Saturday, June 1, 2013

Flemish Criminology Professor Suspended for Plagiarism

NRC reports that the University of Groningen (in Holland) has suspended Flemish criminology professor Patrick van Calster on account of plagiarism in his doctorate. The doctorate was completed at the Free University of Brussels in 2005. Groningen has also published a press release that elaborates their zero-tolerance for plagiarism policy. 

The VU Brussels determined, according to the Belgian Flemish-language newspaper de morgan, that his dissertation on the complexity of criminal organizations was a blatant plagiarism of a popular management handbook and has rescinded his doctorate. 

Local media had previously reported on the case without naming van Calster. Now that the VU Brussels has reached a decision, they also formally informed the current employer of van Calster, Groningen.

This is an interesting step, as to my knowledge universities that revoke degrees do not necessarily take action to inform potentially interested parties of their decision. In this case, this in an international question, as Groningen is in the Netherlands and Brussels in Belgium.

1 comment:

  1. It may be interesting to know that Groningen was one of the universities caught up in the Diederik Stapel case, and it received considerable criticism for almost immediately alleging that Stapel had done nothing untoward when at Groningen University - a statement it hastily withdrew when the scale of Stapel's manipulations became known. It seems that some people have learnt, fortunately.

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