By GILLIAN WONG, Associated Press Writer – Sun Apr 11, 12:49 am ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100411/ap_on_re_as/as_china_academic_cheating
This article looks the issue of plagiarism (cheating, ghostwriting, or faking results) in Chinese academia. The article states that plagiarism is a common problem in China, not only among stressed students but professors and elite researchers as well. One reason given is that the current system for academic promotions places more importance on the number of rather than quality of publications. Also, some don't see ghostwriting (paying someone else to write a paper for you)or "borrowing" someone else's work without citation as necessarily unethical. Some experts see the cheating as so widespread that it may hinder China's efforts to become a global leader in science research. This issue comes to light after a British science journal retracted 70 papers (all by the same two scientists) on the grounds they were plagiarized. The editor of the journal was careful to assert that many Chinese authors had submitted high-quality, important contributions to scientific journals, and that the actions of a few were not necessarily indicative of many. The article goes on to say that the Chinese government claims it is trying to crack down on academic dishonesty, but the dean of Peking University remained skeptical, and said that while the government is happy to fund research, they don't want to police it.
I found this fit well into this week's blog theme of "IR in unexpected places." Academics and research are a major source of international communication, as we at Mac should know firsthand. An issue like this will no doubt have an impact on the scholarly relations between these two states. Not only does it perhaps threaten China's bid to become a global leader in research, but one expert went so far as to say "I suspect there will be less appetite for non-Chinese scientists to collaborate with Chinese colleagues who are operating in a culture of misconduct." Whether or not issue really causes less collaboration between academics, this issue will no doubt affect how the states' perceptions of each other. There is the risk of many honest scholars suffering for their colleagues academic dishonesty;it is possible that a kind of stereotype may develop that Chinese academic sources are not reliable, in a new kind of Western Orientalist neocolonial superiority complex. And we can see that not only are individuals involved in this issue; state governments are as well, as the US government may pressure the Chinese government in stricter enforcement or policy changes regarding academic publishing and scholarly ethics.
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ReplyDeleteI agree: this is an excellent example of IR in unexpected places.
ReplyDeleteThis issue perhaps finds its roots in the high-stress middle schools and high schools found in China. Students find themselves under extreme pressure to perform at a high level which perhaps pushes them to take academic measures such as plagiarism, ghost-writing, etc. (Of course I’m not saying this is always the case). The China Daily recently reported that stress levels in lower (as well as higher) education are vastly greater in China than even those in the U.S Japan, and Korea.
This article was interesting, because it seems to vaguely argue that plagiarizing is not considered "wrong" in China. Many Chinese seemed to view academic fraud as just getting help when they need it. Even if cheating is not culturally accepted in China, the current system of promotions has fostered an environment open to cheating. Also, when a higher value is placed on the quantitative amount a person has published, rather than the quality, innovation and creativity suffer. If China isn't making new contributions to fields of research, they will fall behind in their bid to become leaders in research. I agree that this cheating hurts China's credibility with other countries. When plagiarism goes beyond China's borders, other states will pressure China to tighten policies on academic fraud, if the work of their own citizens is being copied.
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