Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Sept 06, 2026 (BSS) - The University Grants Commission (UGC) has taken an initiative to formulate a uniform plagiarism prevention policy for all public and private universities in the country to ensure ethics, originality and accountability in education and research.

As part of finalizing the draft policy, a stakeholder dialogue was held at the UGC Bhaban here today where vice-chancellors and designated representatives of 18 public and private universities were present.

Addressing the inaugural session as the chief guest, UGC Chairman Professor Dr Mamun Ahmed said, “Although some universities in the country have separate policies to prevent plagiarism in research, many universities do not have any specific framework. Against this backdrop, a uniform policy is being formulated for all universities. Universities will be able to follow it directly or formulate their own policies in light of it, according to their respective realities and capacities, so that their academic freedom is maintained.”

He said the important recommendations received from the dialogue would be incorporated into the draft policy, which would then be finalized at a full commission meeting and subsequently sent to all universities in the country for implementation.

In his address as the session chair, UGC Member Professor Dr Masuma Habib highlighted the importance of ethics and accountability in research and said that at least 325 research papers by Bangladeshi researchers had been retracted from various internationally reputed journals between 2019 and 2026 for various reasons, including violations of research ethics. 

She expressed hope that establishing a uniform framework would make it easier to ensure the quality and international acceptance of research.

The dialogue discussed in detail various aspects of the proposed policy, including types of plagiarism, detection, investigation, determination of responsibility, provisions for punishment and the appeals process, as well as ensuring ethics and transparency in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in research and academic activities.

UGC Members Professor Md Mehedi Hasan Khan, Professor Dr Md Aslam Hossain and Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Chowdhury attended the event as special guests.

UGC Secretary Dr Md Fakhrul Islam, along with directors and senior officials of the relevant departments, also participated in the dialogue.