Lithuania’s prime minister, accused of plagiarism. A university gave him six months to revise his doctoral dissertation

The Ethics Commission of Lithuania’s ISM University of Management and Economics has identified examples of plagiarism and other breaches of academic integrity in the doctoral dissertation of Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius, according to broadcaster LRT, cited by Anadolu and reported by Agerpres.

The irregularities were found in the dissertation defended by Sinkevicius in 2015 and concern academic writing, citation, and the identification of sources. The commission also concluded that the paper contains plagiarized passages and does not meet the requirements for independent doctoral research.

The university gave the prime minister six months to remedy the problems identified. However, the institution did not recommend revoking his doctoral degree.

The dissertation of Mindaugas Sinkevicius, a social-democratic leader, analyzes the factors that influence alcohol consumption. The prime minister had previously denied the plagiarism allegations, stating that he had written the paper himself and complied with academic standards. The university’s decision draws attention to the academic integrity of a senior Lithuanian official, without, for the time being, including any measure concerning the withdrawal of his degree.

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