Campaign against Intellectual Theft, Fraud and Forgery within Higher Educational Institutions and Universities
On the 7th of July 2022, MAHSRA launched an official campaign against a very despicable practice reported and noted within higher institutions with respect to some actions that violate the very essence of growth and youthful intellectual development.
In brief, the CEO of MAHSRA acknowledged to have received reports of cases where supervisors to students’ research works or thesis tactically steal and publish the works in their names or influence the students to publish such with their names as co-authors. This is a depraved practice and against academic ethics. All universities need to take note of this. In seeking for a “professorial title-ship” some lecturers have become intellectual vampires. Universities should not tolerate such practices, “how can a teacher administering exams be acknowledged as part of the answer provider?” Such should exactly disqualify the results of the student.
In an original research work, the research student is the principal author and has the exclusive rights to publish or authorise the publication of the research work/thesis after successful dissertation. Every third party tempering with such works otherwise must beware. In fact, section 80 (d) of Cameroon Law No. 2000/011 of December 19, 2000 on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights, criminalises the issue as forgery concerning “any infringement of the right of authorship and the right of integrity of a performance”.
The CEO, Dr Kelly NGYAH, therefore called on all research students to be aware of these abuses on their “intellectual output rights”, and further requested that, for those who have been victims in the past, they should not hesitate to forward their complains to MAHSRA’s offices (uncases@mahsra.org) for appropriate advocacy and due legal action.
Research students not be as well deceived about publishing on international journals; they can contact us for advice (contact@mahsra.org).
We need a more energetic, hopeful and trauma free youths for building the future we want… Accompany them and let them grow… stop stealing from them, pull them up instead.
WE ARE MAHSRA, WE SUPPORT YOUTH GROWTH and WE HAVE EYES EVERYWHERE!
Download official press release document HERE
Télécharger le communiqué de presse officiel ICI
