Resources

Introduction

China is now home to the world’s largest community of STM journal authors yet reaching them requires a clear understanding of how marketing works in China. This white paper presents a marketing model built around the specific needs of Chinese researchers, helping publishers better engage authors by aligning their strategies with real user behaviours. Drawing on original survey data and in-depth author journey mapping, we reveal how Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and other key personas navigate the publishing process in China today. We explore the motivations behind their journal choices, the role of trusted social platforms such as WeChat, Bilibili, Douyin, and Zhihu, and the critical touchpoints where targeted, culturally fluent marketing can influence submission decisions. Whether you're building awareness or guiding authors through to submission, this paper offers practical, multichannel strategies tailored to China’s unique digital and academic landscape. Authors in China often begin their publishing journey by identifying the need to share their research and exploring potential journal venues. Social media platforms play a crucial role in providing insights and introducing journal options. At the awareness stage, platforms like WeChat, Bilibili and Zhihu enable authors to follow official journal accounts, access educational videos, and engage in peer discussions to understand publication requirements and trends. Authors face challenges such as assessing journal quality and navigating conflicting opinions shared on these platforms.

WeChat is widely used for distributing journal updates, sharing articles, and facilitating discussions within academic circles. Bilibili and Douyin are emerging as influential platforms, offering educational videos and short-format content to engage younger researchers and explain publishing trends. Zhihu provides a forum for professional Q&A, enabling peer advice and journal recommendations. These platforms collectively enhance the author journey by increasing accessibility to publishing insights, fostering community interaction, and promoting published research to wider audiences, ensuring a dynamic and interconnected scientific ecosystem.

To better understand these new behaviours, we have compiled this report so that scholarly publishers have a more rounded understanding of the Chinese author journey, and be able to plan their marketing and publishing plans for this globally important market with greater confidence.