Inherit Academic Spirit and Cultivate Excellent Academic Integrity
On July 18, the Symposium on In-depth Study and Implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Instructions on the Work of Cultural and Ethical Progress at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and the Second Forum on Academic Style and Ethics Construction was held in Beijing. The forum featured three sub-forums focusing on the construction of academic style and ethics in academic associations, teachers’ ethics and practices, and academic journals. Participating experts and scholars combined their practical work experiences to discuss how to cultivate an excellent academic style in academic associations, education, and journal construction, thereby creating a clean and upright scientific research environment and academic ecosystem [1].
Promoting High-Quality Development of Academic Associations through Standardized Management
Academic associations are social organizations aimed at academic research, disciplinary development, and the growth of disciplinary talent. They play an important role in uniting and coalescing academic workers, promoting academic innovation, assisting economic and social development, and advancing civilization.
"In our work, we have realized deeply that as social organizations promoting research and exchange in philosophy and social sciences, academic associations are important levers for CASS to serve General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee, and important levers for leading the academic community." Zhang Lei, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Philosophy at CASS, believes that the high-quality development of academic associations is an intrinsic requirement and key link for each institute to accelerate the construction of the "Two Fortresses, One Platform" [2] and to construct an independent knowledge system of Chinese philosophy and social sciences. Zhang Lei stated that in the future, the Party Committee of the Institute of Philosophy will defend iron discipline and safeguard excellent academic style with stricter requirements and more solid measures. They will build academic associations into strong positions for leading thought and uniting people's hearts, continuously cultivate scientific researchers with faith, integrity, and capability, and steadily improve the quality and effectiveness of serving the overall work of the Party and the state.
Chen Wenxue, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the China Local Chronicles Work Office, and Secretary-General of the China Local Chronicles Association, stated that the China Local Chronicles Association adheres to the correct political direction and conducts in-depth study, research, and interpretation of Xi Jinping’s Thought on Culture. They actively explore work models suited to the characteristics of the association and the industry. By using the "Forum on Chinese Local Chronicles and Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture" and its series of sub-forums as levers, they deeply tap into the essential meanings of excellent traditional Chinese culture, emphasizing the use of Marxism to activate the excellent elements within traditional Chinese culture and endow them with new connotations of the times, thereby aiding the construction of socialist culture with Chinese characteristics in the New Era. They also actively play the role of staff and assistant to the China Local Chronicles Work Office, taking proactive steps in the overall planning, organization, coordination, supervision, and guidance of the development of the national local chronicles cause.
Promoting and leading academic research is the primary responsibility and core mission of academic associations. Academic associations must not only organize academic activities, advance academic research, and lead the direction of academic development, but also standardize academic ethics and lead the construction of academic style.
Zhu Hu, Deputy Director of the Institute of Ancient History at CASS, stated that the institute must not only guide and supervise the academic activities of academic associations but also strengthen guidance, leadership, supervision, and standardization Regarding their academic ethics and style. How should the Institute of Ancient History guide and supervise the six national academic associations it manages on behalf of the Academy? Zhu Hu proposed: first, the Party building work of academic associations must be strengthened, enhancing the Party’s leadership over them to ensure the correct political direction; second, they must persist in being academic-oriented, encouraging academic innovation and optimizing the academic ecosystem to continuously enhance the attraction, cohesion, and leading power of academic associations; finally, they must persist in the conscious awareness of serving the country, society, and the people, strengthening social commitment and responsibility to contribute historical wisdom to Chinese-path modernization.
Cultivating an excellent academic style is not a task for a single day; it requires regular and institutionalized advancement.
Zheng Shilin, Director of the Editorial Department of The Journal of Quantitative & Technological Economics at the Institute of Quantitative and Technological Economics (IQTE) of CASS and Secretary-General of the Chinese Association of Quantitative Economics, mentioned that as the managing unit of the association, the IQTE has continuously revised and improved the "Management Measures for Academic Associations of the Institute of Quantitative and Technological Economics." This strengthens guidance and supervision of the association, truly integrating association construction into the development of the "Three Great Systems" [3] of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics, and promoting the continuous, healthy, and orderly development of the association.
Wang Shuaiyi, Associate Researcher in the Legal History Research Office of the Institute of Law at CASS and Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Legal History, introduced that the society insists on leading the academic direction with an excellent academic style. They continue to exert efforts in Party building, internal governance, and academic services to provide platform support for the inheritance of excellent traditional Chinese legal culture, the creative transformation and innovative development of China's traditional legal system and legal thought, and research on Chinese-path modernization of the rule of law.
