PU begins probe into another plagiarism case

LAHORE, Aug 23: The Punjab University administration has identified a case of plagiarism involving a couple.
The couple — Prof Dr Zaid Mahmood of Punjab Universitys Institute of Chemistry and his wife Associate Professor Dr Syeda Rubina Gilani of University of Engineering and Technology’s Chemistry Department — produced two research papers containing material from three research papers already published in international journals.

Punjab University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran has formed a three-member committee headed by Punjab Director Public Instruction (Colleges) Dr Jalil Tariq to probe the alleged plagiarism case and fix the responsibility. The committee has Lahore College for Women University Chemistry Department Chairperson Prof Dr Bushra Khan and Punjab University Additional Registrar Prof Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir as members.

The committee has been given documents, which say Prof Mahmood (principal author) and Dr Gilani (co-author) produced research papers titled “Synthesis and Characterisation of E-Bonded Phenyle-Palladium Complexes with Triphenylantimony Ligands” and “Synthesis and Characterisation of Allyl Complexes of Molybdenum with Schiff Base Ligands” and published these in the Pakistan Journal of Scientific Research in 2002.

However, it has been reported that the first paper was plagiarised from two research papers “Substitution reactions of trans …” and “Carbon-antimony bond fission in reactions of triphenylantimony with palladium(II)…” published in Polyhedron and Journal of Organometallic Chemistry in November 1998 and May 1996, respectively. These papers were published by Ayfer Mentes, Ramond D.W. Kemmitt, John Fawcett and David R. Russel.

Reports say the second paper was plagiarised from a research paper titled “Allyl complexes of molybdenum with
Schiff base ligands. The crystal structures of…” published in Journal of Organometallic Chemistry in 2002 by the same authors.

The complaints submitted to the PU vice-chancellor say “as far as the concepts of these papers are concerned, they are 100 per cent similar. As far as data and results/paper material is concerned, it is approximately more than 80 per cent copied”. In the first paper the complaint says, “Mr and Mrs Mahmood have tried to change the language of the discussion”. In the second paper, the complaint says: “Even the discussion has been copied. If we go into the detail of these papers, the original work of both papers has been copied 100 per cent.”

Probe committee convener Dr Jalil Tariq said the committee held a meeting and reviewed the ‘plagiarised’ research papers.

He said the papers were almost 80 per cent plagiarised. He said the committee’s maiden meeting decided to send a notice to Prof Mahmood and seek a written reply from him. He said his office had received Prof Mahmood’s written reply. He said the committee had found another research paper of Prof Mahmood plagiarised. He said the UET administration would take up the case against Prof Mahmood’s wife.

Prof Mahmood said the university had initiated the plagiarism case against him to malign him. He said there were clear instructions from the Higher Education Commission that no plagiarism case should be initiated involving research papers published before 2007.

Prof Mahmood said the research papers in question had zero impact and he did not claim any promotion on the basis of these papers. “Currently, I am serving as professor under the Tenure Track System and my all research papers were scanned by the HEC before offering me the TTS post,” he said.Dawn.