Begum Rokeya University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Hasibur Rashid has said action will be taken against a teacher of the institution accused of plagiarizing and publishing 102 research papers in a year through the formation of an investigation committee.
The teacher in question, Dr ARM Towfiqul Islam of the disaster management department, stands accused of forging papers of researchers from famous universities in different countries.
Another researcher said the teacher had prepared 102 research papers in one year through fraud.
The VC said: “A researcher has complained to us about research paper forgery. If the complaint is proven during the investigation, action will be taken against the teacher. At the same time, recommendations will be made to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to take action.”
A Dhaka-based researcher, Dr AR Khan, complained to the VC on this matter, demanding a thorough probe.
According to his complaint, Dr Towfiqul plagiarized 102 research papers from teachers of different reputed universities in China and the Middle East.
He also allegedly plagiarized research papers of Brazil's Dr Guilherme Malafaia in exchange for money. The complainant also demanded that the teacher's bank account(s) be brought under investigation.
Several teachers of the university said it is possible to complete a maximum of five to six research papers in a year. However, writing over 100 research papers within one year, averaging one every three days, is fraud.
Meanwhile, the accused teacher claimed that the allegations brought against him are not true at all.
He sent a letter following news published on his alleged forged papers, saying the article was baseless and was written to humiliate and defame him.
In the letter, he mentioned: “Through collaboration, it is possible to publish more than a hundred research papers in a year. Besides, even if published in one year, these papers are the result of six to seven years of continuous research.”
Dr Towfiqul also said: “I have been ranked in the list of 2% researchers in the world twice in a row by Stanford University in America. A handful of Bangladeshi researchers have found a place there. In addition, I am a selected associate fellow of the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, an institution made up of the best researchers of Bangladesh.”
However, it has been seen on the website of Rokeya University that 102 research papers have been published under the name of Dr ARM Towfiqul Islam. Although he claimed to have prepared the research papers through collaboration, he did not mention anyone's name as a collaborator.
The teacher also gave the example of a Malaysian researcher producing 135 research papers in a year, but no evidence was found.