美國《高等教育紀事報》：中國學術造假成災

學術造假成災
中國高等教育所特有的、一個具有諷刺意味的問題是：靠施加壓力來提高學術水
平。

美國《高等教育紀事報》2006年5月19日
Paul Mooney報道
（Yush譯）

北京

　　方是民是一位分子生物學者、自由撰稿人、兼自主學術打假人士。去年，他
收到了一份清華大學醫學院新任院長助理劉輝網上簡歷有假的匿名線索，隨後他
仔細讀了一下那份簡歷，發現簡歷中列出的一篇HIV分子生物學的研究論文與劉
輝的專業（外科學）無關，這引起了他的懷疑。方先生稍作調查后發現，那篇論
文實際上是美國一位與新任院長助理劉輝同姓、名字縮寫相同的華人科學家寫的。

　　方先生把他的這個發現，連同對劉先生工作經歷的懷疑，公布到他的致力於
揭露中國學術腐敗的廣受歡迎的新語絲網站上。數月後，清華大學悄悄開除了劉
先生。

　　此事件是一系列引人注目的、令中國高校困窘的學術腐敗案例中的最新一例。
專家們說，學術腐敗現象正損害高等教育的質量、威脅著本已經狀況不佳的高校
體制所迫切需要的改革。

　　在中國，欺詐行為由來已久。對政府設法使中國高教體制現代化所採取的方
式持批評態度的人士說，政府的這些努力只會使欺詐問題惡化。

　　三月份，這個問題的嚴重性更為突顯。其時，100餘名頂尖學者簽署了一封
公開信，力促政府與學術腐敗作鬥爭。中國新聞媒體廣泛報道了他們的呼籲。同
月，著名雜誌《中國新聞周刊》（與《美國新聞周刊》無關）發表長達12頁的專
題報道《高校的非典型腐敗》，文中描述了數十起案例，包括學術剽竊、網站出
售論文手稿、學者付費發表標準低下的論文。

　　多年來，政府官員和高校管理人員相對來說忽略了學術造假問題。但目前，
有跡象表明，他們已經準備好來處理這個問題。

　　學者公開信發表前的幾星期，國務院（中國的內閣）高級官員任玉嶺向一組
知名政協委員講述了最近的一項政府調查。接受調查的180位博士學位獲得者當
中， 60%的人說他們曾經花錢在學術刊物上發表論文，相近比例的人承認曾經抄
過其他學者的成果。任先生對政協委員們說，普遍的學術腐敗損害著人們對學術
界的信任。

　　同樣在三月份，教育部宣布成立一個委員會來監督學術腐敗、制定對違犯者
進行懲罰的規則。隨後，科技部說，它將建立一個資料庫長久記錄違規行為。

　　揭露學術腐敗

　　在政府對學術造假的監管不到位的情況下，網路監督者們填補了這個空白。
學術批評網是最早從事揭露打擊學術腐敗的中文網站之一，網站上公布的全是中
國學者對欺詐猖獗會破壞國家學術和科學研究的發展的憂慮。其他很多學者，包
括研究生，已將監督學術造假當成業餘愛好。

　　這些人當中，以方舟子為筆名的方先生是更為著名的監督人之一。他說，高
校對已經揭露出來的人經常辦事拖沓或者不採取措施。這位受訓於密歇根州立大
學的生物學者說，他的網站天天發表有關學術不端的報道，大部分由重要學者提
供。他聲稱，過去四年，他已揭露出將近500起「學術不端」案例，但其中絕大
多數都被高校和政府忽視。他的網站http://www.xys.org在中國國內被政府屏蔽，
但通過鏡像可以訪問。

　　方先生稱，清華大學開除劉輝是個「例外」。他說，清華內部消息來源告訴
他，院長助理學術造假曝光后，管理層曾經不願意採取措施，只是在教師們施加
壓力后才動作。劉先生被開除是方先生在其網站公布指控后的4個月。方先生說，
與之成對比的是，清華生物系的一位副教授在其簡歷中列出了7篇不存在的論文，
但並沒有受到懲罰，卻隨後被提拔為正教授。

　　方先生說：「即使事件被曝光，學校也通常會試圖掩蓋，特別是當被指控者
是個大人物時，以保護學校的名聲和利益。中國科學院院士是很有權力的。他們
為所在高校帶來大量資金，因此保護他們符合學校的利益。」方先生說，他的網
站已經揭露過約20名院士的造假或不端行為。他說：「他們一個也沒有被正式調
查或懲處過。」

