Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Student is stripped of degree for plagiarism

Tim Kelsey
Tuesday 26 April 1994 23:02 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

OXFORD University stripped one of its former students of a doctorate yesterday for plagiarising his thesis, writes Tim Kelsey.

It also emerged that the same student had recently been dismissed from an academic job for plagiarising a book review.

The student, Gary Owen Hughes, is now thought to be working for an insurance

company.

The decision by Oxford's Hebdomadal council, the university's executive body, was disclosed after more than two years of assessment by an independent academic.

Mr Hughes was a student of American history and earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1988 after writing a

thesis on the politics of Pennsylvania during the American revolution.

Professor Jack Pole, former Rhodes Professor of American History and Institutions at Oxford, and Mr Hughes's former supervisor, said last night that the thesis had been in part, at least, copied from another unpublished dissertation held in Princeton University Library.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in