Little Office of Research Integrity

Retract the papers, Mr. Principal. Yet another case of blatant plagiarism by the vice-chair of Senate!

Two Queen's papers on 'Engineering Education' contain substantial text lifted from the work of other researchers without citation.

Both papers are written by Professor Patrick Oosthuizen(P.Eng.), Vice-Chair, Senate of Queen's University, and Chair of the Board of the Faculty of Applied Science . The author argues that students need to be exposed to ethical issues. He also discusses the significance of writing " simply, but effectively".

The two papers are:

Patrick Oosthuizen, “Using the Works of Nevil Shute in Engineering Education”, Proceedings, 2nd International CDIO Conference, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden, 13 to 14 June 2006 , and

Patrick Oosthuizen, “Using the works of Nevil Shute in engineering education”, World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education, Volume 5, Number 2, pp. 345-348. (Prof. Zenon J. Pudlowski, ed.-in-Chief).World Transactions on Engineering and Technology Education © 2006 UICEE .

In a previous post, it was reported that these two papers are similar. An extensive literature search shows now that big chunks of text are lifted from the published work of the following researchers:

Professor John H. Lienhard, Engines of our Ingenuity,Oxford Press ( 2003) & ‘The Comet Failures’, Audio Recording, February 1st, 2003

Dr. David P. Stern, ‘Nevil Shute's other Career’ - (2002).

G. A. Michael Sims , ‘Engineer and Novelist Nevil Shute (Norway) - A brief account’, originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004)

G. A. Michael Sims, ‘Biographical and Bibliographical note on Nevil Shute’,

Fred Erisman: Essay: ‘The Technological Utopias of Thorstein Veblen and Nevil Shute’, Spring/Summer 1994, Volume 11.2, Weber— The Contemporary West , Editor: Michael Wutz ,

...................And more

Examples of text lifted are shown below (emphases added):

It seems that the author has pulled material from a number of sources and repackaged them as his own work.

Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “The builders of the R-101, meanwhile, enjoyed generous support and much better facilities. But there was a down side, too, because bureaucrats meddled with the specifications, and government managers proved sloppy in the design and all too lax with tests and inspections. The engineers at the bottom of the pyramid (whom Shute occasionally met) had no say, and the schedule was pushed from above even when it became known that a poor choice of materials had weakened the canvas cover of the airship to the point where parts could be easily torn by hand. The end was a tragedy. An inadequately tested R-101 took off for a test flight to India. After crossing the English Channel it crashed in France. That ended Britain's involvement with airship development and the R-100 never flew again and was broken up for scrap.”

David P. Stern, ‘Nevil Shute's other Career’ - (2002):“The builders of the R-101, meanwhile, enjoyed generous support and much better facilities. But there was a down side, too, because bureaucrats meddled with the specifications, and government managers proved sloppy in the design and all too lax with tests and inspections. The engineers at the bottom of the pyramid (whom Shute occasionally met) had no say, and the schedule was pushed from above even when it became known that a poor choice of materials had weakened the canvas cover of the airship to where parts could be easily torn by hand. The end was a tragedy: an inadequately tested R-101 took off towards India, crossed the English channel and went down in France, with no survivors. That ended Britain's love affair with the airship: the R-100 never flew again but was broken up for scrap.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Then Britain itself began arming and Airspeed could stop worrying about sales. It built bombers during the war and was ultimately swallowed up by its competitor de Havilland."

David P. Stern, ‘Nevil Shute's other Career’ - (2002): "Then Britain itself began arming and Airspeed could stop worrying about sales; it built bombers during the war and was ultimately swallowed up by its competitor De Haviland."

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “About a year after it had entered service, a Comet flying from Calcutta disintegrated in a thunderstorm. When investigators couldn't find any other cause, they blamed the storm. Eight months later, a second Comet blew up in a clear sky, 27,000 feet over the Island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. It was hard to recover much of the wreckage from the ocean, so that crash went undiagnosed. Then, three months later, a third Comet exploded over the Mediterranean and the whole fleet was grounded.”

John H. Lienhard, ‘The Comet Failures’, Audio Recording, February 1st, 2003: “A Comet leaving Calcutta came apart in a thunderstorm. When investigators could find no other cause, they blamed the storm. Eight months later, a second Comet blew up in a clear sky, 27,000 feet over the island of Elba, off Italy's coast. It was hard to recover much from the ocean, so it went undiagnosed. Three months later, a third Comet exploded over the Mediterranean, and the whole fleet was grounded.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): How did Nevil Shute come to write a novel that anticipated the Comet disasters? Many theories have been advanced but perhaps it really is just as Henry Petroski believes, that Shute just followed his engineering instinct, which was very good, and it took him where real life was eventually to take the Comet."

