UPM lecturers hauled up over plagiarism

Tuesday September 15, 2009
UPM lecturers hauled up over plagiarism
By KAREN CHAPMAN


PETALING JAYA: A stern warning will be given to two Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) lecturers for plagiarising materials from the Internet to produce a guide book.

UPM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah said this warning would also be included in their service records, which would affect their promotion.

“The management decided to take this action following advice from the legal department that the two be given very stern warnings,” he said when contacted.

Prof Dr Nik Mustapha said the university viewed the case seriously and did not condone it.

“No one will be suspended but they have to return any royalty received,” he said.

He said the guide books would be removed from the (university’s) shelves immediately.

He was commenting on a news report that two UPM lecturers had plagiarised materials to produce a guide book on writing effective resumes for management students.

Prof Dr Nik Mustapha said the legal department had made suggestions to the management on the disciplinary action to be taken after personally meeting the authors.

“The junior author, who recently completed her PhD, said that since the source was from the Internet, she thought the information was in the public domain and as such did not cite the article,” he said.

Prof Dr Nik Mustapha said the senior author admitted to the legal team that the manuscript looked all right to him, not realising that it was taken from another work.

“Since this is a guide book, we decided that the punishment was reasonable,” he said.

Prof Dr Nik Mustapha said that the two authors have apologised for their ignorance, adding that the plagiarism did not affect UPM undergraduates as the work was not a textbook.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin when contacted said the ministry viewed the matter seriously. “We will leave it to the university to conduct an investigation and take action,” he said.

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Published: Wednesday September 16, 2009 MYT 4:23:00 PM
Sack plagiarising lecturers, says DCM II
By ANN TAN


anntan@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) should have sacked its two lecturers for plagiarising materials from the Internet to produce a guidebook.

Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy, a former Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) political science professor, said the stern warning issued to them was not good enough.

“Plagiarism is the most serious ‘crime’ in a university.

“I once came across a lecturer who was involved in plagiarism in UKM but the only action taken against him was to freeze his promotion and pay rise.

“He later went to teach in another university and was promoted to professor,” he said at a press conference at Komtar on Wednesday.

He was commenting on a recent report in The Star quoting UPM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Nik Mustapha R. Abdullah as saying that the warning would be included in their service records, which would affect their promotion.

He had said no one would be suspended but they have to return any royalty received.

Dr Ramasamy, who is also the state Economic Planning, Education and Human Resources, Science, Technology and Innovation Committee chairman, said the Higher Education Ministry should set up a special committee to investigate the issue of plagiarism.

“Otherwise, students will follow (this example) and become copycats since their own lecturers did the same.

“The cases of plagiarism among students in universities, be it public or private universities, have been very rampant over these years and it is sad that we closed the matter like that,” he said.

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UPM lecturers hauled up over plagiarism