When people devoted to knowledge can no longer receive awards, get promotions or obtain the treatment they deserve, the academia becomes problematic. Photo FILE

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The Central Committee and State Council recently released a series of statements to cement research integrity. The statements zoom in on how to optimize the management mechanism, clarify responsibilities and monitor the whole process of research activity. Li Zhenzhen is a research fellow from the Institute of Technology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. She offers insights into the guidelines and supplies advice to research integrity management.

According to the statements, organizations that are involved in research activity and technological management should perform their due responsibilities. The faculty of these organizations should never approach the bottom line. Academic social groups should adhere to principles and regulate their own activities.

At present, the obstacle to research integrity lies in research organizations’ and professional institutes’ poor clarification of responsibility, making it difficult to achieve professional management and respond to issues of research integrity in the research community. The statements have made a crucial stride toward professional management as they divide responsibilities and suggest optimizing the regulatory mechanism.

The statements proposed for academia to further improve the management mechanism of research integrity and to investigate acts that run contrary to research integrity. A journal management system and an early warning system should also be built.

Li held that the mechanism includes a set of rules, encouraging or restraining human behaviors through laws, regulations, policies, instructions and moral codes. In order to institutionalize research integrity, China should formulate rules by considering aspects like regulatory structure and value identification.

Institutionalization is a systematic mission that touches upon prevention, punishment, regulation and security. Within the system, reactive punishment and proactive governance are of equal importance, Li said, adding that the investigation procedures for irregular research activities are conducive to achieving an open, transparent and procedural punishment mechanism. Meanwhile, the proposed journal management system and early warning system are reflective of institutional innovations in proactive governance.

Acts that sabotage research integrity must face rigid investigation and serious punishment, according to the statements. Li explained that regulatory organizations can investigate and punish such behaviors at any time during the researchers’ academic career. In serious circumstances, they have the right to veto all of the researcher’s scientific results, showing the country’s strong determination to fight against academic misconduct. The statements also target the illegal and irregular activities of intermediaries, who have been the source of many cases of paper trading, fake thesis writing and forged research data. In this context, markets should engage in supervision, and departments responsible for public security and other issues should take the initiative to investigate cases and implement punishments.

The statements ask for the speeding up of informatization, which will also aid research integrity. The promotion of information sharing and management will help monitor the whole process of research integrity and secure the institutionalization of academic credibility, Li said.

A benign academic environment is an indispensable part of research integrity. Within it, policies and culture are two interactive elements. The statements were issued in response to the needs of the scientific and technological community. They will play a big role in creating a favorable research environment.

 
This article was translated from People’s Daily.

(edited by MA YUHONG)