Regulations to curb academic fraud in effect from Jan 1
Leave no space for academic fraud
Regulations consists of 16 articles, listing the punishment policies for the fraud, the supervisors responsible for overseeing academic conduct and penalties, organizations authorized to issue degrees, and other related parties. According to the Regulations, five types of conduct will be considered “fraud”: buying and selling thesis papers or otherwise participating in the organization of paper-trading; seeking an agent to write one’s paper, ghost-writing someone else’s paper, or serving as the middleman for such an exchange; plagiarizing others’ writing or research; faking data; and other severe fraud conducts relating to thesis papers.
According to the Regulations, when a degree candidate commits any of the abovementioned violations, “the authorities that issue degrees shall revoke his or her eligibility to apply for the degree”; “For candidates who have already received their degrees, the authorities shall abolish their degrees and withdraw their degree certificates”. “For three years from the date of the verdict, the authorities that issue degrees shall not accept any degree application from the convicted party”.
In addition, for instances where degree issuing authorities are found guilty, their qualifications to issue degrees shall be suspended or abolished, and their student enrollment shall be accordingly reduced. The agents, websites and individuals organizing or involved in paper-trading shall be investigated and charged by their supervising organizations.
According to the information released on the official website of the MOE, the MOE has paid great attention and invested substantial effort to forge an environment of academic integrity for the long run. However, paper-trading and ghost-writing theses still take place from time to time. They severely damage the ethic of integrity as well as the degree management system in China, having a very negative impact to the society. The enactment of the regulations will curb the situation through rules, so as to safeguard the scientific development of higher education in China. It will also be conducive to maintaining the rigor and fairness of the degree system and promoting integrity. Eventually, it will bolster the quality of research and education.
The Chinese version appeared in the Chinese Social Sciences Today, No. 400, January 4, 2013.
(Translated by Feng Daimei)