The ECNU Review of Education, believed to be the first international scholarly journals in China on educational research, was published in New York on April 14.

"We hope this journal will offer scholars and friends worldwide who care about Chinese education as a stage for communication and discussions. The journal will also be accepting empirical research and conceptual papers, policy research notes and book reviews by them," says Yuan Zhengguo, chief editor of the journal from East China Normal University and dean of the faculty of education at the university.

According to Yuan, the journal will embrace work that theorizes Chinese educational experiences and timely reviews of educational policy and issues.

"In addition, the journal will adhere to the standards of reputed international counterparts such as the Harvard Educational Review and the Oxford Review of Education," he says.

The journal features two main sections: research papers on Chinese education by domestic and foreign scholars, and policy reviews, says Chen Shuangye, associate editor and professor of curriculum and instruction at East China Normal University.

The first section in the inaugural issue contains seven papers related to the changes and development in Chinese education, the evolution of the school curriculum administration in China, the future path of education in the country and examples of successful education initiatives. The second section provides a review of the latest higher education policies.

All the papers in the journal can be downloaded for free on its website, which will be published quarterly.

"As a country where the economy, society and education are growing at such a fast pace, China has attracted global scholars from different fields to examine the role of education in the whole development process," says Chen.

"However, there has not been a formal academic publication in English that presents a rounded view of the Chinese educational situation to foreign readers.

"The journal will be a platform that corrects half-truths, mischaracterization and misunderstandings about Chinese education and help gather ideas for Chinese education through discussion," she says.

"The launch of the new journal marks a new chapter in scholarship on Chinese education," says Williamson McDiarmid, former principal of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the US.

"Having read the inaugural issue, I believe this is an auspicious start for a bold enterprise that I feel very fortunate to be a part of."