Copy-paste academy: Dean's theses found to be plagiarized

EXCLUSIVE NEWS: ROJDA ALTINTAŞ

Serious academic ethical violations have been identified in both theses of Prof. Dr. Muharrem Çetin, who completed his master's and doctoral studies at Gazi University and currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Communication at Kastamonu University.

According to a detailed plagiarism analysis report prepared by academic experts at Kastamonu University and submitted to the rectorate on August 4, 2025, it was reported that in both his master's and doctoral theses, Çetin copied texts belonging to other academics verbatim without citing the sources, and that the theses should be considered null and void as a result.

EVEN THE “INTRODUCTION” IS NOT ORIGINAL

The report was prepared on July 15, 2025. In his master's thesis titled “The Effect of Public Relations on Productivity and Agricultural Credit Cooperatives,” written in 1993, there is no consistency between the bibliography and the text. For example, four separate works mentioned with footnotes in the “Introduction” section do not appear in the bibliography of the thesis. This situation is contrary to the citation system and scientific writing rules.

However, the violation is not limited to this. Four paragraphs on page 81 of the same master's thesis were taken verbatim from pages 184 and 185 of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muharrem Varol’s 1993 book titled “Introduction to Organizational Sociology in Terms of Public Relations.” The paragraphs were neither placed in quotation marks, nor supported by a source, nor paraphrased.

In the report, this situation is classified as “90 percent similarity/direct plagiarism.”

For example, this sentence from Çetin’s thesis:

“The extent to which people believe in the values of the organization and the extent to which they possess these values carry greater importance than other elements.”

It appears as follows in Assoc. Prof. Dr. Varol’s work:

“The extent to which people believe in the values of the organization and the extent to which they possess these values carries greater importance than other elements.”

Only a single word has been changed. Neither a source was provided nor were quotation marks used. This situation is considered direct, intentional plagiarism.

“COPIED INSPIRATION FROM IBM”

Another sentence in the same thesis also draws attention:

“It can be said that the real difference between success and failure is related to the skill the organization shows in revealing the strong energy and talents of its own people. I wonder what the organization is doing to help people find their common goals?”

This sentence was quoted from IBM experiences in Muharrem Varol’s book and appears as follows:

“I believe that the real difference between success and failure is related to the skill the organization shows in revealing the strong energy and talents of its own people. I wonder what the organization is doing to help people find their common goals?”

The sentences belonging to IBM Chairman Thomas Watson Jr. were quoted by Cem Kozlu in 1987 and shared in the book by Assoc. Prof. Muharrem Varol in 1993 with the source indicated.

Again, no source was provided in any way. According to the report, such direct quotes are scattered throughout various sections of the entire master's thesis.

THE DOCTORAL THESIS WAS ALSO PREPARED USING THE SAME METHOD

There are similar violations in the doctoral thesis that Muharrem Çetin wrote at the Gazi University Institute of Social Sciences in 2000. In the second paragraph on page 5 of the introduction section, the following sentence draws attention:

“A person’s labor and time can be bought, but their creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, loyalty, and the individual’s dedication of themselves to the organization physically, intellectually, and spiritually cannot be bought with money.”

This expression appears in the master's thesis titled “The Effects of Job Satisfaction and Motivation on Productivity” written by Seda Çelik in 1999. Çelik’s text was taken directly into the doctoral thesis, but it was neither cited nor indicated as a quote.

Moreover, the same expression appears in another master's thesis by someone named Seyhan Korkmaz, with an explicit citation to Seda Çelik. In other words, while others refer to Çelik, Çetin used it as if it were his own.

The report includes the following statement:

“Direct quotes in the master's and doctoral theses were used without citing sources and without making them original. This situation is clearly and directly contrary to academic writing rules.”

Furthermore, it is stated that if a comparison is made with digital plagiarism software such as Turnitin or iThenticate, more plagiarism not included in the report could be detected.

News Source: 12punto