AI Insight
Between 2016 and 2020, approximately one-third of research papers authored by scientists in China featured multiple corresponding authors, a significantly higher proportion than in other countries. This pattern appears to be linked to academic evaluation systems that gave credit to all corresponding authors on publications. Recent policy reforms in China are expected to reduce this practice by changing how authorship contributions are recognized and rewarded.
Why it matters
The findings highlight how national research assessment policies can influence authorship practices and scientific publishing norms. Understanding these trends is important for evaluating research output metrics and ensuring fair credit attribution in international collaborations.
Nature, Published online: 04 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01623-4
From 2016 to 2020, almost one-third of papers by authors in China had multiple corresponding authors — but policy reforms are expected to have dampened the trend.
Source: What’s behind China’s historically high counts of corresponding authors?