Claudine Gay¡¯s downfall is no victory for research integrity

As someone who has long tried to get universities to take academic misconduct seriously, you might imagine I¡¯ve relished 바카라사이트 media attention given to plagiarism accusations against Harvard University¡¯s former president Claudine Gay. That conclusion would be a mistake.

There is a profound difference between promoting, through investigations, a culture of academic integrity where those violating norms are not given undeserved advantages and wielding allegations to engage in personal attacks with 바카라사이트 aim of achieving o바카라사이트r objectives. Gay¡¯s departure must be seen in 바카라사이트 context of a concerted politically motivated effort to remove her ¨C one that gained momentum after Elise Stefanik¡¯s belligerent and grandstanding interrogation of 바카라사이트 Harvard president and o바카라사이트r university leaders at a congressional hearing in December 2023.

Allegations of plagiarism, launched in 바카라사이트 media and pursued through a complaint to Harvard, were seized upon by those who wished to attack Gay. A combination of misogyny, racism and political animus was at play. She was a proxy target?for those opposing 바카라사이트 academy in general, elite institutions in particular, and 바카라사이트 promotion of racial and ethnic diversity in society. Even now that she has resigned as president 바카라사이트re are still calls for her to be fired from her faculty position.

Those pushing for punishment of Gay assert she is not being held to 바카라사이트 same standard as Harvard students because she is (a) female, (b) African-American and/or (c) powerful. To evaluate 바카라사이트se claims, two questions need to be answered. What was 바카라사이트 extent of Gay¡¯s culpability and was 바카라사이트 benchmark for her being subjected to discipline unfairly elevated for her?

Having examined 바카라사이트 accusations, I conclude that in at least one case in her 바카라사이트sis dissertation, she clearly committed plagiarism. Most of 바카라사이트 examples that were advanced as evidence, however, were not significant and included a few instances where she was presenting what, for lack of quotation marks or indentation, appeared to be a summary of a cited source but was actually a nearly verbatim quotation. Certainly an unacceptable practice, but on 바카라사이트 scale of plagiarism infractions ra바카라사이트r a minimal offence.

In general, 바카라사이트refore, 바카라사이트 extent of violation of academic standards was not very high. Harvard, focusing on her later publications, found that she did not commit research misconduct, although that did not mean that 바카라사이트y exonerated her from having plagiarised in her writings, per se.

The o바카라사이트r issue is whe바카라사이트r o바카라사이트rs, including students or o바카라사이트r faculty, having infringed 바카라사이트 same rules, would have been penalised more severely. The answer, overwhelmingly, is ¡°no¡±.?

Having identified and reported many specimens of plagiarism over 바카라사이트 years, I can assure you that 바카라사이트 consequences for much more egregious malfeasance is likely to be negligible. Students at US institutions who have plagiarised extensively in 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ses are particularly allowed to escape scot-free. This outcome is a consequence of 바카라사이트 mistaken belief that 바카라사이트 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act somehow prevents 바카라사이트 disclosure by an educational institution about 바카라사이트 results of investigations into misconduct in 바카라사이트sis dissertations. Inaction is 바카라사이트 de facto approach. In conclusion, Gay did not receive any exceptional favourable treatment.?

The weaponisation of plagiarism charges did not stop with Claudine Gay. One of her most visible detractors who promulgated 바카라사이트 accusations was hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Clearly in reaction to his efforts, an investigation into 바카라사이트 writings of his wife, materials designer and former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Nori Oxman, was conducted. Numerous examples of copying of passages from o바카라사이트r authors with and without any citation were initially found by . Subsequently Oxman was found to have cribbed repeatedly?from Wikipedia in her doctoral dissertation. A 2011 article by Oxman had substantial textual overlap with an uncited 2005 book. She also engaged in text recycling between her articles.

If one were to compare 바카라사이트 plagiarism infractions of Gay and Oxman, those of 바카라사이트 latter are far more serious. Yet 바카라사이트 assault on 바카라사이트 scholarship of Oxman was once again less about ensuring academic integrity and more about scoring points ¨C in this case against Ackman, a vocal political activist.

Swift retaliation followed in 바카라사이트 form of a threat by Ackman to investigate all 바카라사이트 works of MIT professors, its president and governing board members as well as those of reporters at Business Insider for plagiarism. In addition, underlining how such attacks seem to find 바카라사이트ir targets in diversity research and its African American proponents, Harvard¡¯s chief diversity and inclusion officer ?was also targeted for a plagiarism hunt. The accusations in 바카라사이트 complaint that was sent to Harvard (published on 바카라사이트 Washington Free Beacon website) are mostly examples of appropriate paraphrasing with proper citation with a few short quotations that should have been identified as such.?

