China issues new regulation to stem fraud among scientists

0 Comments | AFP, November, 2006

BEIJING (AFP) — China is getting tougher on fraud and plagiarism among scientists after a series of high-profile scandals this year, a science ministry official was reported saying. Academics will be punished if they falsify resumes, plagiarize or fabricate scientific data, or violate rules governing research on humans and animals, Xinhua news agency said, citing new regulations implemented on a trial basis.

The punishment will range from the suspension of research funding to expulsion from their affiliated research bodies, it said. "The heaviest punishment will be disqualification from state science projects for life," Mei Yonghong, director of policy at the Ministry of Science and Technology, was quoted as saying. Another official said the regulation would provide a legal...