HEC concerned by varsities violating plagiarism policy

Plagiarism committee blacklists two more scholars for plagiarising research

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has expressed concerns at universities not following the commission’s plagiarism policy by not taking action on plagiarism complaints against their faculty.

HEC’s Plagiarism Standing Committee met on Friday to discuss plagiarism complaints against faculty members of 10 universities. HEC Executive Director Dr Arshad Ali chaired the meeting.

HEC quality assurance consultant Muhammad Ismail “shared concerns about universities not following plagiarism policy in letter and spirit.

“He stressed that HEC nominees in the Plagiarism Standing Committee need to be responsible for proper compliance of HEC policy on plagiarism,” Ismail was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the HEC.

The committee, comprising educationists and representatives of various universities, deliberated upon complaints that have not been actioned upon by the respective universities within 90 days of registration of a complaint, as per the HEC regulations.

The committee discussed 22 plagiarism complaints and decided to issue reminders in 11 cases to universities where complaints are pending.

It also blacklisted faculty members in two cases who have not complied with HEC directives.

Six cases were closed as per policy and two others were referred to the Expert Committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th,  2016.