Promoting High-Quality Development of Popular Science Publishing in the New Era: Evidence from National Science and Technology Progress Award Recipients (2005—2023)

The publication of popular science books is an important measure for implementing the "Two Wings Theory", an effective means to serve high-level scientific self-reliance and self-strengthening, and a key component in promoting widespread reading among the public. A series of policy documents including the "Regulations on Promoting Mass Reading" have been successively implemented. How to promote the high-quality development of popular science publishing has become an important issue for China's publishing industry to address. Existing studies have examined this issue from the perspectives of the publishing trends of popular science books, the current publishing situation in specific fields, and international comparisons. However, there are few studies that conduct detailed research on the high-quality development of popular science book publishing in the new era from the perspective of national awards. This is also the research gap that this article intends to fill. This study selects popular science books that received the National Science and Technology Progress Award between 2005 and 2023 as research samples. It systematically reviews the research papers, creative statements, interviews, news reports, and evaluative reviews of all awarded titles to analyze their publishing practices and identify pathways for high-quality development. The findings show that, in terms of authorship, most contributors are authoritative domain experts with a strong commitment to science communication; in terms of topic selection, they demonstrate dual sensitivity to public needs and national strategic priorities; in terms of content, they exemplify "meta-popularization" by scientists, communicating original research through accessible first-person narratives; in terms of presentation, they combine multi-dimensional format innovation with distinctive Chinese characteristics. These findings offer three priorities for the 15th Five-Year Plan period: promote the transformation of scientific and technological resources into high-quality popular science publications; cultivate composite author-editor teams to develop new models of science creation and publishing; and leverage technological empowerment to develop new expressive formats for popular science content. Drawing on the publishing experience of these award-winning titles, the popular science publishing industry can move from a developmental plateau toward genuine high-quality development, contributing to China's broader goals of cultural advancement and innovation-drivenmodernization.