Van den Boom cleared of plagiarism
Former Rector Magnificus Dymph van den Boom has not committed plagiarism, according to a committee. But she was sloppy when referring to sources.
The integrity committee, which consists of the Utrecht Professor Ton Hol and the Tilburg Professor Marc Loth, states that ‘although it is not always (sufficiently) recognisable which parts of the author’s dissertation are taken from others’ work, it is always sufficiently clear when the author describes the work of others and has not appropriated it as if it were her own work’. Regarding her speeches, the committee acknowledges a sloppiness in referencing, but not plagiarism. It arrived at its conclusion after studying the rules on scientific integrity as they stood in the 80s when Van den Boom obtained her PhD.
Van den Boom was discredited this spring after a document appeared in the NRC accusing her of plagiarism in her dissertation and in speeches given at the UvA.
‘In the coming days, the Executive Board will study the report and speak with the chairman of the external committee and with Professor Van den Boom’, the university states on the website.
