University disciplinary committee reviews Andrew Azzopardi plagiarism case

A university disciplinary committee will decide whether a dean should be sanctioned over plagiarism. 

Last week it was revealed that an article co-authored by the university’s Dean of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing Andrew Azzopardi was removed from an academic journal on the basis of plagiarism.

His fellow faculty colleague, Saviour Formosa, who is among the academics claiming their work was plagiarised, has called for Azzopardi's resignation.  

Azzopardi has admitted mistakes were made in the paper, which listed him as its secondary author, but has rejected any allegations that this was the result of any wilful misdoing. 

On Monday a spokesperson for the University of Malta confirmed that a procedure outlined in the academics’ collective agreement is reviewing the actions of Azzopardi and the paper's first-named author, research support officer Andrew Camilleri.

Rector Alfred Vella has referred the complaint to the Chairman of the University's Committee for Safeguarding of the Code of Professional Conduct, to establish if there is sufficient justification for the complaint. 

Disciplinary sanctions

If the committee decides that Azzopardi acted inappropriately he could face...