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USU scholar accused of ‘self-plagiarism’, forfeits appointment as rector
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North Sumatra University campus (Kompas.com/File)
U
niversity of North Sumatra (USU) rector-elect Muryanto Amin has been accused of committing multiple cases of self-plagiarism in recent years, compromising his appointment as the university’s head that had been scheduled for later this month.
An internal investigation carried out in December yielded probable evidence for Muryanto passing of old work as new research, which most recently culminated in an article the 46-year-old scholar had submitted to the scientific journal Man in India.
The university said that, as a penalty for his offenses, Muryanto’s appointment as rector would be canceled. In addition, the lecturer would be denied promotion for an entire year. He has also been ordered to return the financial incentive received for the latest article he wrote for Man.
USU deputy rector Mahyuddin said such sanctions were in line with a decree issued by the rectorate on Thursday. Per the decree, Muryanto was proven to have violated academic ethics and morals, according to him.
“The violations committed by Muryanto as a scholar are very serious,” Mahyuddin told the press on Friday, adding that “self-plagiarism” could lead to an erosion of public trust in academic institutions such as the USU.
USU chief librarian Jonner Hasugian, who helms the university’s internal investigation team for plagiarism, claimed Muryanto’s purported offenses dated back to 2014, when he served as a lecturer.
He said the internal team had made several important findings while investigating the allegation from Dec. 10 to 12, including Muryanto’s involvement in four separate instances of plagiarism: one in 2014, two in 2017 and one in a 2018 dissertation submitted to apply for a professorship.
