China’s academic fraud has been making frequent headlines. Recently, Guo Wei, the chief scientist at Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, was exposed for suspected academic fraud and misappropriation of national scientific research funds, leading to his investigation by the police. It is alleged that this professor, who has claimed to hold titles from various academic institutions both in China and abroad and direct seven national-level projects, may only have a high school education, with his titles and qualifications all being forged. On the evening of November 18, the university officially confirmed that Guo Wei had been dismissed for serious academic misconduct.
Jiangsu University of Science and Technology was recently exposed for housing a academic fraudster in the materials science and engineering department named Guo Wei, who allegedly only has a “high school education.”
According to netizens on social media, Guo Wei entered Jiangsu University of Science and Technology in 2023 through a headhunting company, with an annual salary of 1.4 million yuan, settling-in allowance of 3 million yuan, and an annual research fund of over 5 million yuan. However, it turns out that his articles and awards are all fake and fabricated.
On the evening of November 18, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology released a statement on their official Weibo account, stating that in September of this year, the school received a report on teacher Guo Wei for suspected academic misconduct. After investigation and evidence collection, it was determined that Guo Wei was involved in serious academic misconduct and his employment agreement was terminated. The school also promptly reported the case to the public security authorities, and the investigation is currently underway.
The university acknowledged that there were issues with lax material review processes in the recruitment of Guo Wei and promised to hold those responsible accountable.
According to public records and reports, Guo Wei is a Class A innovative talent in the Chinese National Talent Pool Project, a chief scientist in a national major project, a well-known expert in the field of international nanomaterials, a foreign academician of the Russian Engineering Academy, a Humboldt Young Scholar in Germany, and an outstanding scientist of the American Institute of Metal Materials, among other accolades. He has reportedly published over 170 SCI papers, obtained 68 international patents, and led seven national-level projects.
However, sources indicate discrepancies in Guo Wei’s high-profile resume, with at least five obvious inconsistencies. For instance, according to a report in the “China Elite Bi-Weekly” on May 23, Guo Wei was admitted to Xi’an Jiaotong University’s materials major as the top scorer in the Shaanxi Province college entrance examination in 1994. Yet, a report titled “Progress at Xi’an Middle School in Shaanxi Province” shows that Chu Huaixiang was the top scorer in the Shaanxi Province science stream college entrance examination in 1994, at Xi’an Middle School; Guo claims to have published over 170 SCI papers, proposing the theory of “nonlinear relationship between twin boundary density and strength,” with related findings published in Naturu Materials, referred to by international peers as the “Guo model.” But on Naturu Materials, searching for articles from 2006 to 2023 with the keyword “Nano Twin,” 27 articles were found, none of which were authored by someone surnamed Guo.
Moreover, his awarded honors and accolades are also suspected to be falsified. As for the circulating rumor that Guo Wei only has a high school education, it has yet to be confirmed.
Academic fraud is a serious issue in China. According to data from the scientific journal “Nature,” around 14,000 papers were retracted from various English-language journals in 2023, with three-quarters involving Chinese co-authors.
As reported by the BBC earlier, Shenyang, an associate professor at the School of Information Management at Wuhan University, pointed out that schools, research institutions, government agencies, and enterprises across China have been fabricating paper indicators, leading to various phenomena such as the trading of papers and illegal academic journals.
Analysts believe that the political nature of academic research in China has, to some extent, contributed to the issue of academic integrity.