　　政府終於認識到需要採取一些措施，而新聞媒體也比以前更願意報導這些事
件，方先生對此感到高興。但他仍然對成功沒有信心。方先生表示，學術腐敗既
是一個社會問題，也是一個政治問題，這意味著，為根除這個問題，中國必須采
取根本改革。他說，民主的政府、獨立的科學和教育制度，以及出版自由都是樹
立誠實的學術風氣所必需的。

　　作弊的歷史

　　跟很多其他國家一樣，中國學術方面的作弊有很長的歷史。清朝
（1644-1911）期間需經嚴格的科舉考試才能獲得令人嚮往的文職官位，為此，
參加考試的學者花招百出，包括偷帶指甲大小的袖珍書本和作弊紙張。在北京國
子監遺址曾展出過某作弊者寫滿了漢字的汗衫。

　　1964年，毛澤東主席在一次批評教育制度死板、只認考試的談話中實際上認
可了作弊行為。他宣稱：「考試可以交頭接耳，甚至冒名頂替。冒名頂替時也不
過是照人家的抄一遍，我不會，你寫了，我抄一遍，也可以有些心得。」{出自
毛澤東1964年春節談話紀要}

　　最近幾年，中國學生已採取雇傭「槍手」的手段參加考試。槍手可被雇來參
加中國幾乎所有的考試，包括托福、雅思和GRE考試。某已關閉的網站提供三種
選擇：雇一個槍手2000元（約250美元）；考前給答案4000元；考試期間用無線
裝置（被稱作進口「衛星接收機」，不比指甲大）提供答案1200元。

　　傳統上，中國學校不教學生如何避免剽竊。高中生要花大量時間死記硬背，
卻不用寫需進行調查研究的學業論文。而一旦進入大學，他們也很少得到甚至得
不到撰寫研究論文的訓練。

　　有的教授甚至鼓勵學生從事某種有益無害的剽竊。北京應用技術大學一位剛
畢業的學生，其大學畢業論文有逐字逐句的抄襲，他說：「老師告訴我們要抄，
她說我們不大懂得怎樣表達自己的想法。」

　　很多學者擔心，政府近年來推動建立十餘所世界一流大學的舉動正導致學術
造假流行。在中國，研究生和教授都被要求每年在所謂「核心雜誌」上發表數篇
論文。政府改革批評家們注意到，大學教師工資、晉陞和福利，與在雜誌上的論
文發表數量、而不是論文實際內容掛鉤。這個現實導致匆忙的、不幹凈的研究。
有些學者每年發表多至十餘篇論文。

　　《中國新聞周刊》關於學術腐敗的文章注意到，對發表論文的壓力的持續增
加，已經孕育出學術黑市，在這個黑市上，教授交錢在假冒雜誌上發表論文。據
《中國新聞周刊》計算，中國所承認的雜誌每年只能登載30萬篇文章，而預計今
年中國學術界要產生約53萬篇。

　　在某份報紙的意見板塊，有位學者寫道，這些不切實際的期望令人回想起中
國1950年代末的大躍進，當時毛主席號召工業生產要大增長。這項努力，其結果
不只是劣質產品，還造成了災難。

　　上海華東師範大學高等教育研究所所長唐安國說：「你不能用參加運動的方
式增加論文數量，以使某人能保住他的職位。你如果這麼做，給學者們造成的壓
力就太大了。」

　　唐先生表示：「壓力有時候能讓你幹得更好。但如果壓力太大，卻能把你壓
碎。」


　　中國近來對學術欺詐行為的指控

　　楊傑，同濟大學生命科學與技術學院院長。4月份因在簡歷中偽造部分資料
被解除院長職位，仍保留教授頭銜。

　　劉輝，清華大學醫學院院長助理。3月份因被發現把別人的學術論文當成自
己的，以及在簡歷中就其在紐約大學醫療中心的工作經歷撒謊而被開除。

　　沈履偉，天津外國語學院中文副教授。1月份因在書中剽竊十篇文章被開除。

　　胡興榮，汕頭大學新聞學教授。2005年因被發現在其發表於香港某雜誌上的
文章中剽竊而辭職。

　　周葉中，武漢大學法學教授。2005年被指控抄襲學者王天成的著作卻未指出
歸屬。王先生對其提起訴訟，現懸而未決。武漢大學仍未採取任何措施。

　　丘小慶，四川大學生物醫學教授。2005年在一反學術腐敗的網站上被指控其
在2003年11月的《自然－生物技術》雜誌上發表假造的研究成果。四川大學正在
調查。

　　黃宗英，北京大學英語教授。2004年因剽竊某英國學者關於T.S. Eliot的一
本書的三分之二而被開除。

　　王銘銘，北京大學人類學教授。2004年，一博士研究生指控他剽竊William A.
Haviland的著作《文化人類學》的幾部分。北京大學隨後解除了他大部分學術職
位。

