China’s spike in multiple corresponding authors tied to incentives, now curbed by reforms

A Scientometrics analysis of about 1.75 million papers (2016–2020) found that roughly 30% of papers by Chinese authors had multiple corresponding authors in 2020, far above the global average, likely driven by an evaluation system that rewarded these roles for promotions and funding. Since 2020–2021, China has reformed incentives—ending cash rewards, clamping down on gift authorship, and requiring explicit author contributions—toward broader, contribution-based assessment, with reforms not intended to reduce international collaboration.