The problem of plagiarism in Pakistan has given our academic world a very poor image internationally.
KARACHI: The problem of plagiarism in Pakistan has given our academic world a very poor image internationally. Over the past several decades, numerous incidents of plagiarism in Pakistan have come to the fore, but no action has been taken against the culprits. Surprisingly, the people involved in this practice are usually from higher academic echelons, who publish ‘their’ work in local journals, only for the act of plagiarism to be discovered later when an earlier similar work by an international academician comes to surface.
There is no doubt that the quality assurance programme of the Higher Education Commission has failed dismally. I urge universities to monitor the PhD theses and research publications of all their faculty members. Universities should ensure internal and external reviews of all published works and maintain transparency to restore the integrity of research publications in Pakistan.
Najmus Saher
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2012.
