CHINA took a significant step toward opening its scientific data to the global community with the official launch of Data Express, the country’s first English-language academic journal dedicated to data papers. As an open-access, peer-reviewed publication, it is designed to improve the discoverability, shareability, and reusability of high-value research data produced by institutions across China and beyond.

The journal was announced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which will oversee its operations.

Data Express prioritizes high-quality, reproducible datasets that offer lasting value to the scientific community. Covering a broad range of disciplines, its initial focus includes ecology, physics, and emerging fields related to artificial intelligence applications. By concentrating on data papers rather than traditional narrative articles, the journal addresses a critical gap in making raw research outputs both citable and accessible.

According to CAS, the initiative aims to establish a “China hub” for global scientific data exchange while addressing the growing need to ensure that valuable research data remains findable, shareable, and reusable.

Academician Yu Guirui of CAS has been appointed editor-in-chief of the new journal. Describing the launch as a response to a “historic shift” in research practices, Yu emphasized that data now serves as a foundational pillar for artificial intelligence–driven discovery. He noted that Data Express will fill an important gap in China’s high-end scientific publishing landscape.

The journal is only one component of a larger vision. In addition to the flagship Data Express, CAS plans to introduce specialized data journals within the next year across fields such as physics, ecology, biomedicine, and engineering. Together, these publications will form a “Data Express” journal cluster, addressing areas in which China currently lacks dedicated data publication outlets.

According to CAS, the cluster represents a strategic shift in China’s approach — from fragmented individual efforts to a leadership role in international scientific data collaboration.

(Xinhua, SD-Agencies)