Several recent scandals at China's top universities have raised questions about the supervision of academics at higher-learning institutions and the science circle.

Earlier in May, Chen Jin, a dean at Shanghai Jiaotong University, was fired for faking research on the Hanxin computer chip, which had received state-funding.

Chen, who formerly chaired the Micro-electronics School at Shanghai Jiaotong University, was found to be deceiving technological appraisal teams from the government, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai municipal government and relative ministries which invested public funds in his research project.

Shanghai Jiaotong University has dismissed Chen from his post as the dean and professor. The Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Development and Reform Commission later announced they would stop financing Chen's research project. Chen was ordered to give back the investment.

In late April, Yang Jie, former director of the Life Science and Technology Institute, was sacked from the prestigious Tongji University in Shanghai after the veracity of his academic record was questioned.

Liu Hui of the Beijing-based Qinghua University was dismissed as professor and assistant to the director of the university's medical school in March for forging his academic achievements and work experience.

Last week, China's Ministry of Education announced the establishment of a special commission to monitor academic fraud and plagiarism in universities and colleges around the country.

Education Minister Zhou Ji has warned researchers working at schools to strictly observe academic ethics or they will be "disciplined."

Zhou asked all universities and colleges to handle reports on academic fraud or plagiarism seriously.

"Scientific misconduct cannot be totally avoided, and what is important is we must have transparency in competition and the rules which scientists are aware of," Dr. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, president of the German Research Foundation, told Xinhua at a science meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

"The fact that everybody in the scientific community knows that there is somebody who can deal with scientific misconduct already helps to prevent many cases," Dr. Winnacker said.