In order to enhance the work of awarding degrees, ensure the quality of undergraduate instruction, and implement the strategy of "Creating Excellence and Improving Quality" of the Open University of China (OUC), the university held a training session on checking for plagiarism in bachelor-degree theses on 9 April 2021.

The meeting, held via video link, involved 192 members of 45 OUC branches and 19 schools. Ye Zhihong, director of the Academic Affairs Department and Academic Degree Office; Zhou Quan, manager of the company CNKI; and staff of the Academic Degree Office attended the meeting, which was presided over by Zheng Jie, deputy director of the Academic Affairs Department.

Ye Zhihong said that China has always attached great importance to the process of awarding degrees, and in 2020 a document, "Methods for Sample-inspection of Graduation Theses of Undergraduates (Trial Version)" was issued. Ensuring that degrees are awarded only to those who have earned them is important to the reform and enhancement of education at the OUC, and checking for plagiarism is an integral part of this. He pointed out that problems with this process mean that it needs to be standardised across branches, colleges and schools in strict accordance with the OUC's provisions in relation to it, putting an end to academic misconduct, and ensuring the quality of theses and the value of degrees awarded.

Zhou Quan explained in detail the steps to be taken to uncover plagiarism, the related precautions, and the operations of the CNKI system put in place to help detect it. During the Q & A session, he and the staff of the Academic Degree Office answered the questions of participants.

By Gao Yuanyuan; Photo by Liu Yuxia, OUC