January 13, 2023, Colombo: A newspaper recently published articles under the caption “Spotlight on SL’s South Eastern University: South eastern varsity VC under scrutiny following plagiarism claims.”
Our question is how the writer had chosen to publish this information, knowing that this would tarnish the university’s and its graduates’ image. If someone has plagiarized their academic papers, there is a way of recalling or withdrawing process by the university. If someone wants to prove that another person plagiarized their academic papers, even before the plagiarism detector software is introduced in Sri Lanka, the person who found them with evidence should inform the awarding institution, and not the national newspaper, to take appropriate action.
The newspaper does not have the right to discredit or tarnish a national university’s image just because the person in question serves there. It should not be published under the name of the university he serves.
We want to clarify the following facts from the writer.
1. Who has the authority to validate and accept these academic papers? The responsibility relies on the supervisors, who accepted it after detailed study and verification of the papers against plagiarism, integrity, etc.
2. Will the writer confirm that all theses or academic papers submitted at least by the Vice Chancellors (VCs) of other universities before the plagiarism detector software was introduced are plagiarism free? If not, will the writer initiate a plagiarism check of their academic papers and publish their names along with their universities?
3. Will the writer confirm that all the university VCs are selected based on the University Council recommendations, and only the South-Eastern University VC was selected outside the selection process?
It is a targeted article to discredit South-Eastern University, its academic staff, and the graduates of South-Eastern University.
