The National Association of Scholars (NAS) has expressed its condemnation of plagiarism in doctoral dissertations, describing it as one of the most egregious forms of false appropriation. This statement was released just days before Harvard President Claudine Gay tendered her resignation amidst allegations of plagiarizing scholarly work, including her own dissertation.
According to an Associated Press article, Gay, who assumed the presidency at Harvard last summer and was the Ivy League college’s first black president, stepped down following a congressional testimony in early December about antisemitism on campus and subsequent plagiarism allegations. Conservative activists initially lodged claims that Gay had committed plagiarism in her 1997 doctoral dissertation. Shortly after these accusations surfaced, Harvard’s board confirmed "a few instances of inadequate citation." In the days that followed, the board discovered additional instances and announced that Gay’s dissertation would be updated. Gay officially resigned on Tuesday.
In its statement, NAS highlighted its view of plagiarism as a severe form of academic dishonesty. "Until the events of the last month, declaring that position would have seemed entirely unnecessary. Every college and university in the United States, to our knowledge, forbids plagiarism by students and faculty members. But we live in a time where definitions are often spongy and clever people go to considerable lengths to excuse the inexcusable," said NAS.
NAS further explained that plagiarism is particularly serious when it occurs within a dissertation because this piece of academic work is central to a scholar's credentials and serves as "proof of significant original research." It also must adhere strictly to guidelines regarding format and attribution of others' work. NAS added that committing plagiarism in a doctoral dissertation effectively invalidates a scholar's credentials.
Finally, NAS stated that when allegations of plagiarism in scholarly work arise, they should be promptly addressed by both the alleged plagiarist's employer and their professional disciplinary body. "Yet the general public and policymakers also possess the right and the duty to expose and publicize plagiarism and other kinds of academic malfeasance," NAS concluded.
