T V Jayan and G S Mudur have a long article in The Telegraph discussing various instances of fraud in Indian science. I am one of those quoted (for the most part accurately) thanks to my involvement in the Kundu case.
I think the essential point, that they have brought out well, is the reluctance of our scientific establishment to deal with such matters or even acknowledge that they exist. The article quotes R Chidambaram as telling the journal Science that the number of cases of fraud in India is too small to justify a full-time oversight body. I'd say that, taken as a proportion of the research from the country published in top-tier journals (which is pathetically low even compared to other Asian countries), the number of cases in India is probably among the highest in the world -- and it's thanks to the attitude of our science administrators, which is either ostrich-like or deliberately condoning of such things.
3 comments:
So the guy who wrote a book on IPR stole too?
This is *beyond* farcical.
To me his alleged explanation was worse: his research assistant did it. Which means he doesn't think it appropriate to give his RA authorship...
This was actually the second plagiarism instance involving Mashelkar -- the first was a government report, again on IPR and again plagiarised from Dutfield. But that had many authors and it was hard to pin responsibility: Mashelkar took the flak because he was head of the committee. You'll find it on google.
Indian Scientists unfortunately do not believe much in Science, no offence meant to good guys who despite all odds keep working ( they are a small majority, who have a god endowed patience).....What I have seen working in a scientific Instititution is that they just want projects, money, power, foreign trips much like our bureaucrats and ministers. In fact, those higher ups have made a coterie to nip all good science in the bud....most of them are frauds, and they never let a woman prosper in Science
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