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Romanian Prime Minister Accused of Plagiarism Allegations Prompt Questions About Government’S Ability to Tackle Misconduct in Academia

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Romanian Prime Minister Accused of Plagiarism Allegations Prompt Questions About Government’S Ability to Tackle Misconduct in Academia IN FOCUS NEWS ACADEMIC CONDUCT Romanian prime minister accused of plagiarism Allegations prompt questions about government’s ability to tackle misconduct in academia. BY QUIRIN SCHIERMEIER and abroad to prevent this in the future,” says measures to make the country’s struggling Andruh. science and education system more com- omania’s new government, still reel- “I understand that in law studies it can petitive and transparent, but the plans met ing from a misconduct scandal that be necessary to copy extensive legal articles ferocious opposition from large parts of the forced its research minister to resign and definitions,” says Paul Dragos Aligica, a academic establishment, and have been sub- Rlast month, has been hit by fresh allegations of Romanian political scientist at George Mason stantially relaxed by the current government. plagiarism that strike at the very top. University in Arlington, Virginia. But Ponta’s “It’s more than unlikely that this govern- Prime Minister Victor Ponta has been alleged plagiarism “goes way beyond that. It’s ment is fit to create institutional structures accused of copying large sections of his 2003 astonishing”, he adds. Ponta did not respond in science that Romania urgently needs,” says PhD thesis in law from previous publications, to Nature’s request for comment on the allega- Aligica. “How can it be, when some of its lead- without proper reference. If the charges are tions, and Coman could not be contacted. ers don’t seem to even remotely understand, substantiated, they could spark public pressure Ponta, leader of the Romanian Social Demo- or care about, the standards of good science?” for Ponta to resign, say political insiders. The cratic Party, took Members of Romania’s post-communist allegations are also raising fresh doubts about office as prime min- “There is very elite — including many politicians — have the government’s ability to tackle corruption ister only last month, clear evidence in been eager to acquire academic credentials. In in the higher-education system. replacing Emil Boc, the view of some critics, a number of private Nature has seen documents compiled by who stepped down these excerpts and public universities in the country are con- an anonymous whistle-blower indicating that in February following that the matter sequently degenerating into ‘degree mills’ that more than half of Ponta’s 432-page, Romanian- protests against aus- should be care little about the quality or novelty of the language thesis1 on the functioning of the terity measures that investigated knowledge that they produce, and which are International Criminal Court consists of he had introduced. further.” a breeding ground for academic plagiarism. duplicated text. Moreover, the thesis was Ponta obtained his “One could almost feel pity for all these guys republished with very minor amendments as a PhD from the University of Bucharest while who have power and money, and who are now Romanian-language book in 2004 (ref. 2), and acting as Secretary of State in the government craving intellectual recognition,” says Aligica. also forms the basis of a 2010 book on liability of an earlier prime minister, Adrian Năstase — “Unfortunately these incidents just add to the in international humanitarian law3. A former who was also his PhD supervisor. disrepute of Romanian academic standards PhD student of Ponta’s, Daniela Coman, is “There is very clear evidence in these and create extra pressure that real Romanian named as co-author of the books. excerpts that the matter should be investigated scholars and scientists will now have to fight Substantial sections of text in all three pub- further,” says Vlad Perju, a Romanian political against.” ■ lications seem to be identical, or almost so, to scientist and director of the Clough Center for 1. Ponta, V. Curtea Penală Internaţionala. PhD thesis, material in monographs written in Romanian the Study of Constitutional Democracy at Bos- 4 Univ. Bucharest (2003). by law scholars Dumitru Diaconu and Vasile ton College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. 2. Ponta, V. & Coman, D. Curtea Penală Internaţionala Creţu5. They also feature direct Romanian The episode follows the resignation last (Lumina Lex, 2004). translations of parts of an English-language month of the education and research minister, 3. Coman, D. & Ponta, V. Răspunderea în Dreptul Internaţional Umanitar (Universul Juridic, 2010). publication by law scholar Ion Diaconu6. computer scientist Ioan Mang, following accu- 7 4. Diaconu, D. Curtea Penală Internaţionlă, Istorie şi “The evidence of plagiarism is overwhelm- sations of plagiarism in at least eight papers . Realitate (Editura All Beck, 1999). ing,” says Marius Andruh, a chemist at the An investigation of that case by the Romanian 5. Creţu, V. Drept Internaţional Penal (Editura Tempus, University of Bucharest and president of the Research Ethics Council is ongoing. 1996). 6. Diaconu, I. The International Criminal Court: A Romanian council for the recognition of uni- The latest allegations add to complaints New Stage (Nicolae Titulescu Romanian Inst. versity diplomas. If the allegations are borne about declining academic standards in Roma- International Studies, 2002). out, “a serious discussion is needed in Romania nia. The previous government had introduced 7. Abbott, A. Nature 485, 289 (2012). TOP STORY MORE NEWS NEWS SPECIAL Biologists ● Budget cuts threaten Japanese Rio+20 Earth grow human- scientists’ pay go.nature.com/ahwioz summit kicks MORE eye precursor ● Risk assessment of US agro- off in Brazil, with from stem biosafety lab found wanting go.nature. low expectations D. WATERS/GETTY ONLINE cells com/ozze9w of progress go.nature.com/ ● Boron finally gets a triple bond go.nature.com/ JULENE HARRISON (PHOTO JULENE HARRISON (PHOTO ibgaqa go.nature.com/3motmh d69weu S. ACOSTA/SHUTTERSTOCK) 21 JUNE 2012 | VOL 486 | NATURE | 305 © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
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