On 11 November 2021, the Faculty of Political Science and Law of the Open University of China (OUC) invited researcher Xie Yahong, deputy secretary-general of Chinese Administration Management Society and editor-in-chief of the journal Chinese Public Administration, to give a lecture titled “Paper Writing from the Editor’s Perspective” to OUC teachers and students.

Fan Xianrui, OUC vice president, gave a speech, and Gu Xiaohua, vice dean of the Faculty, and deputy director of the OUC Academic Affairs Department, presided.  

The lecture was sponsored by the OUC and organised by the OUC Faculty of Political Science and Law, and was one of a series of similar lectures by 100 famous teachers. The event was presented both online and offline, and leaders and teachers from the OUC headquarters attended on-site, while teachers and students elsewhere in the OUC system watched via live-stream.   

First, Xie Yahong introduced the journal Chinese Public Administration, emphasising its pursuit of academic quality, practical orientation, and mission to enrich and promote public administration. She then explained the basics of paper-writing in terms of motivation, selection and elaboration of topics, and the categories of papers, including speculative, interpretative, and evidence-based. Finally, she stressed that it is crucial to raise the subject of study and undertake scientific verification of it. At the same time, she gave a systematic analysis of the basic elements, specific requirements, and key points of a good paper in terms of accuracy, originality and readability.   

The teachers attending stated that they gained a deeper understanding of how to write high-quality papers and enhance their success publishing them. They also wish to keep abreast of major government reforms and practices, academic developments and innovations related to daily teaching and study, and make continuous efforts for the development of Administrative Management majors in open education.

Written by Cheng Ming; photos by Tian Yuan, OUC