Cheating and plagiarism – in science and medicine

1. 1/17/2014 5:18:00 PM
Cheating and Plagiarism – in Science and Medicine
Dr.T.V.Rao MD
*Definition of Cheating
Cheating is defined as obtaining or attempting to obtain, or aiding another
to obtain credit for work, or any improvement in evaluation of
performance, by any dishonest or deceptive means. Cheating includes,
but is not limited to: lying; copying from another's test or examination;
discussion at any time of answers or questions on an examination or test,
unless such discussion is specifically authorized by the instructor; taking
or receiving copies of an exam without the permission of the instructor;
using or displaying notes, "cheat sheets," or other information devices
inappropriate to the prescribed test conditions; allowing someone other
than the officially enrolled student to represent same.Cheating is common
problem School and junior college levels.
*Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the act of using the ideas or work of another person or persons as if
they were one's own without giving proper credit to the source. Such an act is not plagiarism
if it is ascertained that the ideas were arrived through independent reasoning or logic or
where the thought or idea is common knowledge. Acknowledgement of an original author or
source must be made through appropriate references; i.e., quotation marks, footnotes, or
commentary. Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to the following: the
submission of a work, either in part or in whole completed by another; failure to give credit
for ideas, statements, facts or conclusions which rightfully belong to another; failure to use
quotation marks (or other means of setting apart, such as the use of indentation or a different
font size) when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, a sentence, or even
a part thereof; close and lengthy paraphrasing of another's writing without credit or
originality; use of another's project or programs or part thereof without giving credit.
Today the current regulations of Medical Council of India will make you a
Professor / Associate professor earlier than one deserves, just cook some
thing very fast secretly publish the papers without any noise only the first
author or the only author knows the truth. No verification to the facts,
any misinformation can be spread in the community and you will be
complemented by equally cheating minded person in the Administration.
In a country like India nothing works, I know a post graduate student,
just a cow boy enjoying the patronage of the HOD fortunately belong to
his own community the samples are not processed but just multiplied
statically to magnify the sample size, all is well if you have the support of

2. the supporting God father in the Department, this is not just in Medical
Colleges but a true happening even so called Universities, Recently it was
criticised that India is not standing tall at all in the Academics and not
becoming a world ranking University, with the process of Privatization of
Medical Education we are going to see really many unethical publication
misinforming the society, Recently I have come across a paper, there are
not even few patients attended that Hospital in the recent decade with
scaring disease condition, and the writer gave sensational figures and
finding new facts on opportunistic pathogens, I do not know where we are
going in Medicine, we diluted the quality of medicine with creeping of
unethical doctors degrading the Merit, and we have now started
degrading the scientific publications. Many are fabricating the results
without doing any work as Fabrication means. Inventing or falsifying
information. Examples of fabrication include inventing data for an experiment you
did not do or did not do correctly or making reference to sources you did not use in a
research paper.
A day is not very far most of the so called original research articles
become fiction and will be read by another fiction writer, I wish the
Medical council of India realises the gravity of situation and abolish the
criteria of publication to early promotions, Today many so called Teachers
without teaching are surviving as teachers, Professors in many Medical
college, in feature we will have many Professors running these Medical
College, and claiming to the great researchers. We are heading to a state
that students will question the credentials of these unethical teachers and
researchers? Within few years no Indian data will be accepted for any
academic work or comparison, Rapid expansion of the Medical colleges
are adding to the cheating, as many pay and come for the sake of
degrees and create bogus thesis and wrong ideas and are published if the
trends continue no body will believe our Medical educational system and
research. I am observing for more than 4 decades Majority of Medical
research in our country is bogus just for the sake of MD and PhD ‘s, as we
do not have any dedicated labs to do minimal research higher education has
a purpose, and ultimately that purpose must be founded on enduring values. That
means at the most fundamental level, we have to teach students the difference
between right and wrong, and make sure they know it's an important
distinction. Many postgraduates do not posses of an Undergraduate student’s
knowledge in Medicine.The further danger is over a period of time say 8-10
years this data go on accumulating which will be fake then everybody's

3. eyes will open, may be too late to realize and correct the mistakes. In the
Internet age data of false and true will get mixed up and we will not be
able to retrieve the facts and more confusion will happen, failing to realise
wrong from right.I hope research can be for few dedicated people all what
is going is real fiction stories of science, if youwish toread a article read
from a credited journal rest you leave as trash as many papers are for
just promotions and qualification and Doctorate qualifications. It is time
many Universities should have review and stop unnecessary and false
research in the Universities, as the reputation will go down very fast.Many
article published in the Internet journals are fake and Fabricated. Just
ignoring is best way of living when we cannot do anything ?.
*Ref Calpoly Academic Progress
Dr.T.V.Rao MD Professor of microbiology Freelance writer