted research

Maintaining quality and trust in the research we publish is fundamental to everything we do, wherever we operate. In China, our high-quality content has become an essential resource for researchers, supporting their pursuit of scientific excellence. At the same time, our platforms enable Chinese research to reach a global audience, to be trusted and built on, which contributes to the growing impact and reputation of Chinese science worldwide. For decades, this trust has underpinned our success in China.


Impact and reach

  • Strong local presence:  Springer Nature operates six offices across Greater China, namely Shanghai, Beijing, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Hong Kong and Taipei, with more than 400 staff members.

  • Deep-rooted connections: Our ties with China date back to 1907, when Macmillan appointed its first sales agent. Collaboration expanded significantly following China’s reform and opening-up policies in the late 1970s when Springer was invited to visit Beijing as the first Western publishing house.

  • Long-term commitment: In 1981, Springer started publishing academic works in overseas markets for Chinese scientists including renowned mathematician Hua Luo Geng. In1985, Nature published a special issue focusing on all aspects of science in China.

  • Support for Chinese researchers: Springer Nature has witnessed and contributed to the rapid growth of Chinse research. In 1997, only 4 of the original research papers in Nature had any Chinese authors. In 2025, Chinese researchers were corresponding authors on roughly 14% of Nature’s primary research papers. Over the past two decades, China has seen significant advances in both research output and quality. Recent examples include research from China’s Chang’e-6 mission and work on the DeepSeek R1 large language model, both featured as cover papers in Nature.

Case Study: Research with impact - the Nature Index

Nature Index

The Nature Index, compiled by Springer Nature, tracks high-quality primary research articles published in 145 leading natural-science and health-science journals.  In 2022, China became the world’s leading contributor to high-quality natural-science research in the Nature Index for the first time. It has since maintained the leading position, with many of its research institutions appearing highly in the Index. Their inclusion across the Index demonstrates not only the commitment to the impact of global research but the reach, longevity and engagement with research coming from Chinese researchers. 


Enabling transparency and reproducibility

Springer Nature is committed to advancing open science and promoting relevant practices such as open access and open data to make research more reproducible and transparent and accelerate global scientific progress.  We are actively progressing this agenda in China through close collaboration and partnership with local communities.

Open Science Opens Doors

Joint lab for open science

Since 2021, Springer Nature has strengthened its collaboration with the ISTIC (the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China) through the establishment of a Joint Lab for Open Science. This initiative aims to support Chinese research communities and the wider public in better understanding and engaging with open science practices.


T_05E96_SOOD25_600x340px_AS150617290 open data

Advancing open data

In 2023 and 2024, Springer Nature partnered with the CNIC (the Computer Network Information Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) to publish the 'China Open Data Report'. The report draws on responses from Chinese researchers in a survey conducted by Digital Science, Figshare and Springer Nature, representing the longest running study into open research practices globally.

Safeguarding the scientific record

Safeguarding integrity is central to our role as a research publisher. While continuing to invest in innovative technologies to strengthen integrity, we have deepened collaboration with our communities globally and in China.

Expertise on the ground

As research integrity challenges continue to grow worldwide, local expertise has never been more important. In 2025, we set up a China-based research integrity team to support internal and external editors on all integrity and ethics matters, ensuring the issues can be addressed in line with our policies and industry standards.

Building awareness

In 2025, Springer Nature released a white paper revealing significant disparities across the world in research integrity training, includng access, delivery timing, methodology, and levels of understanding.  Based on surveys conducted in multiple countries, including China, the white paper found that whilst the majority of researchers express strong support for mandatory integrity training, access is uneven and few participants are required to demonstrate their understanding.

Following the first survey, Springer Nature developed a free, introductory online course covering the fundamentals of research integrity. In addition, Nature Masterclasses offers a free, on-demand online course "Research Integrity: Publication Ethics", helping researchers at all career stages, including those in China, to better understand ethical standards in publishing.

Advancing best practice through collaboration

Springer Nature is committed to working closely with Chinese partners to promote best practices in research integrity. Such a commitment has led to the joint release of Guideline on the Boundaries of AIGC Usage in Academic Publishing 3.0 in 2025 with the ISTIC (the Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China) and several other international publishers. We also partnered with ISTIC in releasing Guideline for Responsible Peer Review Practices.


Working in collaboration with the community

Springer Nature advances its mission in China through close collaboration with local communities, including researchers, institutions, and policymakers. This engagement helps build trust and recognition, positioning us as a key contributor to the development and sustainable growth of Chinese science.


Co-publishing partnerships

Co-publishing partnerships

Springer Nature is a trusted partner in publishing high-quality academic journals. Beyond bringing Chinese research to a global audience, we work closely with leading institutions and universities to co-publish more than 200 journals, including Cell Research and Light: Science & Applications. Today, we are China’s leading international partner in publishing high-impact scientific journals.

Professional development and exchange

Professional development and exchange

Our Nature Masterclasses support authors, peer reviewers and journal editors through high-quality professional development. We also facilitate academic exchange through initiatives such as Nature Conference and partnerships with major science forums in Beijing and Shanghai, helping strengthen connections between China and the global research community.

China New Development Awards

China New Development Awards

Launched in 2019, the China New Development Awards recognize the contributions of Chinese scholars to global sustainable development. Each year, ten scholarly books authored by researchers based in China are selected, covering at least one of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The awards form part of Springer Nature's wider SDG programme.

China Research Advisory Council

China Research Advisory Council

In 2025, Springer Nature established the China Research Advisory Council, marking an important step in deepening our understanding of China’s research ecosystem.

Working in collaboration to discuss industry issues and share thoughts, the council helps to ensure we can better understand and serve the evolving needs of researchers, institutions, and other stakeholders across the region.