A Mathematics Associate Professor published many international articles but signed them under a different university name than his place of work, sparking controversy over scientific integrity.
Over the past three days, the scientific community has been abuzz with the news that Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Cong Huong, a lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and a member of the Mathematics Council of the Nafosted Foundation (National Foundation for Science and Technology Development), has submitted his resignation from the council because he was accused of violating academic integrity.
According to statistics from MathSciNet - the database of the American Mathematical Society, Associate Professor Huong has 42 scientific research works. Of these, 13 works were signed by Ton Duc Thang University (HCMC), 4 works were signed by Thu Dau Mot University (Binh Duong). During the time he conducted these studies, he was a full-time lecturer at Quy Nhon University (Binh Dinh).
Associate Professor Huong admitted the incident and explained that he had signed a scientific research cooperation contract with the two schools mentioned above. The reason was that Quy Nhon University did not prohibit this if the lecturer had completed his duties, while he was under pressure from his family's finances.
"Writing a research paper is very difficult, painful, time-consuming, and requires many stages. I have completed my task and put in so much effort, I also hope to have more income," said Mr. Huong.
On the other hand, he said he did not use the facilities and laboratories of Quy Nhon University to conduct research projects for other units.
Responding to VnExpress on the evening of November 4, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hien, Vice Principal of Quy Nhon University, said that Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Cong Huong has worked at the school for more than 20 years and just transferred to another position in March. Mr. Huong has always been recognized for completing his teaching and research tasks and standards.
According to Mr. Hien, the school manages lecturers according to the provisions of the Law on Civil Servants. They are allowed to sign contracts with other agencies and organizations that are not prohibited by law, but must be approved by the head of the unit.
"The school did not know that Associate Professor Huong was conducting scientific research for other units until the press reported it. This is a very regrettable mistake because Professor Huong did not report it to the head," said Mr. Hien.
Gate of Quy Nhon University - where Associate Professor Huong used to work. Photo: school website
Professor Ngo Viet Trung, Institute of Mathematics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, former chairman of the Mathematics Council of Nafosted Foundation, said that legally, the author who listed the address elsewhere seemed to be innocent if the governing body allowed it. But the place where the "paper was bought" had falsified achievements to deceive society and attract students to study.
"This has been internationally condemned. The author who gave the wrong address indirectly participated in the fraudulent scheme of falsifying achievements. How can this not be considered a violation of integrity, especially when we know that public opinion condemns this scheme?", said Professor Trung. He believes that if a research grant is received, the author should only thank the sponsor.
According to Professor Trung, the handling depends on the agency managing the scientist. In the world, there are cases of dismissal. The Nafosted Fund and the Title Council both consider this a violation of integrity, and the scientist will lose points and votes when considering the title or topic.
Dr. Truong Dinh Thang, a member of the Nafosted Interdisciplinary Fund for Psychology and Education, has a different perspective. He cited a scientific article with 79 authors and 98 addresses, saying that research collaboration is common in the world. An author can list many organizations that he works and collaborates with. Only when they impersonate organizations that they have no connection or collaboration with will they violate the law.
"When receiving research funding, whether or not to include the name of the funding organization depends on the terms of the commitment between the two parties. Integrity or ethics in research do not fall under this category," said Mr. Thang.
He acknowledged that the responsibility for "buying articles" through research funding to increase rankings, if any, lies with the organizations doing this, not the scientists. Scientists need funding to conduct research. What matters is the quality of their research and how it contributes to science and to the development of society.
Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh, emeritus professor at the University of Utah, USA, said that only when there are clear regulations will there be enough basis to determine whether Associate Professor Huong has violated the law or not.
With 30 years of experience teaching and researching in the US, Professor Thanh said that between professors and universities in the US, there is often a clause in the contract about this. Accordingly, when a person works full-time, all research results or articles are the intellectual property of the school. This has become a common standard and measure that if violated, the scientist is considered to have violated academic integrity and the labor contract is terminated.
However, some schools only pay for nine months a year, so they allow professors to collaborate with other units (no more than three months) to earn extra income. If they publish a scientific paper, they must sign both their school and the collaborating unit.
"What is scientific integrity? What are scientists not allowed to do? I have not seen Vietnam have any specific regulations on this. Are people applying foreign standards to domestic scientists?", Professor Thanh commented.
In the context of increasingly popular scientific research and training linkages, according to Associate Professor Nguyen Dinh Hien, authorities need to issue specific regulations on scientific integrity.
"The case of Associate Professor Huong is regrettable but we also need to look at it in a positive way, giving intellectuals the conditions to develop. After this incident, the school will consider more specific regulations to manage the team," said Mr. Hien.
Finally, Professor Ngo Viet Trung acknowledged that to solve the problem of buying and selling articles, the government needs to have sanctions against establishments that falsify achievements, and at the same time, provide appropriate compensation to scientists.
Le Nguyen
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