Japanese Plagiarism and Misrepresentation Case

Debora Weber-Wulff

A Japanese correspondent has alerted me to the strange case of Serkan Anilir. He is a German-born researcher of Turkish descent who was said to be an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo.

He has an impressive biography - but depending on which language you are reading (English, Japanese or Turkish) it is different. He claims to be a Turkish astronaut candidate for NASA, but closer inspection will show that this is his head photoshopped onto the body of Richard Hieb.

He has had "guest professorships" all over the world, according to the list is on the Turkish Wikipedia (translated here). It appears that he gave talks at these schools, but not that he had guest professorships. He is not listed in the official researchers lists for projects he supposedly worked on.

His publication list has a number of anomalies: wrong publisher; long article in a journal that only prints short ones; an examination of a given journal issue shows no article with that name; one publication can be found with the same name and co-author, but not with his name on it.

He also claims to be an Olympic gold medalist in skiing. However, there is no record of this.

Asahi Shinbum, a respected Japanese newspaper, picked this up and reported that they checked his reference that was supposed to be from the Turkish Air Force, but they denied that it was from them.

When things got hot in the Japanese press, an investigation into his dissertation was started. Since it turned out to be more than 40% plagiarized (later reports: 59%) the University of Tokyo revoked his doctorate in March of 2010 (press release in Japanese translated by Google) - the first time in the history of the university that they have done such a thing!

In the aftermath, his talk at TEDxTaipei in Taiwan and other places were mysteriously canceled. It is a shame that they were not open about this. He is no longer listed as a professor at the University of Tokyo. And the university has announced a crackdown on plagiarism.

Nice to hear of a success story, even if it did take 10 years!

'Academic' humiliated U. of Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Turkish national Serkan Anilir, recently stripped of the doctorate he obtained from the University of Tokyo over plagiarism and falsifying his resume, used that powerful badge of authority to take advantage not just of the institution that gave him the degree but of other universities and research institutes as well.

This is the first time in the history of the University of Tokyo, this country's most prestigious university, that a doctorate has been rescinded.

On Monday, university President Junichi Hamada, apparently feeling a strong sense of crisis, talked about measures to prevent a similar incident from occurring again, such as by applying tougher penalties for plagiarism.

Anilir received his doctorate in 2003 and became an assistant professor at the university in 2007. His position as a University of Tokyo PhD and an assistant professor allowed him to enjoy popularity as a distinguished researcher in this country.

The university was not aware of the Anilir's plagiarism and fabrication of his resume until suspicions became a hot topic on the Internet around September 2009 and the university received similar information from anonymous informants.

By then, Anilir had been hired as a researcher and part-time lecturer at research institutions and other universities. He was extensively covered in the mass media.

Anilir even had a certificate saying he was the first Turkish candidate to be an astronaut with the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, although NASA has confirmed he was never in consideration.

The A-4 size "certificate," the existence of which has been confirmed by the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo, was written in English, not Turkish. It bore the name of the Turkish Transportation and Communication Ministry as the issuer.

It even has a signature of an actual ranking official of the ministry, but the embassy discovered the certificate was a fake after making inquiries in Turkey via fax.

In addition to a University of Tokyo PhD in engineering and the first Turkish astronaut candidate, Anilir also described himself as a gold medalist in a European under-20 junior skiing competition, a claim rejected by Turkish officials.

He also claims he participated in the 1988 Nagano Winter Olympics as a coach for the Turkish ski team. This too was denied by his home country.

"We used to check the careers [of doctoral candidates], but we simplified the process due to an increase in the number of doctoral theses and a shortage of manpower," Hamada said.

As it is impossible for the university to thoroughly check the careers of applicants in its current circumstances, it has to rely on the consciences of the researchers who have submitted theses, he said.

Anilir's doctoral dissertation was examined by five instructors of the university's Graduate School of Engineering, according to the university. Their evaluations were later compiled by the instructor in charge of advising Anilir at their laboratory.

