Plagiarism in Chinese Academic Writing

【Abstract】Plagiarism is considered to be the most serious ethical and intellectual offense in academic context. However，plagiarism continues to be prevalent in the Chinese academic world. Moreover it is not vigorously condemned in the Chinese academia. This paper analyzes the reasons behind plagiarism in Chinese academic writing on the aspects of the culture， the education system and the mechanism and gives possible suggestions to help control plagiarism.

【Key words】Plagiarism； Chinese Academic Writing； Academic Dishonesty

【作者簡介】張子嬋，女，碩士，天津財經大學珠江學院公共英語系教師，主要研究方向：第二語言習得。

Plagiarism is the “wrongful appropriation” and “purloining and publication” of another authors “language， thoughts， ideas， or expressions， ” and the representation of them as ones own original work （Nelson 2007）. It is considered to be the most serious ethical and intellectual offense in academic context. Academic plagiarism has received substantial attention and public accusations from many western academics. “（In） the US...rules against plagiarism are typically （and） directly addressed in the education system and are often included in course syllabi” （Ako 2011）. However， plagiarism continues to be prevalent， and it is not “systematically defined or vigorously condemned” in Chinese academia. This paper will analyze the reasons behind the problem of plagiarism on the aspects of the culture， the education system and the mechanism in order to identify some feasible measures to control plagiarism.

Chinese traditional society values rote memorization and the quoting of scriptures. In the article “Unraveling Plagiarism in China， ” Jasmine Ako states： “for the civil service examination that functioned from 1000 to 1900， potential government officials were chosen based on their ability to memorize and regurgitate quotes and passages in their essays” （Ako 2011）. Ancient Chinese held the notion： authority is the natural outlet for good scholars. Thus， copying and transmitting the insights of sages was encouraged in education. The culture of mimicry has its continuing influence on Chinese writers mindset as well as the mode of thinking nowadays. Simple emphasis on citing the classics does not necessarily lead to the act of plagiarism. Chinese culture de-emphasizes the attribution of cited text and subsumes individual intelligence as communal resource， which can be used by others as they see fit. As Friedman puts it “Community ideas are the norm and there is no respect for individual ownership， so the students fail to see any value in crediting the source of the original idea” （Friedman 2010）. The lack of respect towards individual work contributes to the irreverent attitude toward the original author， which finally leads to the act of plagiarism.

Test-based writing （especially in significant tests） can be another source of plagiarism. The allotted time and high requirements in test-based writing restricts the innovation of new ideas and prompts students to plagiarize. For instance， the most influential test among Chinese students： college entry examination， in the Chinese writing part， students are supposed to complete an 1000-word essay in an hour. Points would be lost if there are wrong characters， misuse of punctuations or syntax errors. Despite of the strictness in time and editing， it has a high tolerance on plagiarism of short sentences. The exam policy definitely has a huge impact on teaching and learning. Students are asked to recite as many classic phrases and sentences as possible. The classic sentences are usually perfectly-written and greatly contribute to word count， which is a part of the score for the essay. If the students are also encouraged to remember the original writers if they can. It does not matter whether they cite their sources. Therefore， plagiarism becomes a short-cut for writing in a test-setting. The high-school graduates bring the ethos of plagiarism into college and even higher academic circles.

Moreover， school usually give students huge writing tasks before equip them with writing skills or other proper guidance related to writing. For example， College students are required to write a thesis before graduation. However， most universities do not have writing courses provided neither do they pay much attention on students writing skills. Due the large class size， one teacher are sometimes responsible for more than 10 or 20 students graduation thesis. “We found it is not possible to give students enough guidance which is necessary for them to finish the thesis.” One of the professor said. Under the pressure of finishing the assigned writing task， again plagiarism becomes the short-cut for most students.

