Jia Qianqian, daughter of famed writer, dismissed from university over plagiarism

Jia Qianqian, the daughter of renowned Chinese writer Jia Pingwa, has been dismissed from her academic post at Northwest University following an investigation that confirmed allegations of plagiarism. The university announced on Wednesday that its months-long inquiry found plagiarized material in nine of Jia's published papers.

As a consequence, Northwest University terminated Jia's teaching appointment and rescinded her title as an associate professor. The repercussions extended further, with Shaanxi Normal University revoking her 2009 master's degree after its own review of her thesis uncovered instances of plagiarism.

This development follows closely on the heels of Renmin University of China stripping writer Jiang Fangzhou of her master's degree for plagiarism in her 2019 thesis, which was announced just two days prior. The heightened scrutiny on academic integrity comes amid a national push to combat misconduct in research and education. President Xi Jinping recently called for intensified efforts to crack down on academic dishonesty, highlighting its importance in bolstering China's innovation capabilities and economic strategy.