"There are merits to a candidate's thesis adviser compiling the results," Hamada said.

However, he also said the university would study whether it is appropriate that Anilir's adviser was in charge of his doctoral dissertation and that no third persons were involved in the reviewing process.

The university may punish those concerned if it finds problems with the examination process of the dissertation, he added.

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Personal relations emphasized

"There may be problems with the environment that make it difficult to spot plagiarism," an official at the Higher Education Bureau of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry said when asked about the insufficient examination of Anilir's doctoral thesis.

The Central Council for Education asked universities in its 2005 proposal on graduate school education to introduce measures to increase transparency in awarding degrees, such as employing third persons from outside of universities to examine theses and dissertations.

According to ministry research, 89 percent of graduate school courses employed examination committee members from outside of universities in fiscal 2008, up from 54 percent in fiscal 2007. However, only 9 percent of the courses said advisers were not involved in the examination process.

Akita International University President Mineo Nakajima, who compiled the 2005 council report, said that in the United States candidates' academic achievements and the contents of their research are strictly examined. Advisers usually are not in charge of compiling the results of examinations of doctoral dissertations, he said.

"In Japan, candidates' personal relations with instructors or professors are sometimes valued more highly than the quality of dissertations. All universities have to review their systems for awarding degrees," Nakajima added.

Tokyo Univ. to crack down on plagiarism in theses

The Yomiuri Shimbun

The University of Tokyo will overhaul its thesis examination process and throw the book at anyone found to have plagiarized other people's work, according to the university president.

The tighter screening and tougher penalties come after the university last month effectively dismissed a Turkish assistant professor and revoked his doctorate after finding he had falsified his academic credentials and plagiarized major portions of his doctoral thesis.

The university had never previously revoked a doctorate degree it had conferred.

University President Junichi Hamada told The Yomiuri Shimbun that the university had simplified its screening and background checks of people applying for degrees in recent years.

"This is an unbelievable situation. We'll pinpoint where the problem lies and make the results of our review public," he said.

The university has established an investigation committee and is questioning teachers and officials who screened the researcher's thesis about their examination of his academic record and thesis.

On March 2, the university revoked the doctorate in engineering that had been conferred in March 2003 to Serkan Anilir, an assistant professor at the Graduate School of Engineering.

Anilir, 37, had plagiarized about 40 percent of the data and other parts of his thesis, according to the university.

Anilir also had falsely claimed to have graduated from the Illinois Institute of Technology in the United States and Istanbul Technical University in Turkey.

According to the university, Anilir admitted in February that he had plagiarized theses.

He was given the equivalent of a disciplinary dismissal.

A woman who had been Anilir's manager told The Yomiuri Shimbun that he has returned to Turkey. She declined to comment further.

Tokyo University researcher stripped of doctorate for plagiarism

An assistant professor at the University of Tokyo has been stripped of his Ph. D. after he was found to have plagiarized his doctoral thesis, the university has announced.

Anilir Serkan, 36, an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering, was found to have copied about 40 percent of his 376-page doctoral thesis from other sources. It is the first time for the university to take back a doctor's degree due to the plagiarism. He has reportedly admitted to allegations.

Serkan, a native of Turkey, received his Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo in 2003, and worked as a researcher at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) before he became an assistant professor at the university's architecture department in 2005. He also engaged in various lecture meetings, while running his own blog and writing articles as the "first Turkish astronaut candidate to undergo training at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)." However, after questions were raised among the public about his background and thesis, the university set up an investigation committee last autumn.

"It's extremely regrettable. We will do our utmost to prevent the same trouble from ever happening again, said Vice President Shinichi Sato.

Publisher ChuoKoron-Shinsha Inc. announced that it has halted the publication of his book "Poketto no Naka no Uchu" (Space in Your Pocket).

Click here for the original Japanese story

(Mainichi Japan) March 6, 2010