Stem cell fiasco should ring the alarm
China Daily  Updated: 2006-01-13 05:56

Disgraced scientist Hwang Woo-suk yesterday apologized for faking data in two research papers on stem cells. Just months ago, these papers won him adulation in his home country of the Republic of Korea, and fame across the world.

With unshakable evidence and conclusion by investigators from his school, Seoul National University, his apology was inevitable.

Cheating is not new to the science sector in any part of the world.

Still, the case should sound loud alarm bells for all, with Hwang stripped of the title of "supreme scientist."

But why he was held in such high esteem in his country is a question that needs to be pondered.

China's science and research circles should pay special attention to the case because a weak review and evaluation system for research results a key underlying reason for Hwang's fraudulent act is also a problem in China.

China has made great achievements in science and technology. Some of these innovations are world-class.

But the problems should be not overlooked. Incidents of plagiarism and fabricated facts in Chinese researchers' work have often been heard in recent years.

Many of the faked research achievements have survived evaluation by academic judges and peers before being revealed by whistle-blowers.

In fact, the evaluations are sometimes based on connections rather than solid scientific grounds.

Assessment of scientists' general performance in many research institutions is not flawless either.

Criticism about the assessment criteria, which give big weight to the number of articles published and number of citings by international periodicals, has been going on for many years.

The problematic assessment system has generated bizarre activities such as passing the threshold number of citings by publishing articles in junk periodicals and bribing editors of domestic academic magazines.

No cases of academic scandal in China have caused shock and infamy on the scale of Hwang's case, but the problem is not negligible.

It needs to be addressed seriously, otherwise China risks wasting its time, talent and resources when it builds itself into a country of innovation.

A more undesirable consequence of it could be that the country's competitive edge is blunted.

The Hwang scandal could also be attributed to corrupt professional ethics and abnormal desire for overnight success and fame.

In a society where the pursuit of quick success is prevalent, scientists cannot be expected to be immune to it.

To prevent dishonest activities in academic circles, education about ethics is of course important. But it should not be everything.

The key should be the establishment of a more solid and scientific assessment system for research work and researcher performance.

With incentives from an improved system, creative and hardworking scientists will get due respect and encouragement.

At the same time, potential wrongdoers would be deterred and we will have less chance of seeing a scandal like Hwang's repeated in this country.

(China Daily 01/13/2006 page4)

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