PGI forms guidelines on plagiarism

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 6

Fifty-four years after its inception and several cases of “research misconduct”, the PGI, one of the country’s most prestigious health care institutes, has come up with its own guidelines on plagiarism.

According to PGI officials, the guidelines have been formulated after a close study of the policies of other research institutions, including AIIMS and the IIT.  

“Copying of 10 consecutive words will be considered plagiarism,” informed sources. Notably, four cases of unethical research practices by senior faculty members of the PGI had come up at the governing body meeting, chaired by the Union Health Minister. The PGI had served notices but due to the lack of guidelines, the “accused” had gone scot free. 

Keeping in view the urgent need to have a policy on plagiarism, a committee was constituted under officiating PGI Director Dr Subash Varma to frame the guidelines. According to the guidelines, the licence to use the software to detect plagiarism must be given to each faculty member of the institute.

Sources say if a case of plagiarism comes to light, a standing committee will evaluate and examine the same in a time-bound manner.

Meanwhile, a review for an international website done by one of the three shortlisted faculty members for the post of the new PGI Director, has come under scanner, informed sources. The review, published in 2013, was withdrawn earlier for a brief period in 2015 after allegations surfaced that it contained parts “copied” from another writer’s paper, said sources, adding that the review had remained withdrawn.