Hainan Normal University comprehensively promotes the construction of key disciplines, and builds a three-level classification, stratification, and dynamic discipline classification development system composed of national "first-class" key disciplines, provincial-level characteristic key disciplines, and school-level characteristic key disciplines. There are currently 12 provincial-level key disciplines.

Efforts have been made to promote the construction of scientific research "triple projects", and three key laboratories of the Ministry of Education, three ministry-level social science base platforms, eight key laboratories of Hainan Province, nine engineering centers, 13 key research bases of humanities and social sciences, two international joint research centers, one key new think tank, four field science observation and research stations, and two natural science science popularization bases have been built.

In the past five years, it has won 562 provincial and ministerial-level scientific research projects, 102 provincial and ministerial-level scientific research awards, 1 first prize of Hainan Provincial National Humanities and Social Sciences Research Outstanding Achievement Award, and 2 first prizes of National Education Science Research Outstanding Achievement Award. Published more than 1,200 high-level papers, signed 363 horizontal cooperation agreements, and was authorized with 420 patents.