University probe finds irregularities in writer's thesis, no degree revocation

Renmin University of China announced on Sunday evening that an investigation into allegations of academic misconduct against a 2019 graduate surnamed Jiang found "academic irregularities" in the master's thesis, but stopped short of concluding that the case constituted serious misconduct warranting revocation of the degree.

The case involves Jiang Fangzhou, a well-known Chinese writer who graduated from the university's School of Liberal Arts with a master's degree in 2019.

The allegations were made by Xiao Ying, a philosophy professor at Tsinghua University, who first publicly accused Jiang of "comprehensive fabrication" in her master's thesis on his verified WeChat public account in August 2025.

The case drew widespread public attention on Friday after Xiao posted detailed evidence on his Weibo account, claiming that all 20 footnotes in Jiang's thesis had been fabricated.

According to a statement released by the university on Sunday, the investigation was formally launched on April 10, 2026, after the School of Liberal Arts received an email complaint alleging "comprehensive fabrication" in Jiang's thesis.

An eight-member expert panel, comprising university faculty members and external specialists in the relevant academic field, was established to conduct the investigation. Legal experts in intellectual property and administrative law were also consulted to ensure the legitimacy and fairness of the process.

The university's academic integrity committee reviewed 23 specific allegations raised by the complainant, together with explanations provided by the respondent.

The investigation identified multiple citation errors, including incorrect source attributions, misspelled authors' names, incorrect publication dates, inaccurate translations and the improper labeling of indirect citations as direct quotations. In addition, a passage on pages 35 and 36 of the thesis lacked proper citation.

The university concluded that Jiang had demonstrated "a serious lack of understanding of the importance of thesis footnotes", but said the findings did not constitute any of the forms of academic misconduct specified in the Ministry of Education's regulations.

In light of the findings, the university suspended Jiang's supervisor from graduate admissions for one year, summoned the leadership of the School of Liberal Arts and ordered the school to undertake corrective measures.

The university said it would use the case as an opportunity to strengthen quality management and oversight of degree theses.