More than 100 papers are re-listed on CNKI, why does the 92-year-old professor "stick to the end"

Text | "China Science News" reporter Li Sihui

Zhao Dexin and Zhu Jianhua/photo

Recently, "China Science News" learned that more than 100 papers by Zhao Dexin, a retired professor of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, have been re-listed on CNKI. Previously, he told the network to defend his rights because he was dissatisfied that "the article was used by CNKI without knowing it, and he still needs to pay to download his own article". Subsequently, more than 100 of his papers were removed from the shelves of CNKI.

Zhao Dexin, 92 years old, is a well-known economic historian on the mainland, and he continues to work hard after retirement. At the age of 90, he edited the 1.4 million-word Dictionary of Chinese Economic History, and at the age of 91, he published a monograph Economic History: History and Theory, totaling more than 370,000 words.

Zhao Dexin said in a recent interview with China Science News that he had learned that his paper had been re-shelved by CNKI, and CNKI was working hard to improve it, which he "wanted to see". But he bluntly said that there is one more problem to be solved - the question of the mode of paying authors. He hopes that CNKI will solve this problem as soon as possible, because it is in the interest of every author of the paper.

More than 100 papers are back on the shelves

China Science News: Recently, your paper has been listed on CNKI again, do you know about it? I heard that you have licensed more than 100 articles to CNKI for free for inclusion, what is the basis for this?

Zhao Dexin: In July 2020, I sued CNKI for the infringement of the article, and the paper was taken off the shelves. After that, after the court hearing, my article was decided in favor of the case in batches.

On January 29, 2022, CNKI arranged for 3 staff members from Hubei Station to come to my house. I put forward the idea that papers that have been decided by the court should be put on the shelves in batches so that readers can use and carry out academic exchanges. They didn't reply at the time. It wasn't until May 12, 2022 that these three staff members came to my house again as assigned by the new leader, saying that as long as I signed and agreed, the paper would be unconditionally put on the shelves the next day.

After negotiation, I signed the "Work Authorization Agreement" with CNKI, agreeing that CNKI would reuse more than 100 of my papers. Therefore, I am aware of the fact that CNKI has recently put my paper on the shelves.

In this agreement, the first clause is that I will license the papers that have been removed from the shelves in the past to CNKI for free. This free, in fact, is limited to past papers, which are compensated. Legally, though, the compensation for infringement paid as a result of a judicial proceeding and the licensing remuneration for the legal use of my paper are two different things. The reason why I agreed to use the paper for free is because they have already been penalized. More importantly, I hope to play a positive role in promoting my paper to be used by CNKI for free, and at the same time, it is also free or low-cost for readers.

China Science News: Does this mean that you and CNKI have reached a settlement?

Zhao Dexin: I have never had a falling out with CNKI, so there is no need to "reconcile".

From the very beginning of defending my rights, I have made clear three principles: first, seek truth from facts, do not exaggerate, do not use irritating language, and do not speak harshly; second, act in accordance with the law, which is also proved by the final judicial decision; and third, solve the problem with good intentions.

The staff of CNKI have come to my house 3 times. I told them that I hope that CNKI will do better through reform, be more popular with intellectuals, and become a friend of intellectuals.

So, rather than "reconciliation", it is better to say that things are resolved satisfactorily.

"One question, three don't know" payment

China Science News: Through your efforts, CNKI has also made some changes. Are you satisfied with the current paid use of academic papers in China, and what do you think needs to be improved?

Zhao Dexin: CNKI has admitted its mistakes and been punished, and at the same time has worked hard to improve. These improvements are what I hoped for and a sign of acceptance of my suggestions.

However, the current problem has not been fully resolved, and one of the most important points is that there is a problem with the model of paying authors.

The current model is that CNKI pays each magazine, and the magazines distribute it to the authors. Many magazines state in the submission instructions that the manuscript fee includes the fee given by CNKI. But most magazines don't explicitly say exactly how much this fee is. Some staff members of the editorial department of the magazine said that it was difficult for them to tell the exact amount, and that the amount allocated to the author of each article may be a few yuan or more than a dozen yuan.

In this way, a strange situation has been created - the magazine says that it is not clear how much of the payment of CNKI is in each manuscript fee, and CNKI does not know how much money it pays to the author of each article, and the author does not know how much money CNKI has given himself for using this article.

In addition to the so-called payment of "one question and three unknowns", the proceeds from selling the article after the article is put on the website seem to have nothing to do with the author, which is the second problem.

In the era of big data, this problem is not difficult to solve technically. Through some technical processing, CNKI can establish direct contact with each author, and share with the author in strict accordance with a certain proportion according to how many times the author's article is paid for and how much revenue is generated each year.

The number of times a good paper is downloaded, the income of CNKI is more, and the author's income is also more, so as to conform to the law of market economy, ensure the author's copyright income, and comply with the provisions of the copyright law.

In fact, the "Dictionary of Chinese Economic History" compiled by me authorizes CNKI to use it, which directly contracts with CNKI, and CNKI pays me a fee every six months.

Major events related to the national innovation strategy

China Science News: At present, the mainland ranks first in the world in the number of papers published, and a set of solidified interest chains have been formed from publication to inclusion and use of papers. The vast majority of people have not stepped up, but you are charging forward, have you ever felt lonely?

Zhao Dexin: There are times when I feel lonely. For example, when I wanted to file a lawsuit with CNKI, my wife said that there was no need to do it, and that she was old and not short of money, so she didn't have to look for these troubles and spend energy. I told her that this is a big deal, not a question of money, but of rights protection, an issue of copyright protection, and an issue involving the national innovation strategy.

Among my dissertation collaborators, there are also my students. In the process of defending my rights, some students were reluctant to express their stance in writing and participate in rights protection prosecution because they were afraid of being removed from the shelves of CNKI. Therefore, in the end, I only persuaded my wife, Professor Zhou Xiuluan, and my student, Professor Su Shaozhi, and the three of us came forward to defend our rights.

Why did I persevere? Personally, there are probably three factors.

First, my knowledge. I think it's a big deal, a big deal that involves a national innovation strategy. Second, my character. I am from Hunan, and I have a strong temper, and I must stick to what I think is right. Third, I think there is a law to follow in this matter, and there is nothing to be afraid of. Even if someone puts pressure on me, I don't care.

China Science News: As an "old author" who started publishing papers at a very young age, what advice do you have for young scholars in academic research and academic publication?

Zhao Dexin: I began to publish articles in academic journals at the age of 20, and at the age of 26, I published the first "Lecture Notes on Modern Economic History of China" recommended by the Ministry of Education. My academic career has now been more than 70 years old. My personal lessons have been written in two books, one is "Social Science Research Working Procedures and Norms" and the other is "Economic History: History and Theory", which was published last December.