Chronicle of Higher Education, From the issue dated May 19, 2006

Plagued by Plagiarism

An endemic problem in Chinese higher education is, ironically, fueled
by pressure to raise standards

By PAUL MOONEY

Beijing

Fang Shi-min, a molecular biologist, freelance writer, and
self-appointed plagiarism buster, was poring over the online
curriculum vitae of the new assistant dean of Tsinghua University's
medical school last year after receiving an anonymous tip that the
document included false information. He became suspicious when he
noticed that one of the research papers it listed was about the
molecular biology of HIV ― a subject not related to the dean's
specialty, which was surgery. Mr. Fang did a bit of research and
discovered that the paper had actually been written by a Chinese
scientist in the United States with the same family name and first
initial as Liu Hui, the new assistant dean.

Mr. Fang posted his discovery ― and his doubts about Mr. Liu's work
experience ― on his popular Web site, New Threads, which is dedicated
to exposing academic corruption in China. Several months later, the
university quietly dismissed Mr. Liu.

The incident is the latest in a series of high-profile cases of
academic corruption that have embarrassed universities around China ―
a trend that experts say is hurting the quality of higher education
and threatening much-needed reforms of the nation's ailing university
system.

Cheating is not new to China, but critics of the way the government is
trying to modernize the country's higher-education system say these
efforts are only exacerbating the problem.

The gravity of the issue was highlighted in March, when more than 100
top scholars signed an open letter urging the government to fight
academic corruption. Their plea was widely reported in the Chinese
news media. That same month, China Newsweek,a prominent magazine (not
related to the American newsweekly), ran a 12-page cover story, "The
Abnormal Corruption of Higher Education," in which it described dozens
of cases of plagiarism, Web sites advertising manuscripts for sale,
and scholars paying journals to publish substandard papers.

Now, after years of relative neglect, government officials and
university administrators show signs that they are ready to deal with
the problem.

A few weeks before the scholars released their open letter, Ren Yuling,
a senior official of the State Council, China's cabinet, described to
a group of prominent political delegates a recent government survey of
180 Ph.D. holders, in which 60 percent said they had paid to have
their work published in academic journals. A similar percentage
admitted having copied the work of other scholars. Mr. Ren told the
group that endemic academic corruption was eroding public trust in
academe.

Also in March, the Ministry of Education announced that it was
establishing a committee to monitor academic corruption and to set up
guidelines for the punishment of offenders. Soon after that, the
Ministry of Science and Technology said it would create a database to
keep a permanent record of violations.

Exposing Corruption

In the absence of government monitoring of plagiarism, online
watchdogs have filled the void. Academic Criticism, one of the first
Chinese-language Web sites dedicated to exposing and fighting
corruption, is filled with postings by Chinese scholars concerned that
rampant cheating undermines the development of academic and scientific
research in their country. Many other scholars, including graduate
students, have turned plagiarism-spotting into a hobby.

Mr. Fang, who uses the pen name Fang Zhouzi, is one of the
better-known spotters among them. He says universities often drag
their feet or take no action until someone has been exposed. The
biologist, who was trained at Michigan State University, says his Web
site carries daily reports of scientific misconduct, many of which are
provided by leading scholars. He asserts that he has uncovered close
to 500 cases of "scientific misconduct" over the past four years, but
that most of them have been ignored by both the universities and the
government. His Web site, http://www.xys.org, is blocked within China
by the government, but mirror sites can be accessed there.

Liu Hui's dismissal from Tsinghua was "an exception," declares Mr. Fang,
who says sources inside the university told him that administrators
had been reluctant to take action after the assistant dean's
plagiarism became known and did so only after colleagues had put
pressure on them. Mr. Liu was fired four months after Mr. Fang first
publicized the accusations on his Web site. By contrast, Mr. Fang says,
an associate professor in Tsinghua's biology department listed seven
nonexistent papers on his vita. He was not punished, says Mr. Fang,
and was later promoted to full professor.

"Even when a case is exposed, the university will usually try to cover
it up ― particularly when the accused is a big shot ― to protect the
fame and gain of the university," says Mr. Fang. "Members of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences are very powerful. They can bring a lot of
funding for their universities, and therefore it's in the university's
interest to protect them." Mr. Fang says his Web site has exposed
about 20 members of the academy for plagiarism or misconduct. "None of
them have been officially investigated or punished," he says.

