(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-11 07:22

Argument and criticism helps promote academic development, says an article in People's Daily. The following is an excerpt:

Recently, Fudan University voluntarily made public three academic corruption cases. We are pleased to hear about it and believe that these academic corruption cases can be prevented if more healthy criticism is encouraged.

For a long time in the academic world of China, conducting closed-door research and shunning arguments is believed to be a virtue of scientific workers. Many of them do not pay enough attention to their peers' research work and do not bother to criticize.

Academic criticism is an important booster to scientific advancement. However, it is ignored or rarely heard of in China.

The criticism normally focuses not on academic issues, but instead on personal relations.

As a result, criticism is reduced to a comment not based on the quality of research work but on the social status of the researcher. Obviously, it is superficial criticism. It is already hampering academic achievements.

When we know that a scholar cheats in academic research, it alerts us and action can be taken.

(China Daily 01/11/2008 page8)