Nigerian Universities Adopt Electronic Checker against Plagiarism

Nigerian universities now use electronic software called ``plagiarism checker’’ to detect plagiarism, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVNU) said.

Prof. Micheal Faborode, CVNU’s Secretary-General, who disclosed this in Abuja, said that the software is reliable because it is wide in scope and brings up works done in any part of the world during checks.

Faborode said that any academic found guilty of plagiarism would be stripped of the award of such educational pursuit to serve as a deterrent to others.

``We have subscribed to software checker; all the universities in Nigeria have subscribed to it; it is an electronic checking system.

``When you log in, it brings a whole range of published works and indicates the level to which any work had been plagiarised by percentage; anything more than 75 percent is plagiarism.

 ``Instruction has gone to universities, every post-graduate or doctorate work must be checked for plagiarism before they are examined.

``When somebody plagiarises, you give him an opportunity to defend himself through a committee; then referred to the school Senate; we make sure that justice is done before a degree can be withdrawn,’’ he said.