Physician Accused of Scientific Misconduct and Fraud

A physician's credentials are being called into question but the National Academy of Medicine is finding it difficult to remove him as a member after he was found to have "plagiarized five research papers, fabricated an account of his personal exploits in Iraq, and claimed unearned degrees and awards" ("Doctors Urge Elite Academy to Expel a Member Over Charges of Plagiarism." The New York Times, April 9, 2018). The article discusses the impact of this academic dishonesty on the doctor whose work was misused and the medical textbook editors who didn't check for plagiarism before their book was published.

Discussion Questions:

1. How would you feel if a colleague of yours said he was the author of your research?
2. Should doctors be held to the same standard of academic integrity as college students? A higher standard? Why or why not?
3. Should all books be checked for plagiarism before being published? Why or why not?

Bogus Classes Taken by 3100 Students at UNC

A new report details the extent of University of North Carolina's academic fraud stemming from years of offering classes for which there were very few requirements needed to pass the course  ("Academic Fraud or Not, UNC Students Likely Will Keep Degrees," CNN, October 26, 2014). Some 3100 students including many athletes took these courses in the African-American studies program (AFAM) to keep their GPAs high enough for eligibility to play collegiate sports.

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think it's a good idea to give students the option to confess that they committed an academically dishonest act in return for a lesser punishment? Why or why not?
2. Do you think that students should be given the option to correct a plagiarized paper in return for a lower grade instead of getting a failing grade? Why or why not?
3. Do you think students who use this "regret clause" will learn from their mistake and not commit academically dishonest acts again? Why or why not?

Academic Scandal with Years of Grade Changes & No-Show Classes

Hit with an indictment for academic fraud, a former University of North Carolina (UNC) professor is under fire for leading a department with a history of forged faculty signatures, unwarranted grade changes, and overly lenient class structure ("A’s for Athletes, but Charges of Fraud at North Carolina," The New York Times, December 31, 2013).

Although Dr. Julius Nyang’oro left his position in 2012, he is accused of accepting $12,000 for a course he never taught. That course, AFAM 280 in the department of African and Afro-American studies, was filled with North Carolina football team members. A former governor of North Carolina led an investigation into the department, discovering "problems with dozens of courses" going back as far as 1997 including what appears to be over 500 "unauthorized grade changes."

Discussion Questions:

1. Although these irregularities only involved one department at UNC, how do you think the reputation of the entire school will be affected?
2. Would you accept a grade for a class that never actually met? Why or why not?
3. Why would a once-respected educator at a noted university allow his department to become so corrupted?
4. Why did this apparent lack of academic integrity persist for so many years?

Push to Publish Spurs Fabricated Research in China

Because the status and pay of Chinese scholars is based on the amount of published research, unethical practices have been exposed by Western experts. (Rampant Cheating Could Degrade China's Research Ambitions - Austin American-Statesman from Associated Press, April 20, 2010). But plagiarism, faked research, and related misdeeds are not considered to be serious problems by all Chinese academics. Lu Keqian, a former teacher freely admits that he receives $45 to write papers, saying that "great leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping needed help writing." Some 70 papers from Jinggangshan University were found to be "fabricated" by a British journal in December.

Discussion Questions:

1. If there is rampant academic misconduct, do you think the results of all research studies conducted in China should be reviewed?
   
2. Why do you think the writer mentioned in the article thinks that writing for others isn't wrong?
   

Student Athlete Offers Payment for Writing His Paper

The penalty for a University of Buffalo basketball star placing a Facebook ad offering $30-40 for reading and writing about a book assigned in a course is a three-game suspension. The Buffalo (NY) News covers this story in its August 23, 2008 edition and features a quote from the "solicitation of academic fraud" Facebook request by University at Buffalo senior guard Andy Robinson (UB’s Robinson Suspended 3 Games). Another University of Buffalo student found the listing on Facebook and notified the student newspaper. Robinson "violated UB’s policies regarding academic integrity." However, he served the team well last season as the top scoring player.

Discussion Questions:

1. Was Robinson's punishment sufficient for his academic integrity infraction? Why or why not?
2. Do you think athletes get preferential treatment if they break campus rules?
3. If he wasn't the team's top scorer, would he receive a more severe penalty?

Governor's Daughter Gifted with West Virginia University Degree

In an ongoing story, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Heather Bresch, daughter of West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, received a West Virginia University (WVU) Executive M.B.A. degree even though she did not "register for, pay for, or complete" 22 hours of coursework noted on her transcript. The June 5, 2008 article continues to note that WVU President Mike Garrison formerly worked for Ms. Bresch at a drug company that is also a major donor to the university.

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you accept an academic degree that you didn't earn? Would you decide to accept it if it meant you would earn more?
2. Should the WVU president resign if his staff approved the transcript change, even if he was not personally involved?