The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) put forward a set of new regulations yesterday that it says will strengthen scientific honesty and curb academic fraud.

 

The regulations instill the basic principles for scientific conduct, such as honesty, publicity, and fairness. They also define scientific misconduct and detail punishments.

 

"Strict regulations and rules will be conducive to building a harmonious scientific academy. The most important thing is for researchers to be self-disciplined," said Lu Yongxiang, president of the CAS.

 

A declaration on the scientific conception of development was also publicized with the new regulations. It calls for the scientific community to respect the values and spirit of science, and uphold their moral and social responsibilities.

 

Following a string of scandals involving academic fraud and plagiarism, China issued a set of interim regulations on scientific misconduct late last year. A national science ethics committee and a supervision office were also established in January to prevent academic fraud and plagiarism.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2007)