Scientific misconduct has grown in tandem with the great increase in government funding for science and technology in recent years, said Yang Wei, director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

The organization publicized six cases of scientific misconduct on its website in August, in an attempt to uphold scientific integrity and prevent similar scandals from recurring.

The unethical activities disclosed included forgery, distortion of facts and plagiarism, mainly in order to gain approval for research projects and funding, publishing academic articles in influential journals and promotion, according to a statement issued by the foundation.