Zhejiang University spearheads effort to authorize online works

Online articles accepted by more than 10 mainstream media outlets or have garnered more than 100,000 hits on WeChat platforms will qualify for academic credentials with the same status, said a proposal issued by Zhejiang University in eastern China on Friday.

The university aims to recognize online pieces of cultural excellence by its faculty members and students, according to the draft statement.

The top school also launched into a detailed explanation of the proposal via its official WeChat account. It said that varying forms of great works are welcomed, including original articles, audiovisual and animated products.

Those works should be published or printed in China's mainstream media, such as People's Daily, Guangming Daily and Qiushi Journal. In addition, they should enjoy great popularity among netizens, such as a piece with more than 400,000 reads on the Beijing-based tech-driven news and information platform Jinri Toutiao.

Other web portals like Sina, Tencent and Youku are covered in the approved list.

To foster the development of intellectual cultural products, authors can also apply for an honorary certificate or equivalent status as those who publish their pieces on core academic periodicals across China, the draft reads.

The university's move is an inclusive, innovative and modern one, as new media has bloomed and China has encouraged academic reform, said Zhu Wei, deputy director of the Research Center on Communication Laws at the China University of Political Science and Law.

But some thought the proposal might allow credential cheating in higher education.