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Copy and paste: A slow university investigation into serious accusations of misconduct benefits no one

What is this about?

This Nature article describes the case of a complaint about plagiarism, made by Bradley against George Mason University’s researchers. The article does not provide an answer as to whether the plagiarism claims are substantiated; instead, it focuses on the unnecessary long delays in the University’s internal investigations in dealing with the allegations. The delays appear to breach the university’s own timelines on misconduct investigations.

The article provides also an exploration of how such delays might have further adverse consequences; for example, they may provide possible loopholes in policy debating, or conversely, accumulate strain on those unfairly accused of wrong-doing.

Why is this important?

This factual case demonstrates that there may be a significant time lapse between the noticing and reporting of a case of plagiarism (or indeed, other research ethics violation) to the appropriate resolution of such cases.

The article discusses solutions on shortening the investigation time for allegations in Universities as well as ways to encourage universities sticking to their own misconduct enquiry timelines and policies.

For whom is this important?

RIOAcademic institutions

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