Maltese Dean Denies ‘Intentional Bad’ After Colleague Accuses Plagiarized Work
A dean of the University of Malta denied “intentional misconduct” after a lecturer within his faculty accused him of plagiarism and called for his resignation.
“While I agree that the paper could have benefited from further revision, I refute any allegation that this was the product of any voluntary abuse as noted by the Editorial Board itself,” said Prof. Andrew Azzopardi to Lovin Malta.
“If this is an attempt to silence me, I want to assure everyone that I will continue to respond enthusiastically to current social issues, whether they are about prisons, activism or other social issues that I believe need to be represented in our society.
Azzopardi, Dean of the Faculty of Social Welfare, spoke to Lovin Malta after criminology lecturer Savior Formosa warned about plagiarism in a paper that Azzopardi co-authored this year.
In a Facebook post posted by Azzopardi last September announcing the paper, Formosa told the dean to inform everyone that the paper had been withdrawn “because it amounted to academic theft (plagiarism) from articles published by me and Dr. Formosa Pace ”.
He also urged Azzopardi to issue a public apology.
History Reader Simon Mercieca then revealed that Formosa took it a step further, by putting in a group for UM academics that Azzopardi should resign as Dean of the Faculty.
“It’s a sad day for Maltese scholarships,” said Formosa. “Let a student place a job[olhuinkwetantiliakkademikuuRSOjippla;;jalizzawb’modseveril-pubblikazzjonijietimfittxijata’kollegimhuxsemg[uf’dinl-AlmaMaterLil-awturijinkludulid-Dekantal-BenessriSoċjalihuwakundannabbligħalkollox”
Din hija l-istqarrija ta’ Azzopardi lil Lovin Malta b’mod sħiħ
“Nirrikonoxxi l-iżball li x-xogħol ippreżentat lill-ġurnal Studies in Social Wellbeing ma kienx tal-istandard li jixraq lill-akkademja.
Konsegwentement, jien u l-awtur ewlieni ħdimna id f’id mal-bord editorjali tal-ġurnal u morna lil hinn minn dak li kien mitlub minna bħala awturi u ddeċidejna li nirtiraw l-artiklu inkwistjoni minn jeddna.
Filwaqt li naqbel li l-karta setgħet ibbenefika minn aktar reviżjoni Nirrifjuta kwalunkwe allegazzjoni li dan kien il-prodott ta’ kwalunkwe att ħażin intenzjonat kif innota l-Bord Editorjali stess. Jekk dan huwa tentattiv biex isikketni rrid nassigura lil kulħadd li se nibqa’ nwieġeb b’ħeġġa għall-kwistjonijiet soċjali attwali, kemm jekk huma dwar ħabsijiet, attiviżmu jew kwistjonijiet soċjali oħra li nemmen li jeħtieġ li jkunu rappreżentati fis-soċjetà tagħna.”
X’tagħmel minn dan?