Teaching the above two topics can prevent university students from plagiarising
DARBELO: This refers to the news report “PhD of Federal Urdu University VC plagiarised” (September 22). The collective step by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to make the universities across Pakistan more original, research-based institutions is an appreciable one. According to the report, the university’s vice-chancellor’s PhD thesis was revealed as plagiarised before the PAC and the accountability panel directed his removal from the post. Also, according to the report, there are 198 complaints about plagiarism that have been received by the HEC since 2006, of which only 160 cases have been finalised.
While there is a dire need for more research in universities across Pakistan, it is regrettable that our universities focus on writing theses but do not teach what plagiarism is, its consequences, and about the misfit of plagiarism in academia. Plagiarism is a major offence and its mention must be included in all MPhil and PhD syllabi. Perhaps copyright laws should also be discussed in courses.
Teaching the above two topics can prevent university students from plagiarising and encourage them to produce original work, bringing more repute to our domestic universities. First, of course, students must be taught how to write original theses from beginning to end before they can be expected not to plagiarise.
Rameez Ali Mahesar
Published in The Express Tribune, October 2nd, 2016.
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