Many Chinese academics are under pressure to publish articles or books as a condition for promotion. To reach the standard of annual appraisal and professional-title evaluation， some academics would desperately produce “junk publication” through “slapdash cut and paste jobs on other peoples work” （Ford 2009）. He Haibo， an associate professor of pharmacology at the prestigious Zhejiang University in China， had committed and admitted plagiarism in the eight articles that he submitted to international journals. This shocking academic scandal sounded a cautionary note for Chinese academia. Helen Zhang， journal director at the Zhejiang University Press， believes that “many cases of self or team plagiarism is a result of the academic worlds emphasis on publishing quantity over quality.”（Rampant plagiarism detected in Chinese journal submissions， para.3）. The irrational emphasis on evaluation criteria facilitates the blind pursuit of quantity in publishing articles. Plagiarism and revisionism （similar to Stalinist rhetoric） have become collective behaviors among Chinese academics. But even worse， the education leaders sometimes tend to ignore the accusation on plagiarism or even try to cover it up to save the reputation of the whole institute. Driven by commercial interests， some Chinese academic journals allow and hide plagiarism. The editors will irresponsibly publish the articles without peer review as long as they got paid.

Another reason for the rampant plagiarism could be the minimized risk of punishment on plagiarism in China. Si Wang， the Epoch Time staff， writes “Chinese law has been either nonexistent or lenient on plagiarism” （Wang 2010）. When the students find their peers plagiarizing with trivial or no punishment， they would follow suit with a belief： the law will not punish numerous offenders.

In response to plagiarism， a text analysis software Crosscheck is developed to “detect any four distinct types of plagiarism that constitute academic misconduct： duplicate publication， self or team plagiarism， direct copying of methods section， and uncited or excessive extracts” （Winter 2010）. Crosscheck has successfully curbed plagiarism through “comparing the content of a submitted paper to a continuously updated database of previously published work” （Winter） in many countries and received the 2008 Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers Award for Publishing Innovation. Although Crosscheck helps to identify a significant number of plagiarism incidents， as Winter states， it fails to analyze figures and tables， so journal editors must rely on sources like Google or PubMed Central for comparison to round out their vigilance. Obviously， software alone will not bring plagiarism to its end. Stricter enforcement of regulations on the reviewing process of research achievements is needed to prevent plagiarism.

The cultural factors can not be the disingenuous excuse for the theft and deceit of plagiarists. The Chinese government should set up appropriate legal norms to regulate the academia， protect intellectual property and castigate infringements of intellectual property rights. Authors， researchers and editors also should raise the consciousness of IPR（Intellectual Property Rights） protection and be on the alert for plagiarism. The academic community should also establish a sound educational mechanism to encourage innovation in writing and also pay more attention on the quality instead of quantity on academic writing and publishing.

Writing teachers should also help students to act as responsible scholars and writers. Motivate the creativity in students by giving more time on the writing assignments. Provide guidance on citation and annotated bibliography. Make the students realize the severity of plagiarism through dedicate discussion on the nature and consequences of plagiarism in class or reflection penalties for plagiarism in the syllabus. Give impartial and appropriate sanctions， such as the failing the assignment or the course instead of “administrative warning” if plagiarism is detected.

Plagiarism has a long cultural tradition and becomes an inveteracy in Chinese academia. The competition for economic benefits and higher academic positions incites scholars to discard dignity and integrity during academic writing process. “Whatever the causes of academic misconduct， the effects on the international reputation of Chinese research are terrible”， says Ferric Fang， a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine and editor in chief of the journal Infection and Immunity. According to Fang， “some American scientists refuse to review any manuscripts submitted by Chinese researchers because they do not know if the data can be trusted”（Sparking Debate， para.10）. China is facing a unprecedented crisis of credibility in the world academia. The prevention of plagiarism and protection of original academic fruits are urgent missions for Chinese academics.

References：

[1]Nelson，R.S.（2007）.Library plagiarism policies.Association of College&Research; Libraries.p.65.

[2]Jasmine Ako，（2011）.Unraveling Plagiarism in China，US-China Today，University of Southern California publication.