The Problems of legal and ethical regulation: a case study of the plagiarism lawsuit

• ENAI: leidinio tekstas

ENAcademic plagiarism is one of the challenges the academic institutions meet in maintaining the high-quality standards of research and higher education. The contradictions between legal and ethical regulation of plagiarism cases indicate the need for more efficient solutions for prevention and resolution of the plagiarism and other acts of research misconduct at academic institutions. This paper presents a case study of the lawsuit where one Lithuanian University was sued for “illegal revocation” of a doctoral degree due to plagiarism. The arguments provided by the parties to the legal process during the court hearings illustrate the prevalence of cynical attitude towards ethical norms and regulations in academia as well as in wider society. The authors suggest that academic institutions should rely more on the multiple benefits provided by ethics tools and that the congruence between legal and ethical norms is essential for building academic integrity. Key words: plagiarism, ethics, law, ethics institutionalization, academic integrity. [From the publication]