Fraud Scandals Sap China’s Dream of Becoming a Science Superpower
- 7 years ago
Fraud Scandals Sap China’s Dream of Becoming a Science Superpower
We still haven’t figured out how to do that yet." In April, a scientific journal retracted 107 biology research papers, the vast majority of them written by Chinese authors, after evidence emerged
that they had faked glowing reviews of their articles.
Some journals — including Tumor Biology, which retracted the 107 articles — go so far as to ask the authors
themselves to suggest peers to write these reviews, a fact that critics say opened the door to fraud.
Since 2012, the country has retracted more scientific papers because of faked peer reviews than all other countries and territories put together, according to Retraction Watch, a blog
that tracks and seeks to publicize retractions of research papers.
Many say that appears to have been the case with Han Chunyu, a scientist at Hebei University of Science and Technology who made a big splash last year by claiming
that he had found a new way to edit human genes — a technique that could one day make it possible to eliminate hereditary diseases, or allow parents to tailor their unborn children’s height or I.Q.
But fraud appears to be especially widespread in Chinese academic institutions,
as seen in the large number of retracted articles and faked peer reviews.
This apparently allowed the authors, or more often writers hired by the authors, to pose as academic peers,
and write positive reviews that would help get their own papers published.
We still haven’t figured out how to do that yet." In April, a scientific journal retracted 107 biology research papers, the vast majority of them written by Chinese authors, after evidence emerged
that they had faked glowing reviews of their articles.
Some journals — including Tumor Biology, which retracted the 107 articles — go so far as to ask the authors
themselves to suggest peers to write these reviews, a fact that critics say opened the door to fraud.
Since 2012, the country has retracted more scientific papers because of faked peer reviews than all other countries and territories put together, according to Retraction Watch, a blog
that tracks and seeks to publicize retractions of research papers.
Many say that appears to have been the case with Han Chunyu, a scientist at Hebei University of Science and Technology who made a big splash last year by claiming
that he had found a new way to edit human genes — a technique that could one day make it possible to eliminate hereditary diseases, or allow parents to tailor their unborn children’s height or I.Q.
But fraud appears to be especially widespread in Chinese academic institutions,
as seen in the large number of retracted articles and faked peer reviews.
This apparently allowed the authors, or more often writers hired by the authors, to pose as academic peers,
and write positive reviews that would help get their own papers published.