One of China’s big three academic databases.
At a Glance
| Publisher | Wanfang Data |
| Coverage | 8,500+ Chinese journals with 50M+ articles, plus 5.9M+ full-text dissertations, conference papers, patents, and standards |
| Access | institutional subscription; English interface is limited |
| Regional | a primary index for Chinese scholarship, alongside CNKI. |
Our Take
Wanfang is one of the three major mainland-China databases (with CNKI and VIP), and its dissertation and standards coverage is a particular strength — the kind of Chinese grey literature that’s very hard to reach otherwise. For China-focused research it’s a valuable complement to CNKI rather than a substitute, since coverage differs. Language and subscription access are the barriers. Use it alongside CNKI for comprehensive Chinese coverage, especially for dissertations and standards; corroborate records against OpenAlex for an English handle.
Power Tips
- Use Wanfang specifically for Chinese dissertations, standards, and patents that CNKI or Western indexes miss
- search both Wanfang and CNKI for a thorough Chinese-literature review, since their journal coverage only partly overlaps.
Alternatives & Complements
CNKI · ChinaXiv · OpenAlex · Dimensions.
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