On July 3rd, the Henan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision announced that Song Xiewei, former dean of the School of Design at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), is under investigation for serious violations of law in his official duties. Song is currently under investigation by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission stationed in the Ministry of Education, and the Xuchang Municipal Supervisory Commission in Henan Province.
On July 4th, the day after the announcement of Song's fall from grace, the editorial board of Art and Design magazine announced via its official WeChat account the retraction of Song's paper from twenty years ago due to plagiarism allegations.
The editorial board revealed that they had recently received a letter from a reader accusing Song Xiewei of plagiarism in his paper "Design—Keywords," published in the November 2004 issue (Issue 59) of Art and Design. Upon review, the editorial board found that the paper indeed had significant issues, including unmarked sources for some quoted content, constituting plagiarism and seriously violating academic norms and publication ethics.
The editorial board emphasized that academic research is a sacred and rigorous endeavor, and each paper should be the product of the author’s independent thought and hard work. Plagiarism not only infringes on the intellectual property rights of others but also tramples on academic dignity, undermining the fair competitive environment of academic research and misleading its development direction.
As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Art and Design magazine upholds the highest standards of academic integrity and treats each published work with fairness and rigor. Based on COPE guidelines and the journal’s own publication principles, the decision to retract Song’s paper was made after careful consideration.
The editorial board stated that this retraction is meant to uphold the fairness, rigor, and credibility of academic research. They acknowledge that the progress of academia relies on the integrity and self-discipline of every researcher. Ensuring that published content has academic value and reliability is essential for the foundation of academic development. For Art and Design, this retraction serves as an opportunity to strengthen their review mechanisms and improve quality control, ensuring that their published works can withstand the test of time and academic scrutiny.
Public records show that Song Xiewei, born in July 1963, is a professor and doctoral advisor who has held various prestigious positions, including dean of the School of Design at CAFA, vice-chairman of the CAFA Academic Committee, vice-dean of the Graduate School at CAFA, and vice-dean of the Institute of Art and Technology at CAFA. He has also served on several national academic committees and received special government allowances from the State Council.
Just two weeks earlier, on June 23, Song Xiewei served as the chairman of the judging committee for the Hunan Province University Student Digital Media Creative Design Competition in Changsha.
According to the WanFang Data website, Art and Design magazine is the world’s largest creative magazine by circulation, published monthly since its establishment in 1997 by founder Qian Zhu. It is recognized as a leading and authoritative publication that consistently captures current trends in art and design, offering top-tier information and perspectives to readers both domestically and internationally. The magazine is widely subscribed to by institutions such as the National Library of China, Tsinghua University, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Harvard University, and Yale University, and is distributed to 37 countries and regions, making it one of China’s significant export journals.