John H. Lienhard, 'Engines of Our Ingenuity', Page 228: "How did Nevil Shute anticipate the Reindeer disaster? Author Henry Petroski's idea isn't dramatic, but it's convincing. He thinks Shute followed his engineering instinct, which was very good, and it took him where real life had eventually taken the Comet."

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006):“In all of his books, Nevil Shute draws on his personal experiences, whether in the aircraft industry, during wartime or when sailing. However, these are only the background settings. His real greatness as an author stemmed from his natural ability to tell a story, to build characters that are sympathetic and to write in a way that grips and holds the reader.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004):“Throughout all of his books you find him drawing on his personal experiences, whether in the aircraft industry, wartime or his sailing but, authentic as they are, these are only the background settings. He had a natural ability to tell a story, to build characters that are sympathetic and to write in such a way that grips the reader.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “He started writing in his spare time, first poetry and then a novel. In addition, he learned to fly. He finished his first novel in 1923 and sent it to three publishers who all turned it down. A second attempt to write a novel followed in 1924 with the same result. Later that year, he left de Havilland to join the Airship Guarantee Co. in Yorkshire, a subsidiary of Vickers, as Chief Calculator on the R-100 airship project.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004): “He started writing in his spare time in the evenings, first poetry and then a novel, and in the spring he learned to fly. Finishing his first novel later in 1923 he sent it to three publishers and was turned down by them all. A second attempt followed in 1924 with the same result. Later that year he left De Havillands to join the Airship Guarantee Co. at Howden, Yorkshire, a subsidiary of Vickers, as chief calculator on the R100 airship project.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “After the war, disillusioned with the political changes and the financial restraints of post-war Britain, Nevil Shute and his family settled in Australia and his later novels reflect this change of domicile. Probably his most famous is A Town like Alice, published in 1950, a love story set firstly during the Japanese occupation of Burma and the East Indies and later in Australia.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004): “After the war, disillusioned with political changes and the financial restraints of post-war Britain, Nevil Shute had settled in Australia and his later novels reflect this change of domicile. Probably his most famous was 'A Town like Alice', 1950, a love story set firstly during the Japanese occupation of Burma and the East Indies and later in Australia.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Nevil Shute’s novel, No Highway, published in 1948, covered the problems of metal fatigue and the sudden in-flight failure of structures in aircraft, almost as if he had prior knowledge of the Comet disasters of the 1950's (see the next section).”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004): “His novel, 'No Highway', 1948, covered the problems of metal fatigue and sudden in-flight failure of structures in aircraft, almost as if he had prior knowledge of the Comet disasters of the 1950's.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Prior knowledge and second sight were themes that recurred in his novels and he uses them to effect in An Old Captivity, 1940, and In the Wet, 1953, set in the rainy season in Australia. Round the Bend, 1951, a story of a diligent aircraft engineer is set against the background of the development of a commercial air freight company.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004):“Prior knowledge and second sight were themes that recurred and he also uses them to effect in 'An Old Captivity, 1940, and 'In the Wet', 1953, set in the rainy season in Australia. 'Round the Bend', 1951, a story of diligent aero engineer is set against the background of the development of a commercial air freight company.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “While working on the R-100, Nevil Shute had become engaged to be married to Frances Heaton, a doctor at York Hospital and at the end of the R-100 project, when he found himself unemployed and newly married, he decided to start an aircraft manufacturing company. Aviation was booming and with a senior designer recruited from de Havilland and the backing of aviation pioneer and entrepreneur Sir Alan Cobham, the firm of Airspeed Ltd. was formed. Based at first in Yorkshire, it held its first board meeting in 1931 with Shute as Joint Managing Director.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004): “ Nevil Shute had become engaged to be married to Frances Heaton, a doctor at York Hospital and at the end of the R100 project, when he found himself unemployed and newly married, he decided to start an aeroplane manufacturing company (as one does!). Aviation was booming and with a senior designer recruited from De Havillands and the backing of aviation pioneer and entrepreneur Sir Alan Cobham, the firm of Airspeed Ltd. was formed. Based at first in Yorkshire it held its first board meeting in 1931 with Shute as Joint Managing Director.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Lonely Road, a novel of gun-running and political revolution, was published in 1932 and selling the film rights brought an additional welcome income. However, his next novel, Ruined City about the depression in the shipping industry, did not appear until 1938, a reflection of his concentration on the fledgling company.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004):“'Lonely Road', a novel of gun-running and political revolution, was published in 1932 and selling the film rights brought an additional welcome income but the next novel, 'Ruined City' about the depression in the shipping industry, did not appear until 1938, a reflection of his concentration on the fledgling company.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “In 1938, with war brewing and orders for hundreds aircraft being placed by the RAF, the Board of the company dispensed with Nevil Shute's services, an action which he says in his autobiography Slide Rule was probably quite right - his forte was as a starter of companies and not as a runner of companies. With a generous settlement from Airspeed Nevil Shute was able to reassess his future.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004): “In 1938, with war brewing and orders for aircraft for the RAF in the hundreds, the Board of the company dispensed with Nevil Shute's services, an action which he says in his autobiography 'Slide Rule' (1954) was probably quite right - his forte was as a starter of companies and not a runner. With a generous settlement from Airspeed Nevil Shute could now reassess his future.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Just prior to the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939 Shute’s novel What Happened to the Corbetts, his account of Britain under aerial bombing attack, was published.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004): “Prior to the outbreak of WW2 in 1939 saw the publication of 'What Happened to the Corbetts', his account of Britain under aerial bombing attack and which his publishers, Heinemann, had issued…..”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006):“Nevil Shute Norway’s next attempt to write a successful novel produced Marazan. This novel was accepted and published in 1926. At this stage, he decided upon the pseudonym Nevil Shute, not wanting his writing to undermine his credibility as an engineer.”

