UGM to decide on alleged plagiarism

UGM to decide on alleged plagiarism

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A Gadjah Mada University (UGM) team is to
inquire into an alleged case of plagiarism involving a doctorate
student, Ipong S. Azhar, and will complete its investigations on
March 25.

A team member, Sunyoto Usman, said on Friday the four-member
team needed more time to reread Ipong's thesis after questioning
M. Nurhasim, a National Institute of Science (LIPI) staff member,
who claims to hold the copyright to the data allegedly used by
Ipong.

"We cannot reach any decision on whether Ipong committed
plagiarism until we hear Nurhasim's clarification this morning.
We need to reexamine Ipong's dissertation," Sunyoyo said.

Sunyoto said during the meeting that Nurhasim insisted that
Ipong's thesis entitled "The Farmer Radicalism in the New Order
Regime: A Study on Radical Peasant Movement in Subdistricts of
Rambipuji, Jenggawah, and Mumbulsari, in Jember regency, East
Java" was a carbon copy of his thesis "The Land Dispute in
Jenggawah: A Study on Process and Problems in Resolving the Land
Dispute in Jenggawah of Jember regency, East Java" which he wrote
in 1996 to obtain a scholarship from Airlangga University in
Surabaya.

Ipong wrote his dissertation to obtain a doctorate degree on
sociology from Gadjah Mada University in 1999. The dispute
emerged when the thesis was published earlier this year.

The publication of the book was then stopped following
Nurhasim's claim.

Sunyoto admitted that the team found similar contents in the
two theses that could indicate an act of plagiarism by Ipong.

"If our inquiry finds Ipong has violated academical ethics, we
will notify the university senate who will decide Ipong's fate.
The university's credibility is at stake," he said.

Other members of the inquiry team are Boma Wikan Tyoso, Tedjo
Juwono and Sudikno Mertokosumo, all are professors.

UGM rector Ichlasul Amal earlier asserted that the university
had the right to revoke Ipong's doctorate degree if he was proven
guilty of copying Nurhasim's data.

Ipong has admitted his failure to accredit the data in his
thesis, saying he suspected that Nurhasim also copied them from
another thesis. Ipong said he was unable to get to Jenggawah due
to security reasons.

But Nurhasim retorted on Friday, saying he collected the data
during field research in mid-1995.

"I went to the district twice and interviewed local figures,
including Muslim clerics Imam Mashuri and a Imam Khudori,"
Nurhasim told reporters. (44)