UJ PhD candidate expelled for plagiarism
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- Norman Shoko, a University of Johannesburg PhD candidate, has been found guilty of plagiarism and suspended for three years after a lengthy disciplinary process. The theology student was charged with academic dishonesty in September 2021 when his thesis was flagged for containing substantial plagiarised content. The plagiarism was detected using UJ's Turnitin software, which showed a 45% similarity index. Adrian Garden, Dean of Academics at IIE Rosebank College, speaks to Newzroom Afrika’s Aldrin Sampear.
Tune into Newzroom Afrika DStv channel 405 for more.
I am confused. Before you submit your thesis/dissertation you include a Turnitin report. Are they saying that the student did not submit a Turnitin report and his work was only found to contain a 45% plagiarism score after submission? If so how did he submit a thesis without a Turnitin report? How did his supervisor accept a thesis for submission that had no Turnitin report? If he obtained the Turnitin report before submission, then why would he be disciplined? He hasn't yet officially submitted the Thesis. He merely could go back and reference the work correctly or make the necessary adjustments to lower the plagiarism score.
45% similarity can't be corrected -after submission it is good old copying somebody's else's work. Do you understand how much it take to get a 5% Turn it similarity report? It means you were in fact copying.
As soon as he got a 45% similarity report he was supposed to go back and rectify that and reduce it to below 15% and preferably below 10%.
This tells me, he/she had an incompetent supervisor. The final document has to be pass through turnitin before submission and supervisor has to approve it. Now why would a supervisor approve a similarly index of 45%? Didn’t the supervisor and the institution make it clear to all postgraduate what similarity index is expected as per university policy? This speaks to a poor relationship between supervisor and student.
@saneledlamini285 excellently put. I couldn't have put it any better. Either the supervisor was grossly incompetent or this guy may even have been sabotaged due to his poor relationship with his supervisor. There is absolutely no way a Supervisor can sign off a Thesis for submission without a Turnitin report.
If you read the fine print of plagiarism, you will realise that Turnitin or any such similar tool is simply that a tool. The university has a disclaimer, that is they reserve the right to revoke even a degree if it later comes to light that you plagiarised. Turnitin is not the end goal, they can revoke a degree 10 years later, ask Schabir's brother.
Why does Adrian and some people in the comment section want to blame supervisors? Supervisors are not baby sitters, at a PhD level you have through the rigours of academic scrutiny, you should know this by that level.
They just holding another black genius down, where is this racist human rights commission
He went to study to become a liar to begin with. Being a pastor with a theology degree doesn't make you a preacher from God.
Turnitin has taught me that you need to research even your own ideas, because it might been endorsed already by someone else.
Yoh🤦😫
He’s just unlucky - many have plagiarised their way to the top, even in corporate
People do not understand how easy it is the unintentionally plagiarize work.
Damn, sad story. The speaker is correct to say there is some responsibility on the student and on the supervisor. 45% for a Masters or PhD thesis is pretty high.
What abouts those who hold doctorate degrees through coping others thesis but still their thesis got accepted and they got a pass,this groups who aquired their doctorate and PhD by referring to other graduates thesis ,they prefer to be addressed by their titles everywhere they like attention
Who are they? I take you know some, let's expose these people. Let's hear names
They do get caught and their qualifications get revoked once evidence is brought forward.
Spot on...
I think this matter could have been handled better, there was no need to get to the media, phd is a lot support is needed to be given to graduates not media.
If a student publishes four papers before submitting their thesis to the institution, and later includes those papers in their thesis, plagiarism detection tools like Turnitin may flag them as plagiarism yooooo iwiishi wishi.....
Good DEI DIDNT EARN IT .......
Can someone please check the Mafikeng campus of the North West University, many of its PhD graduates are suspects. I seriously suspect that many of them hired their lecturers/supervisors to write their dissetations.
What led to your conclusion and why does it seem like you are gunning for the North west university mafikeng campus only what about potchestroom and vaal triangle do you see them as saints??
You mean to tell me you skipped the other two campuses? Just like that? Many of us worked hard for our qualifications. Take it up formally, not this nonsense.
@@karabomakwetla4626 what's annoying is that this person fails to talk about the inequality that's happening within the 3 campuses but because he/she sees black people fighting for their PhDs it is thus seen as fit to raise questions. People are working hard for their qualifications and people like him/her are at the forefront of standing in their way. Just recently a student was failed for there being a difference in marks of her research from two external moderators buh they don't speak about it.
I have seen my mothers tears the past 3 years , i can safely say those people are earning it
@@simbalion84801Correction is warranted and apologies to those I have offended. A few - not many - of the PhD graduates from especially the Mafikeng campus don't come across as genuine PhD graduates.
Academia and some academics are becoming more serious about protecting those students and their work who actually did their work beyond their studies.
👍😊
So we shouldn't trust supervisors ?😢
😂😂😂 you cant trust anyone these days.
Hence i hate referring in my assignments i just create my own story and submit 😢
why waste time and money for PHD when Universities like UNISA, gives it for free.
Wait wdym for free? 😂
You are very malicious person, there is no university that gives such degree for free. If you never studied there and you only hear hearsay, your assumptions are useless like you. I don't assume anything here, but even those whom you think got the right qualifications or PhD or are graduates from whatever university, what have they achieved if it's not only personal goals not of society or communities. What do I mean is that those achieved such qualifications have no impact in society. Even if they graduate from universities that you respect, the fact is that, South African situation is a reflection of everyone including graduates whether undergraduate or PhD. No one is immune irrespective of where they studied or acquired a qualifications for free ( if such thing exists) or not. Those who you think have legitimate qualifications could not do the following, they did not resolve economic stagnation, improve economy, reduce inequalities, reduce unemployment, reduce poverty, they could not resolve social ills in society, they could not resolve inefficiency in government, resolve corruption in government and corporate/ private sector and I think instead those people whom you praise are culprits. My whole message is to make you understand that no graduate is better than the other, especially in South Africa given the circumstances we find ourselves in, in other words no one can claim or praise him or herself to do better than others because they are from best institutions or have better legitimate qualifications.
😂 aowa you guys are spreading lies about my university bathing 😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂 True!
Do you have a PhD, maybe you will understand before commenting. UNISA is very strict only people like you will not know that
Incompetent supervisor 😂😂😂 ooh we are creating jokes at all levels. Lets blame the person who is learning. This is just like the top dogs get away with murder while those below loose everything because there is no longer accountability for leadership incompetence.
LoL!!!!!