Description:    Water quality criteria (WQC) are threshold limits for pollutants or other hazard factors in the ambient water environment, which are based on scientific experiments and extrapolations. Until now, there is limited information available regarding the study of water quality criteria in China. It is imperative to launch national-level systematic WQC studies that focus on the regional characteristics of China and provide scientific support for the enactment or revision of water quality standards and environmental management. This article reviews the concept of WQC and discusses the methodology and global progress of WQC research. The article also summarizes the key scientific issues in WQC research, including species sensitivity distribution, toxicological endpoint selection, and models selection. Furthermore, we can adopt the derivation method used in the USA and divide WQC into acute and chronic criteria. Finally, considering the current status of WQC research in China, we point out important directions for future national studies, including the selection of native species and the comprehensive use of models. Content Type Journal Article Category Review Pages 882-891 DOI 10.1007/s11430-012-4384-5 Authors ChengLian Feng, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China FengChang Wu, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China XiaoLi Zhao, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China HuiXian Li, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China Hong Chang, State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012 China Journal SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences Online ISSN 1869-1897 Print ISSN 1674-7313 Journal Volume Volume 55 Journal Issue Volume 55, Number 6