Participating scholars agreed that academic associations are important supports for serving scientific decision-making and national governance, and a major force in constructing philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. It is necessary to promote the high-quality development of academic associations with iron discipline and an excellent academic style.
Deepening the Task of Fostering Virtue through Education with an Excellent Work Style
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must implement the action of "Soul-Building and Teacher-Strengthening" based on the spirit of educators, strengthen the construction of teachers' ethics and practices, improve the quality of teacher cultivation and training, and foster a high-level teaching force for the New Era.
Bu Xianqun, Member of the CASS Academic Divisions, believes that the excellent work style of CASS should consist of at least three aspects: first, a political style, maintaining a high degree of unity with the Party Central Committee in theory and thought, and persisting in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as guidance; second, a style of diligence, where social scientists should uphold a spirit of hard work in their studies, achieving academic talent through diligence and actively responding to the expectations and requirements of the Party Central Committee; third, a style of statecraft [4], where social scientists should uphold the spirit of "ordering the world for practical use" (jīngshì zhìyòng), closely integrating scholarship with the needs of the country and the people, and responding to the questions of the times with profound patriotic sentiment. He believes that acting and working strictly in accordance with the "Three Consensus" [5] is a concrete requirement for fostering virtue through education (立德树人, lìdé shùrén) at the Academy, and is also the fundamental standard for measuring the "virtue" of CASS personnel.
"The construction of teachers' ethics and practices is the cornerstone of high-quality development in education." Yu Liqian, Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection and Vice President of the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS), stated that the Academy’s Party Leadership Group has always attached great importance to the school’s teacher ethics. Under the strong leadership of the Party Leadership Group, UCASS has in recent years continuously deepened ideological understanding, strengthened daily supervision and reminders, clarified disciplines and rules, and strictly investigated and handled violations of teacher ethics, creating a clean and upright environment for teaching and educating. The school has deeply studied and grasped the standards and requirements for strengthening teacher ethics in the New Era, tangibly enhancing the sense of responsibility and mission. It actively carries out regular educational reminders and the selection of advanced role models to stimulate teachers' initiative in strengthening their ethics. He mentioned that the school insists on taking teacher ethics as the primary standard for evaluating teachers, strictly implementing a "one-vote veto" system in talent recruitment, tutor appointments, and award evaluations.
"Virtue is the foundation." Bi Furong, Executive Dean of the School of Philosophy at UCASS, believes that fostering virtue through education is the fundamental task of education and the core mission of the teaching profession, while an excellent work style is the key bridge and cornerstone for achieving this mission. She said that the core of fostering virtue is "transforming people through virtue." When we approach scholarship with an attitude of rigorous study, treat students with a sincere and inclusive heart, and view our profession with a spirit of selfless dedication, students will naturally learn how to be honorable people, how to act correctly, and how to conduct scholarship through imperceptible influence.
Zheng Jianjun, Deputy Director of the National Governance Research Office of the Institute of Political Science at CASS and Vice Dean of the School of Government at UCASS, believes that the connotation of teachers' ethics and practices can be understood from the two levels of "the Way" (dao) and "the Art" (shu). At the level of "the Way," it is manifested as "patriotic sentiment and fostering virtue through education," requiring teachers to keep the country in their hearts and take the cultivation of talents with both integrity and ability as their own responsibility. At the level of "the Art," it is "being a teacher through scholarship and a model through behavior," where teachers must possess solid knowledge and noble character, leading students through the demonstration of their own words and deeds.
Qi Yalin, Executive Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at UCASS, talked about how a heart of absolute sincerity, dedication, and benevolence constitutes the spiritual core of teachers in the New Era, serving as the ethical basis and practical path for implementing the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. Teachers should use these qualities as a mirror, leading by example and becoming guides for their students' character.
"We must carry forward a positive academic atmosphere and strive to be a theoretical and academic 'iron army' [6] that is loyal to the Party and puts the Party at ease." Wang Weiguo, Executive Dean of the School of Marxism at UCASS, stated that in the New Era, social science workers should be guided by the "Three Consensus," keep the "Greatness of the Nation" [7] in mind, and pursue great, true, and good scholarship. We must resolutely resist academic style problems such as seeking quick success and instant benefits, producing shoddy work, academic misconduct, and academic corruption. We must be able to endure loneliness, withstand temptation, and hold the bottom line, producing good scholarship that embodies the scientific spirit and academic ethics, contributing to the construction of an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences.
Participating scholars reached the consensus that teachers shoulder the heavy responsibility of educating people for the Party and cultivating talents for the country. In daily education and teaching, teachers should always keep the string of teacher ethics taut, be clear about the bottom line, hold authority in awe, strengthen their moral cultivation, and create an excellent atmosphere of teacher ethics to contribute to the cultivation of more outstanding talents.
