School gives nod to web publishing

Speakers: Li Ningjing and Sam Duckett  

[Photo: Baidu.com]

A guideline issued by Zhejiang University says, works by students and faculty that are widely shared online can now be recognized as having the same status as academic papers.

The New rules state that only works posted or republished by mainstream media websites will be eligible.

Works can include original articles, audiovisual materials and animations.

Three levels of online works are covered by the new rule. Works published by the three major Party newspapers - People's Daily, Guangming Daily and Qiushi Journal - with more than 20 reposts by mainstream media will be ranked as first-class academic work, while those published in other major media will be ranked as second or third class, according to the number of reposts. Sina Weibo, WeChat and major media apps are also among the platforms.

Ying Biao, head of publicity for Zhejiang University says, "the new evaluation system is meant to encourage our teachers and students to post more valuable opinions on the internet, building a healthy cyberspace."

The university's trial of accepting online works as equivalent to academic papers, the first of its kind, has spurred debate among tutors and students because papers are a major standard used for promotions and awards.

The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI.