Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation (MHESI) has ordered all universities in the country to check on their lecturers to see if any purchased academic papers were used, following reports of ghostwriting at least two well-known universities.
The order was issued in response to a recent report about academics who renamed paid-for reports and claimed ownership, even publishing them in internationally accredited journals.
According to reports, a grad student at Chiang Mai University published an academic paper on nanomaterials that he allegedly purchased and then paid another 30,000 baht in publishing costs. He also claimed to have written essays for several other works in fields other than his own, such as farming and cryptocurrency.
The ministry stated that it would continue to assist researchers in writing papers that benefit the nation’s reputation but would focus more on scrutinizing academic journals and providing ethical oversight.
The president of Khon Kaen University, Dr. Charnchai Panthongviriyakul, responded by saying that the university has instructed its graduate school and other bodies to scrutinize student research papers and root out any suspected cases of ghostwriting or plagiarism.
According to Dr. Charnchai, an investigation is currently underway focusing on researchers and students who authored numerous works or reports in fields outside their areas of expertise.
He added that experts in relevant fields would also review research papers before publication.
According to Dr. Charnchai, some researchers may exploit a flaw in the university’s inspection mechanism that excludes certain types of journals. While these constitute less than 1% of all university research, suspect content can still harm a school’s reputation and credibility.
“This is a serious situation. Ethical violations by researchers are considered serious offenses and are punishable, “He stated.
Somchai Preechasinlapakun, a Chiang Mai University’s Faculty of Law lecturer, believes the country should reconsider how grad students are evaluated to weed out bad apples.
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