Fully Exerting the Important Role of Academic Journals in Leading Academic Style
Academic journals are the most important "gold medal" brand of our Academy, serving as an important lever and frontline position for practicing the "Three Consensus" and promoting the construction of the "Two Fortresses, One Platform." Zhu Changrong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Director of the Institute of Historical Theory at CASS and Editor-in-Chief of The Critical Review of Historical Theory, stated that our Academy's journals should unswervingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to coagulate souls and build spirit. They must clarify why they publish, who publishes, and how to publish, and solve core questions such as which flag to raise, which path to take, what standards to set, and what orientation to establish. They must persist in having "statesmen run journals" and run journals from a political perspective, consciously shouldering the responsibilities of the times, and ensuring that "writing must be beneficial to the world and beneficial to the future" [8].
"Academic journals play a key role in the construction of academic style and ethics." Wei Zhangbao, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Social Sciences in China Press, stated that in terms of academic style and ethics, if academic journals guard the pass and hold the bottom line, the Party's theoretical and academic positions will not be lost. If academic journals observe discipline and follow rules, the unhealthy trends in the academic community will find no opening. If academic journals have faith, sentiment, and integrity, they will surely be able to "change customs and traditions" (yí fēng yì sú), driving the construction of academic style and ethics to jointly achieve high-quality development. In editorial and publishing work, we must take multiple measures to create a clean and upright journal academic style. Specifically, we must strengthen the arming of the Party's innovative theories, lead with an excellent Party style, ensure results through systems and processes, use the improvement of editing and proofreading quality as a lever, and defend excellent academic style and ethics with a theoretical and academic iron army.
"To strengthen the academic style and ethics of academic journals, we must first grasp the rich connotation of 'academic style'." Li Tianming, Director of the Journal and Association Management Office of the Bureau of Scientific Research Administration at CASS, believes that academic style involves every aspect of journal work—from political direction to academic orientation, from editing quality to content quality, and from internal institutional construction to the cultivation of the editorial team. Every link reflects the work style of the academic journal and must be handled strictly, practically, and meticulously. To ensure the construction of academic style and ethics takes root in academic journals, we must strengthen the principal responsibility of the journals, persisting in political orientation as the soul, academic direction as the foundation, institutional construction as the key link, and integrity and discipline as the essential requirement.
He Fangying, Director of the Classical Studies Research Office of the Institute of Foreign Literature at CASS and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Classics Quarterly, mentioned that as a flagship publication in the field of Chinese classical studies, Classics Quarterly will be dedicated to cultivating and developing a professional talent force for classical studies in China, occupying the academic high ground of Chinese classical studies research, and guiding the direction of academic and disciplinary development.
Liu Zhongyu, Director of the Scientific Research Department of the Institute of Ancient History at CASS and Editor-in-Chief of Graphic History, believes that the construction of the "Two Fortresses, One Platform" is a major measure by our Academy to accelerate the construction of the "Three Great Systems" of philosophy and social sciences with Chinese characteristics. Journals are outposts and weather vanes, playing an irreplaceable role in exerting academic leadership and theoretical innovation.
In the journey of constructing the "Two Fortresses, One Platform," we face many challenges such as the wave of digital transformation, discourse barriers in international communication, and the innovation of academic evaluation systems. Ji Weimin, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the China Social Sciences Press, stated that in the face of challenges, publishers should adopt the pioneering spirit of "clearing the wild intelligence and opening up the forests" [9], upholding the fundamentals while breaking new ground, and developing through innovation. We should empower publishing with technology to build a converged communication matrix of "paper, digital, audio, and web." We should strengthen the foundation with talent and create an academic publishing iron army, jointly shouldering the heavy responsibility of safeguarding the academic "pure land," leading academic trends, and spreading the light of truth, thereby contributing to the construction of a socialist cultural power.
Participating scholars believe that our Academy's journal personnel should strengthen their consciousness of using an excellent Party style to lead the academic style and the Academy's general atmosphere. They should earnestly implement the "Code of Conduct for Integrity in Professional Activities of Editing Personnel of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences," guard the red line of discipline, adhere to the academic bottom line, and live up to the Party's entrustment with practical actions to jointly create a clean and upright academic ecosystem.
Participating scholars stated that the construction of academic style and ethics is a systematic and long-term project. Every member of CASS should take responsibility and strive to create a clean and upright academic environment and research ecosystem, using a "pure academic breeze" to safeguard the prosperity of Chinese scholarship, the development of Chinese theory, and the dissemination of Chinese thought.