He is pleased that the government has finally acknowledged that
something needs to be done, and that the news media are more willing
than before to report such cases. But he is not confident of success.
Academic corruption is both a social and political problem, Mr. Fang
notes, which means that China must undertake radical reforms in order
to eliminate it. A democratic government, independent scientific and
educational institutions, and a free press are all necessary, he says,
to foster a climate of intellectual honesty.

History of Cheating

Scholarship in China, like that in many other countries, has a long
history of cheating. During the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) scholars
taking the rigorous imperial exam, to win coveted positions in the
civil service, resorted to all sorts of tricks, including smuggling in
miniature books and cheat sheets the size of a fingernail. At
Beijing's old Imperial Academy, an exhibit on cheating once displayed
the undershirt of one cheater covered in Chinese characters.

In 1964, Chairman Mao Zedong actually endorsed cheating during a
speech in which he criticized the staid education system and its
emphasis on exams. "At examinations whispering into each other's ears
and taking other people's places ought to be allowed. If your answer
is good and I copy it, then mine should be counted as good," he
declared.

In recent years, Chinese students have resorted to the use of qiangshou,
or "hired guns," to take many exams. Their services can be retained
for just about any test in China, including the Test of English as a
Foreign Language, the International English Language Testing System,
and the Graduate Record Examination. One now-defunct Web site offered
three options: a hired gun for 2,000 yuan (currently about $250),
answers in advance for 4,000 yuan, or answers provided during the test
for 1,200 yuan via a wireless device described as an imported
"satellite receiver" no bigger than a thumbnail.

Chinese schools have not traditionally taught students to avoid
plagiarism. High-school students, who spend much of their time
memorizing, are not required to produce papers that require research.
And once in college, they get little or no training in how to write a
research paper.

Some professors even encourage students to engage in a sort of benign
form of plagiarism. "Our teacher told us to copy," says a recent
graduate of the Beijing University of Applied Technology, whose senior
thesis contained some word-for-word plagiarism. "She said we don't
know enough to express our own ideas."

Many academics worry that the government's recent push to create
dozens of world-class universities is fueling a plagiarism epidemic.
In China both graduate students and professors are required to publish
several papers each year in what are known as "key journals." Critics
of the government's reforms note that decisions about faculty members'
salaries, promotions, and benefits are tied to publication in these
journals rather than to the papers' actual content, a reality that
leads to fast and dirty research. Some academics publish as many as a
dozen papers a year.

In its article on academic corruption, China Newsweek noted that
increasing pressure to publish has spawned an academic black market,
in which professors pay to have their papers published in counterfeit
journals. According to the magazine's calculations, China's recognized
journals are capable of publishing 300,000 articles annually, while
this year the country's academics are expected to produce some 530,000
papers.

In a newspaper opinion piece, one academic wrote that the unrealistic
expectations were reminiscent of China's Great Leap Forward of the
late 1950s, when Chairman Mao called for a sharp rise in industrial
production. The effort, which instead resulted in shoddy output, was a
disaster.

"You can't have a campaign to increase the number of papers so a
person can keep his position," says Tang Anguo, head of the Institute
of Higher Education at East China Normal University, in Shanghai. "If
you do this, the pressure on scholars will be too strong."

"ressure can sometimes make you a better person," notes Mr. Tang.
"But if there's too much, it can also break you."

RECENT ALLEGATIONS OF ACADEMIC FRAUD IN CHINA

Yang Jie, dean, School of Life Science and Technology, Tongji
University. Demoted in April as director of the school for falsifying
details on his résumé, but kept on as a professor.

Liu Hui, assistant dean of the medical school, Tsinghua University.
Was fired in March after it was discovered that he had taken credit
for an academic paper he had not written and had lied on his résumé
about working at New York University Medical Center.

Shen Luwei, associate professor of Chinese, Tianjin Foreign Studies
University. Fired in January for plagiarizing 10 articles in a book.

Hu Xingrong, journalism professor, Shantou University. Resigned in
2005 after being found to have plagiarized an article he had published
in a Hong Kong journal.

Zhou Yezhong, law professor, Wuhan University. Accused in 2005 of
copying the work of another scholar, Wang Tiancheng, without
attribution. Mr. Wang's lawsuit against him is pending. The university
has not taken any action.

Qiu Xiaoqing, professor of biomedicine, Sichuan University. Accused in
2005 by an anticorruption Web site of publishing fake research in the
November 2003 issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology. The
university is investigating.

Huang Zongying, English professor, Peking University. Fired in 2004
for plagiarizing two-thirds of a book on T.S. Eliot by a British
scholar.

Wang Mingming, anthropology professor, Peking University. In 2002 a
doctoral student accused him of plagiarizing parts of William A.
Haviland's book Cultural Anthropology. The university subsequently
removed Mr. Wang from most of his academic posts.