G. A. Michael Sims (originally published in the ibooknet newsletter for October 2004):“ Nevil Shute's next writing attempt, 'Marazan', an aerial drug smuggling story, was accepted and published in 1926. At this stage he decided on his peseuodonym of Nevil Shute, not wanting his writing to undermine his credibility as an engineer.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Round the Bend reveals that Nevil Shute sees the skills of the technological workplace as having social implications that reach far beyond the hangar and the machine shop. As an engineer, he recognizes that technology and technologically skilled leaders, in and of themselves, will not necessarily guarantee an ideal society. Thus, Shute advances a modified version of the technocratic utopia in which personal morality and responsibility are exalted as emphatically as technical competence. The union of the two he realizes will not come about easily, for it requires extraordinary effort and concern on the part of the individual striving to achieve it. ”

Fred Erisman: Essay, 1994:“Nevil Shute, like Veblen, sees the skills of the technological workplace as having social implications that reach far beyond the hangar and the machine shop. An engineer himself, however, he recognizes that technology and technologically skilled leaders, in and of themselves, will not necessarily guarantee an ideal society. True progress, as he sees it, requires more than the tempering influence of the sense of "live and let live" of which Veblen speaks. Thus, Shute, through Connie, extends the process of individual spiritual engagement he began with the apotheosis of Theodore Honey, advancing a modified version of the Veblenian technocratic utopia in which personal morality and responsibility are exalted as emphatically as technical competence (Smith 80-1, 126-7). The union of the two he realizes will not come about easily, for it requires extraordinary effort and concern on the part of the individual striving to achieve it.”

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Patrick Oosthuizen (2006): “Moral responsibility requires as much of the individual as business responsibility, and the employer seeking to create progress must, of necessity, accept the duties of both realms of responsibility. On the other hand, the effort as Shute articulates it, carries a spiritual component. Shute acknowledges that technical training encourages, even requires, secular thinking, but argues nonetheless that technology and spirit are not only compatible, but complementary."

Fred Erisman: Essay, 1994: “Moral responsibility requires as much of the individual as business responsibility, and the employer seeking to create progress must, of necessity, accept the duties of both realms of responsibility.

On the other hand, the effort as Shute articulates it carries a spiritual component missing from Veblen's secular analysis. Shute acknowledges that technical training encourages, even requires, secular thinking, but argues nonetheless that technology and spirit are not only compatible, but complementary.”

The federal framework for the responsible conduct of research lists plagiarism as a breach of the rules governing federally funded research. The framework defines ' plagiarism' as " Presenting and using another's published or unpublished work, including theories, concepts, data, source material, methodologies or findings, including graphs and images, as one's own, without appropriate referencing and, if required, without permission."

Posted: January 27, 2013