Criminal Law Issues and Debates. Issue 7

Author: Yu Zhigang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: China has a long-standing legal culture tradition of "emphasis on criminal law over civil law" and "prioritizing criminal law," which has led to the richness and depth of criminal law theory since ancient times. After the founding of the new China, the criminal law system has gradually been improved and perfected, and criminal law theoretical research has flourished accordingly. Especially since the 1980s, the criminal law academic community has embraced the spirit of "let a hundred flowers bloom and let a hundred schools of thought contend," with scholars working together to advance academic standards. Theoretical research has achieved remarkable results, presenting a scene of prosperity: not only has the research scope been continuously expanded, but also the focal and hot issues for discussion have emerged one after another, without interruption. Today, after decades of joint efforts by the academic community, China's criminal law research has become prosperous and has achieved remarkable accomplishments: the criminal law system has been gradually improved and perfected, academic foundations have become increasingly extensive and profound, the level of theoretical research has been continuously raised, the transformation of criminal law concepts has become increasingly significant, the research scope continues to expand, research directions and methods tend to be scientific, academic exchanges and international cooperation are thriving, the construction of the discipline and the allocation of research resources are becoming more rational, and the establishment of academic teams and the cultivation of talents have entered the right track. The improvement in the level of theoretical research and the deepening of research perspectives have also brought some issues worthy of attention: on the one hand, purely theoretical research may be difficult to be published due to its limited practical significance, especially large-scale research involving detailed issues. On the other hand, in the context of the flourishing criminal law academic community, the "Matthew effect" is more pronounced, with many journals competing to invite and publish the works of senior scholars who have already entered a virtuous cycle. As "latecomers" in the academic field, young scholars can only quietly survive in the gaps of academia. Even if they occasionally have sparks of thought, they can only keep them hidden or adapt their forms to co-author with renowned scholars to get their works published. This journal, Criminal Law Issues and Controversies, founded by young scholars, has entered a transitional period and is willing to take on the responsibility of addressing the above issues: not only can it and hopes to accept and publish large-scale articles with academic "deepening" or "innovation" value, but it also hopes to become the preferred journal for young scholars to express their thoughts and publish their new academic achievements. Academic research emphasizes accumulating knowledge before making breakthroughs. Young scholars who are committed to criminal law research should discard impatience and the desire for quick success, work steadily and step by step to make their due contributions to the theoretical research of criminal law; at the same time, the accumulation and overall improvement of criminal law theory cannot be achieved in a short time, nor is it often the task of one generation. Objectively, it is more dependent on the continuity of academia. Young scholars who are committed to criminal law research should maintain a "calm and composed" attitude, think deeply, fill in many research fields that are still blank, and do the work that belongs to the younger generation.