Harvard University President Claudine Gay is facing allegations of plagiarism and is now making additional corrections to her academic publications. The House committee has announced an investigation into the matter. Gay initially came under fire when she, along with other university presidents, failed to explicitly state that calling for the genocide of Jews would violate their school codes of conduct during a congressional hearing. Gay survived calls for her resignation but now faces scrutiny over alleged instances of plagiarism in her past work.
Last week, Gay made corrections to two academic papers and is now submitting corrections to her dissertation, which she wrote as a PhD student in the 1990s. In response, a university spokesperson stated that while the inadequate citations were regrettable, they did not constitute research misconduct. The university did not label Gay's actions as plagiarism.
The Harvard Crimson, the school's student paper, first reported on Gay's dissertation, revealing instances of possible plagiarism. The student journalists, in their reporting, reviewed the findings of the Harvard committee and examined Gay's work. One example highlighted similarities between Gay's 2001 article and a 1990 study. Although Gay cited the authors in a previous passage, she did not directly quote them, leading to concerns of inadequate citation.
As The Crimson reviewed various allegations presented by different outlets, they found instances ranging from shared phrases with nearby citations but no direct quotations, to shared phrases without citation. These instances appear to violate Harvard's policy on citations and plagiarism.
Harvard's internal investigation concluded that Gay's work did not constitute research misconduct, as there was no evidence of intention, knowledge, or recklessness. However, the university's response has elicited mixed reactions from scholars and the broader scholarly community. Some scholars do not believe Gay's writing constitutes plagiarism, while others acknowledge that although technically plagiarism, the borrowed language may consist of technical descriptions or definitions that are difficult to reword. Nonetheless, some academics find the allegations troubling and believe further sanctions should be imposed against Gay.
Harvard University has been attempting to clarify its stance on inadequate citation, plagiarism, and research misconduct. The response to the controversy has garnered attention, highlighting the importance of student journalism and its impact on college campuses.
In light of the ongoing investigation, it remains to be seen what consequences, if any, Gay will face and how Harvard will address the issue moving forward.
