Academic Code of Conduct Reader

Author: Yang Yusheng, Zhang Baosheng (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: April 1, 2004
Features: Academic norms have been one of the most central topics in Chinese academia in recent years. Discussions on academic norms have been ongoing and fervent, with a diversity of opinions and a pursuit of consensus, becoming a significant academic cultural landscape in China across the century. This discussion is characterized by its interdisciplinary nature and cutting-edge focus, with a fundamental appeal for public benefit, academic rigor, and constructive outcomes, exerting a far-reaching influence. People are increasingly aware that, in terms of the intrinsic driving force for the orderly accumulation, exchange, development, and innovation of Chinese academia, academic norms should become a fundamental consensus within the academic community. Since 1988, when Mr. Chen Pingyuan published "On Academic Grammar" and Mr. Yang Mu published "Some Problems in the Writing of Academic Papers in Chinese Musicology," academic norms began to enter the discourse of the visionary scholars in Chinese academia. In the early 1990s, with the proposal of the "academic history" initiative by Xue Ren and the discussion on the "standardization and localization of Chinese social sciences" by Zhongguo Shu Ping, academic norms became a public academic topic of strong concern for many young and middle-aged scholars. Although there have always been objections and questions such as "doubts about norms," "caution in speaking of 'normalization'," and "who determines the norms," it was marked by the special symposium on "Academic Dialogue and Academic Norms" organized by Zhongguo She Hui Kexue in March 1999 that academic norms finally entered the mainstream academic discourse system in Chinese academia. Of course, debates still persist, and the issues remain unresolved. Perhaps in response to various academic misconducts, in early 2000, seven leading history journals in Beijing, including Lishi Yanjiu, jointly published a "Joint Statement on Adhering to Academic Norms." In February 2002, the Ministry of Education issued "Suggestions on Strengthening Academic Ethics Construction," and in April 2004, it will further release the "Academic Norms for Humanities and Social Sciences Research in Higher Education." This can be considered a significant achievement of the discussions on academic norms over the past decade. It should be said that despite lingering concerns or disagreements, the focus of attention now seems less on whether academic norms are necessary and more on what kind of norms are needed and how to implement them effectively. To this end, with the support of many friends, we aim to contribute further to the discussion and research on academic norms in two ways: First, at the invitation of Mr. Xu Hui, the chief planner of the humanities and social sciences division of Higher Education Press, we have collaborated with a group of like-minded scholars to compile an Introduction to Academic Norms, combining theoretical depth with practical application, based on the Academic Norms for Humanities and Social Sciences Research in Higher Education. The writing of this book is nearing completion and is expected to be published around June 2004. Second, with the assistance of Professor Ma Xiaoquan, the chief editor of Henan University Press, we have selected and compiled a comprehensive collection titled Readings on Academic Norms as a companion to the Introduction to Academic Norms. The discussion on academic norms has been long-lasting, spanning a wide range of disciplines, and involves numerous scholars and articles of varying quality. Therefore, based on extensive reading, we have established the following selection principles for Readings on Academic Norms: First, from a diachronic perspective, we have selected landmark works in the discussion on academic norms. Second, we emphasize interdisciplinary breadth, balancing the pursuit of common goals in academic norms with the individual characteristics of different disciplines. Third, we adopt an inclusive approach, treating all differing viewpoints with equal respect, seeking consensus while preserving diversity, to facilitate mutual learning among scholars and critical thinking among readers. Finally, in addition to necessary technical editing, the selected works are left largely unchanged to maintain their original essence.