Cross-Promotion

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My new book, "Standoff at Tiananmen," a narrative history of the 1989 student movement in China, has been self-published and available on Amazon. If you are interested, please go to my other blog Standoff at Tiananmen for more details. I would be glad to send you a review copy if you provide me a mailing address through the contact in my profile.

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Christian Science Monitor Reports Zhejiang University Case

Christian Science Monitor reported the dismissal of three professors at Zhejiang University and headlined the case as "China Targets an Academic Culture of Cut-and-Paste."

The paper quoted Yale Professor Stephen Stearns who had famously ignited a debate of plagiarism in China by an open letter. It quoted him saying "There is a long tradition of plagiarism in Chinese universities. Some Chinese professors actually teach their students to plagiarize." He also indicated that he and his colleagues at Yale do not take recommendation letters from Chinese professors seriously.

Fang Zhouzi was also quoted in the story and described as "dubious about the value of" government's efforts to keep the academic field clean.

Zhejiang University Dismisses Three Faculty in Scandal

The scandal at Zhejiang University continues to receive much media attention in China. After firing a junior researcher identified as the main culprit of the scandal, the school dismissed another faculty who was in charge of the research group and was the correspondence author in most of the papers in question. It also said that it will not renew its employment contract with the Academician Li Lianda.

In an interview with a newspaper, Fang Zhouzi stated that he was not satisfied with the displinary actions delivered so far. He thought the school did not go far enough to punish others who were also implicated in the scandal. But nontheless, he considered the resolution a step in the right direction.

Science Journal Reports Zhejiang University Scandal

Under its "Scientific Misconduct" column and with the title "Retractions Put Spotlight on China's Part-Time Professor System," Science reported the fraudulent case recently uncovered at Zhejiang University.

The report provides an extensive summary of the case involving academician Li Lianda and quoted a Peking University professor as saying "I don't think Zhejiang University handled the case properly" in investigating this case.