Deep Space Wandering Fleet-Chapter 57 - Intellectual Plagiarism

Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Intellectual Plagiarism

Earth, imperial capital.

Blue skies and white clouds, the weather was perfect.

As one of the editors of “Modern Science” journal, Mo Jianhua held immense power over life and death decisions.

The feeling of being able to reject others was absolutely fantastic!

What? Want to submit to another journal?

Feel free, since “Modern Science” is the domestic journal with the highest impact factor anyway, love it or leave it.

...

“What paper, and it was sent to the expedited mailbox?”

“Zhang Yuan? Never heard of him.”

If it wasn’t for his good mood, Mo Jianhua wouldn’t even bother to click on it and would have just passed the paper for someone else to review.

Kinematics… The title was quite impressive.

Mo Jianhua symbolically clicked on it and immediately spotted numerous beginners’ mistakes.

“Pah, doesn’t even know how to write a paper!”

After all, a scientific paper is the new era’s version of the eight-legged essay; only those who write them frequently can master their essence and have that qualified “eight-legged flavor.”

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This is not a pejorative term; “eight-legged essay” simply helps one grasp the key points quickly, saving review time.

However, as crappy as it was, this paper seemed to have a kind of wonderful power, attracting him to keep reading.

Finally, he let out a long breath.

Great article!

Very innovative!

In theory, such a “heavyweight” paper should be sent for review immediately, then published as quickly as possible.

“Modern Science” is a weekly publication, with a new issue every week.

“When is the next issue due? Hmm, it’s already set to print; the manuscript for the following issue is also sufficient… But if I wanted to queue-jump, it wouldn’t be impossible.”

Mo Jianhua became somewhat restive; he understood the importance of this paper profoundly.

Its impact was significant and could potentially affect an entire industry!

With his many years of reviewing experience, even without any modifications, it was very likely ready for direct publication!

Impressive papers had privileges, and some had even formatted their papers in the style of martial arts novels, a hodgepodge of concepts, and still gotten published, hadn’t they?

But… the author of this paper seemed a bit strange.

In the signature field, there was just the solitary name, Zhang Yuan, followed by an email and the corresponding contact details.

No co-author, no corresponding author—it likely represented an independently developed idea.

Judging from various details in the paper, there didn’t seem to be the guidance of a savvy advisor.

Which meant, this guy probably didn’t have any powerful backing!

Ordinarily, when submitting a paper, people add their institution’s name behind their own, like “XX University” or “XX Research Institute,” etc. But this person had none—that probably meant he was not working in a research institution.

“Could he be a real amateur? Or perhaps… an amateur scientist?”

Amateur scientist refers to self-taught scientists not working within academic institutions, mostly used in a derogatory sense.

But indeed, a small number of amateur scientists have true talent and knowledge. For example, many amateur scientists idolize the renowned Einstein. Before becoming famous, Einstein was not working professionally in universities or research institutions; he was merely a patent office clerk who developed the theory of relativity in his spare time. [1]

Thinking of this, Mo Jianhua’s heart raced, and his thoughts flashed urgently.

Gradually, an evil idea crept into his mind.

“What if, I were to publish this paper first?”

This article was purely theoretical, with no experimental data… copying it should be quite straightforward.

This temptation was simply too great, he felt as if he could already foresee countless praises and numerous awards.

All sorts of fame and halos bestowed upon him, that feeling… was unforgettable.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!”

When Mo Jianhua was young, he had been a genius, carving out a name for himself with his own abilities.

However, in every circle, there are unwritten rules. Once the victim, he had climbed his way up step by step and had become the beneficiary.

Even now, as he grew older, he remained a prolific author of academic papers in the industry, capable of publishing over thirty articles a year… which made his students utterly miserable.

After all, those within the circle knew exactly how those thirty papers were produced.

How could one person have so much energy?

Did they really think that writing papers was as easy as hens laying eggs?

But with reputation at stake, he must maintain it with a wealth of academic achievements. This is how a person’s bottom line is gradually breached, and he had long been trapped in the pit of fame and would not stop.

“Two or three dozen papers are nothing compared to this one!”

With this thought, Mo Jianhua’s breathing became heavier.

A quick online search for “Zhang Yuan” turned up too many people with the same name, but not a single renowned scholar. Instead, a plethora of terms like “big star” and “advancing entertainment zone” popped up. Mo Jianhua had always been too lazy to read such news.

“Anyway, the guy’s just a nobody, an amateur scientist at best,” he gradually reassured himself.

The other party had left a contact number, but he was certain not to reach out, lest he inadvertently alert them.

Plagiarism is a craft in itself, and it’s not just about copying something exactly. There’s a better, more subtle way, known as “ideological plagiarism.”

Ideas, after all, can sometimes overlap by accident.

Nevertheless, as far as Mo Jianhua was concerned, could a nobody really outdo him?

Since the article hadn’t been published, it holds no authority.

As long as my article gets published before yours, who would bother to gossip?

History only remembers the victors.

Without further ado, Mo Jianhua put aside his current work and prepared to rush out his draft overnight, aiming to get it published in the latest issue of the journal.

Meanwhile, he also planned to delay Zhang Yuan’s manuscript.

He would publish his paper first, and then reject the latter on the ground of “conceptual similarity”.

—

Zhang Yuan waited another week.

The population on “Earth Era” was increasing, with batches of astronauts gradually ascending, waiting for all 500,000 to be ready before beginning their long journey.

During this period, he wasn’t idle either; he quickly adjusted to the serious academic atmosphere inside the spaceship.

There were eight people in his work group, with the leader being Wang Xin, thirty years old, who had once been an entrepreneur. Perhaps due to failing in business, this guy had almost given up everything, and with his wife, ran off to “Earth Era”.

“…In any case, I will teach you some simple technical tasks, even cleaning must be done with earnest care. Pairs will supervise each other; don’t slack off!” Wang Xin maintained a severe demeanor every day, giving orders here and there.

One of the boys shouted out, “Brother Wang, there are so many of us doing so little work, can’t we take turns resting, so everyone gets more time off…”

Wang Xin frowned, “No, it has to be pairs.”

“I’ve already submitted a report suggesting that the committee, when scheduling work, should arrange for as many people in a group as possible for mutual supervision.”

“Especially later on when there are fewer people, we must maintain the spaceship diligently, with zero negligence.”

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ps: (Why do I get so much support after changing the name?)

(Is it because everyone really likes the new title? Ha-ha-ha-ha, no need to be polite if you think it’s good!)

(And what’s this explosive update competition?? I’m totally clueless, I had no idea about it.)

Note[1]: It is not meant to imply that Einstein is an amateur scientist, do not take it seriously.