Chinese researchers may be banned from publishing articles that criticize the country as the Ministry of Education seeks to curb the practice of academics being rewarded purely for the amount of publications they attain.

“Strict bottom lines” should be established in evaluating academic achievements in higher education institutes, according to an article on the ministry’s website.

The ministry is seeking views on correcting the “publication-only” attitude among social scientists, the article said.

One of the 10 suggested rules was that researchers should not “deliberately smear China” in order to get published. The citation rate of a researcher should also not be linked to the distribution of resources and reward.

The Chinese Communist Party’s leadership should be strengthened and the role of Marxism should be consolidated, the article read. Researchers should also develop a deep understanding of the thoughts of Chinese President Xi Jinping, it said.

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