KU makes plagiarism in research works difficult

Nitish Sharma

In order to maintain standards in research works, Kurukshetra University (KU) has introduced Turnitin, an anti-plagiarism software.

The KU authorities believe that the software will help in maintaining standards of research work and checking academic frauds.

The software has been procured from the USA at a cost of Rs 20 lakh for five years. In 2015, the UGC had asked the state and Central universities to use the anti-plagiarism software to check duplication of PhD theses.

Manoj Joshi, KU librarian, says that Turnitin is the world leader in checking plagiarism and has the largest database of research papers. Though the KU has an internal anti-plagiarism policy in place, it required a strict automated mechanism like Turnitin".

He says that senior faculty members have been trained on the software and have been provided with login-ids and passwords to use it. Whenever a PhD candidate submits his or her thesis, the supervisor will scan it with the help of the software and check how much of the content is similar to any other research paper. Besides PhD, the theses of MPhil candidates will also be checked with the help of the software.

Vice-Chancellor KC Sharma says, “All PhD and MPhil theses that will be submitted in the university will have to be scanned with the help of the software. The university has adopted UGC norms in this regard and the maximum permissible similarity limit is 10 per cent”.

“Only after a thesis has been scanned with the help of the software that it will be allowed to be submitted and sent for evaluation. All chairpersons and directors of various departments have been provided with login-ids and passwords. They will facilitate students by checking their research works for similarity before these are sent for evaluation,” he adds.  

Aim is to improve quality of research: Sharma 

}The aim of the exercise is to improve the quality of the research output of the university. Every research work will have to pass the test of the anti-plagiarism software. As per the UGC norms, the maximum permissible similarity limit is 10% — KC Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University