Abstract:

[Purpose/Significance] The development of an independent knowledge system has become an important issue in the advancement of philosophy and the social sciences in China. As an essential component of knowledge production and academic governance, the academic evaluation system directly influences research orientation, resource allocation, disciplinary development, and the formation of academic discourse. In recent years, although China has made continuous progress in academic evaluation reform, the current evaluation system still exhibits structural problems such as excessive dependence on external standards, overreliance on quantitative indicators, and insufficient support for original and long-term research. These issues not only weaken the guiding function of academic evaluation, but also restrict the development of an independent knowledge system with Chinese characteristics. Against this background, this study systematically explores the construction path of China's independent knowledge system for academic evaluation. Different from existing studies that mainly focus on specific evaluation tools or policy reforms, this study attempts to establish an integrated analytical framework combining evaluation paradigms, evaluation mechanisms, and supporting systems, thereby providing a systematic perspective for understanding the transformation of academic evaluation in China. [Method/Process] This study first examines the practical foundation of the development of academic evaluation in China from the perspectives of theoretical exploration, practical reform, technological empowerment, and policy support. On this basis, the study analyzes the structural problems of the current academic evaluation system from three dimensions: evaluation criteria, evaluation methods, and evaluation orientation. Specifically, the study argues that standardized and externally oriented evaluation criteria have constrained the expression of local academic characteristics; quantitatively dominated evaluation methods have limited the identification of originality, long-term contributions, and social value; and result-oriented evaluation mechanisms have weakened the guiding role of academic evaluation in promoting independent innovation. To address these issues, this paper constructs a three-level framework for the independent knowledge system of academic evaluation. At the paradigm level, the study proposes a transition from single-dimensional and result-oriented evaluation toward classified, multidimensional, transparent, and developmental evaluation paradigms. At the mechanism level, the study emphasizes the importance of peer review, classified evaluation, representative work systems, and the integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches in building collaborative and diversified evaluation mechanisms. At the structural level, the paper further discusses the roles of disciplinary systems, academic systems, and discourse systems in providing long-term support for the sustainable development of academic evaluation. In addition, this study takes the reform of applied journal evaluation in China as a practical case to examine how classification-based evaluation, multidimensional indicators, and digital technologies can promote the transformation of academic evaluation from external dependence toward independent development. [Results/Conclusions] The study found that the construction of an independent knowledge system for academic evaluation is not merely a technical adjustment of evaluation methods, but a systematic transformation involving value orientation, institutional operation, and structural support. Evaluation paradigm reconstruction provides the fundamental value orientation for academic evaluation reform; mechanism optimization serves as the operational bridge connecting evaluation concepts and evaluation practices; and disciplinary systems, academic systems, and discourse systems constitute the long-term structural foundation for the sustainable operation of the evaluation system. The case of applied journal evaluation demonstrates that classified evaluation, representative work systems, multidimensional indicators, and digital technologies can effectively enhance the adaptability and explanatory capacity of academic evaluation, thereby contributing to the establishment of a more autonomous and diversified evaluation system. However, the current construction of China's independent knowledge system for academic evaluation still faces challenges in terms of international dialogue, methodological innovation, evaluation transparency, and long-term dynamic assessment. Future studies should further explore the integration of digital technologies with evaluation theory, strengthen the international interpretability of China's academic evaluation discourse, and promote the formation of a more open, diversified, and sustainable academic evaluation system.

Key words: academic evaluation, independent knowledge system, construction pathway, philosophy and social sciences