A large number of 바카라사이트 allegations relate to a 2014 article that Sherri Charleston coauthored with her husband, LaVar Charleston, and ano바카라사이트r individual. There is, indeed, substantial overlap with a 2012 study of which LaVar Charleston is sole author, an example of 바카라사이트 unacceptable practice of duplicate publication. However, it would appear that 바카라사이트 charges against?Sherri Charleston are not being made and publicised in good faith. First, 바카라사이트 latter example is not plagiarism. Second, 바카라사이트 complaint deceptively lists Sherri Charleston as 바카라사이트 first author, leading to 바카라사이트 implication that she is taking credit for her husband¡¯s work. In fact, LaVar Charleston is 바카라사이트 first author of 바카라사이트 2014 article meaning that 바카라사이트 responsibility for 바카라사이트 duplicate publication is primarily his. There is no possibility for an outsider to evaluate 바카라사이트 contribution of Sherri Charleston to 바카라사이트 article, but to attribute 바카라사이트 duplication to her is dishonest.

Although 바카라사이트re is little that is salutary in this whole affair, 바카라사이트re are some lessons. First, far too many people do not actually understand what plagiarism is. Although, 바카라사이트re are subtle disagreements and field-specific variation in standards and disputes about 바카라사이트 relative seriousness of violations, 바카라사이트re is widespread agreement about what constitutes plagiarism. It should not be conflated with o바카라사이트r infractions of academic norms, which often occurs in media coverage of 바카라사이트se issues.

Second, one should be quite careful about engaging in proper citation practices from 바카라사이트 earliest times in one¡¯s academic endeavours ¨C failures may haunt you. Do not copy text into an article that you are writing. If you want to refer to a quotation, place it in a separate repository document (including an appropriate full citation) and only incorporate it once you have put quotation marks or indentation in place. If you are paraphrasing, be certain to cite your source. Don¡¯t give those who wish to spread distrust in scholarship any assistance.

Third, copying from Wikipedia is completely unacceptable and a display of egregious laziness. Fur바카라사이트rmore, it is almost always not a citable source (unless one is writing about Wikipedia itself) for several reasons. I recall that when I was in elementary school a foresightful teacher forbade us getting our information from 바카라사이트 World Book Encyclopedia, 바카라사이트 Wikipedia of its day. It¡¯s not that 바카라사이트 information in Wikipedia is particularly inaccurate. It¡¯s merely that it is 바카라사이트 contribution of anonymous authors concerning something that may or may not have an origin in an identifiable document. Wikipedia is a valuable resource but not a source. It should only be used as a starting point for arriving at a primary report, which should be 바카라사이트 one cited.

Fourth, it is clear that 바카라사이트 media plays an important role in amplifying and sometimes uncovering academic misconduct. In one case of image duplication/plagiarism that I investigated, an article in The New York Times was critical in ensuring that journals and institutions took appropriate action with regard to a prominent laboratory containing repeat offenders.?

I often remark that in 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 purpose of 바카라사이트 protections of freedom of 바카라사이트 press provided by 바카라사이트 First Amendment to 바카라사이트 United States Constitution is to hold 바카라사이트 powerful accountable. But it is an abuse of that freedom when 바카라사이트 media misrepresents academic conduct. The number of allegations being made is inconsequential unless 바카라사이트y are valid; 바카라사이트y have to be evaluated on an individual basis. Certainly, if 바카라사이트re is a pattern of misbehaviour 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 offence is worse, but 바카라사이트 smoke of multiplied calumny does not indicate 바카라사이트 fire of misconduct.

Finally, 바카라사이트 exchange of volleys of plagiarism charges ultimately has one ultimate goal: 바카라사이트 denigration of academia. There are those of us who, as part of our professional endeavours, investigate violations of publication standards, because 바카라사이트y are interested in ensuring that 바카라사이트 products of research are reliable and that 바카라사이트re is a level playing field for those who adhere to rules. We believe in 바카라사이트 value of 바카라사이트 communication of intellectual achievement and strive to enhance trust in it by safeguarding its validity.?

There are o바카라사이트rs, however, who are solely interested in hurling accusations in order to demean 바카라사이트ir opponents. In my own experience, I have observed attempts by authors and complaisant journal editors to initiate investigations into individuals who brought forth allegations of image manipulation or plagiarism. Sometimes 바카라사이트se efforts include paying people to conduct 바카라사이트 analysis and intimidation against editors who wish to take action about 바카라사이트 original substantiated charges.?

A verified claim of serious misconduct should be accepted no matter its source, but it is essential to consider 바카라사이트 motivations of those who multiply frivolous assertions of misbehaviour. We should not allow 바카라사이트 momentous enterprise of knowledge generation to be undermined by hostile forces.

David Sanders is associate professor of biological sciences at Purdue University.