As if you weren’t scared enough, academic discipline reports from the 2007-08 school year were reprinted in the Sept. 23 issue of the Bulletin, U of T’s official publication. The reports are a somber reminder to cite your sources.
You don’t want to end up like the student in Case 487, who was convicted of plagiarism and fabrication of sources on two assignments—they got zero in both courses, a two-year suspension, and a notation on their academic record for three years or until graduation. You can even get your degree recalled, like the student who admitted to fabricating data on their Master’s thesis.
Students are given ample space to defend themselves and explain extenuating circumstances, said Jane Alderdice, director of quality assessment and governance at the School of Graduate Studies.
“The sanctions, when they’re imposed, usually students are able to recover from them,” said Alderdice. “They can still come back [and] finish their work.”
The same rules apply to professors, according to the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters. Rules for faculty “resemble—with appropriate modifications—procedures and sanctions in force for students, with [the exception of] grounds and procedures for terminating employment of tenured faculty,” reads the Code.
U of T expects both students and faculty to abide by its Policy on Ethical Conduct in Research, which includes “accurate presentation and interpretation of experimental data [and] due acknowledgement to another’s work.”
However, at least one plagiarizing prof has gone unpunished. In 2000, U of T civil engineering professor Robert Andrews censored the results of a water-purification survey to suit his corporate sponsor ERCO Worldwide. Two years later, he was caught copying the research of his student, Chris Radziminski, and falsifying it to benefit the same corporate sponsor. Even though the journal that printed the plagiarized article retracted it, U of T has taken no action against Andrews. He continues to receive funding and do research on water disinfection.
Trudo Lemmens, associate professor in the law and medicine faculties, was surprised to hear that Andrews’ work had been retracted. “It’s certainly an issue that the appropriate authorities have to investigate,” Lemmens said, pointing out that disputes of authorship are not uncommon between collaborating researchers and multiple professors, as well as between professors and students. “As it continues to happen, the question is whether the policies are completely satisfactory.”
The recently-approved Towards 2030 plan advocates corporate research sponsorship similar to Andrews’ research with water purification, but governors have little knowledge of the case or the policies in place to ensure academic integrity.
Olivier Sorin, a graduate student on Governing Council, was unfamiliar with Andrews’ case, but knew of earlier cases. He did know about Nancy Olivieri, a member of the Faculty of Medicine who was fired in 1996 when she publicized side effects that her corporate sponsor Apotex did not want known.
Sorin said when he voted for the 2030 plan, he had been told that existing policies would make sure the Olivieri case isn’t repeated. He then admitted to not knowing much about said policies.
