French Physicist Loses Doctorate After Plagiarism Probe Found Copying in Two-Thirds of Thesis
Updated
Updated · Retraction Watch · Jun 20
French Physicist Loses Doctorate After Plagiarism Probe Found Copying in Two-Thirds of Thesis
1 articles · Updated · Retraction Watch · Jun 20
Summary
A French physicist and media figure was stripped of his doctorate after an investigation concluded that roughly two-thirds of his thesis contained copy-pasted material.
The finding emerged in a plagiarism probe cited by Retraction Watch’s weekly roundup of research-integrity developments, which highlighted the case as part of broader scrutiny of academic misconduct.
That same roundup pointed to a wider pattern of integrity concerns, including ghostwriting claims in glyphosate-safety papers, fabricated data fallout at a university, and persistent citations to retracted studies.
Retraction Watch said its database now tracks more than 65,000 retractions, alongside 650 COVID-19 retractions and more than 50 mass-resignation cases, underscoring the scale of the problem.