◇◇新语丝(www.xys.org)(xys.dxiong.com)(xys.3322.org)(xys.xlogit.com)◇◇ 学术不端:中国资助机构无动于衷 (按:原文为英文,登在英国《自然》2006年6月22日。gopher翻译)   主编先生:   我相信贵刊记者在撰写那篇特别报道(《自然》441, 392-393;2006)的时 候,很难与中国国家科学基金会(NSFC)取得联系。作为《临床研究杂志》的执 行主编,我最近试图联系NSFC,让他们帮助我们调查一宗对不端行为的指控,这 个指控是针对一篇发表在我们杂志上的中国科学家的研究。   来自与论文作者同一个机构的一个揭发者的电子邮件显示,这项研究的数据 是伪造的。这组作者与他们大学的院长有合作关系,因此我们不确定求助于这所 大学是否可能得出没有偏见的调查。由于中国没有类似于美国科研诚实办公室这 样的上级机构,我们认为NSFC——它资助了这项研究——可能会帮上忙。   尽管我们用汉语和英语发了多封电子邮件,NSFC没有回应。通过一个私人联 系渠道,我与批准该论文主要作者的资金的部门主管取得了联系。在反复发送电 子邮件之后,我得到了如下回应:“我收到了你写的信。我们讨论了你写给他的 事情。我们不得不说,我们很难确定他们的研究是不是真的。因为我们每年收到 5万个申请,批准1万个资助。因此我们觉得或许你需要寻找别的途径来确定这件 事。”   这个声明表明NSFC并不把检查不端行为作为优先任务。如果它不对此负责, 或者太忙而无法调查它资助的科学家,那么难道就该容忍或认可这样的行为吗?   这个故事有个悲伤的结局。当我们与主要作者对质的时候,他声称在实验室 搬家的时候把原始数据放错了地方。此外,另一位共同通讯作者(他签署了我们 的作者同意发表协议书,后来还给我们的办公室写信,询问发表日期)后来声称, 除了这项研究的题目,他从未见过任何其他东西。他要求我们撤掉他作为共同作 者的署名。如今,这组作者已经撤回了他们的论文。   和傅新元及其120位签名者一样,我也渴望地等待着中国当局就他们是否会 建立一个检查不端行为机构做出回答。 Ushma Savla Neill Journal of Clinical Investigation, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Box 57A, New York, New York 10032, USA Correspondence Nature 441, 932 (22 June 2006) | doi:10.1038/441932c; Published online 21 June 2006 Misconduct: Chinese funding body unmoved Ushma Savla Neill1 1. Journal of Clinical Investigation, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Box 57A, New York, New York 10032, USA Sir: I can believe you had difficulties contacting the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for your Special Report (Nature 441, 392–393; 2006). As executive editor of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, I recently attempted to contact the NSFC to help us investigate an allegation of misconduct in a study the journal had accepted from Chinese authors. A whistle-blower's e-mail from someone at the authors' institution indicated that data in the study were fabricated. The authors had collaborated with the dean of their university, so we were unsure whether contacting the institution would result in an unbiased investigation. As China does not have a supervisory body akin to the US Office of Research Integrity, we thought the NSFC — which had funded the study — would help. Despite multiple e-mails, in English and in Chinese, the NSFC did not respond. Through a personal contact, I was put in touch with the director of the division that granted funding to the senior author. After repeated e-mails, I received the following: "I received the letter you written and we discussed the things you written to him. We have to say it is very difficult for us to determine whether their work is true. Because there are more than 50,000 proposals and about 10,000 grants supported in the Foundation every year. So we think maybe you have to find other way to make sure the thing." This statement indicates that the NSFC does not prioritize the policing of misconduct. If it is not responsible for, or is too busy to investigate, the researchers it funds, then surely such behaviour is tolerated and endorsed? The story has a sad ending. When confronted, the senior author claimed to have misplaced the primary data during a move between laboratories. In addition, the co-corresponding author (who signed our authorship agreement form upon acceptance, and who wrote to our office inquiring about the publication date) later claimed never to have seen more than the title of the work and asked to be removed as a co-author. The authors have now withdrawn their article. Alongside Xin-Yuan Fu and his 120 co-signatories, I too eagerly await a response from Chinese authorities on whether they will establish a body to police misconduct. (XYS20060623) ◇◇新语丝(www.xys.org)(xys.dxiong.com)(xys.3322.org)(xys.xlogit.com)◇◇