Plague of Plagiarism in Sri Lanka
Lack of proficiency in the English language and lack of knowledge about the seriousness of plagiarism are the driving forces of this disaster.
This is a listing of what has been happening in Sri Lanka with regard to plagiarism:
Dr. Muttukrishna Sarvananthan (@Muttukrishna) writes about word-for-word plagiarism and publishing in predatory journals: Jaffna University Vice-Chancellor Caught Copying & Cheating
And more information is here:
Mr. Abdul Raheem writes about shockingly blatant plagiarism by University bigwigs: Inside Story: Rogue Academics in Sri Lanka
Dr. Muttukrishna Saravananthan writes about a counselor who seems to be an expert “in various topics in medicine, including heart disease, stroke, and burnout among general practitioners in China”: In four years, a psychosocial counselor co-authored seven papers on disparate medical topics. How? This does not escape the watchdog ‘Retraction Watch’.
When asked to provide backup for a figure that showed signs of manipulation, the authors said the raw data was lost in a flood. Concerns about image manipulation? Sorry, the data were lost in a flood
Floods are a common concern for Sri Lanka; Wolfbeis wasn’t sure which flood the author was referring to. Three other papers flagged on PubPeer are all published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, of which co-author Ramaier Narayanaswamy is listed as an editor.
The University of Moratuwa finds that the key factor that led to plagiarism was the lack of awareness about plagiarism. Plagiarism amongst research students in the University of Moratuwa (UoM) in Sri Lanka
91.4% of the study population believe that English language proficiency influences the practice of plagiarism. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Plagiarism among Law Undergraduates in Sri Lanka
This British Council-funded research of 4 South Asian (Sri Lanka included) countries finds that despite students, English language teachers, and subject lecturers reporting that avoiding plagiarism was important, there was no understanding of institutional policies.
Students had limited understanding of plagiarism and held beliefs that could lead to inadvertent malpractice in an international context. Teaching staff were hampered by lack of detection tools, lack of clarity on policy, and inadequate understanding of plagiarism.
Takeaway?
If the Vice Chancellors are not honest, we cannot expect the students to do any better. Taking shortcuts is thoroughly embedded in the culture.
English language proficiency is a major factor in the perpetuation of the plagiarism culture in Sri Lanka. The students are ill-equipped to make the transition from Sinhala/Tamil-taught secondary education system to the
English-taught university system. For STEM, it is essential that those who wish to gain university admission, study for the Advanced Level examination in English.
From O/L grades, we need to create awareness of plagiarism, its seriousness, and its consequences. Students are already cutting and pasting web info into their school assignments. This should not be acceptable. Nip it in the bud.