An editorial and condensed account of hearings and recommendations of the U.S. House of Representatives concerning "diploma mills" and mail-order degrees and credentials is given. (MSE)

It is proposed that the attorney-client privilege of confidentiality may be more important in the case of the university attorney than in the situation of the attorney representing the client as a law firm member. The principle is illustrated in a hypothetical case concerning research fraud. (MSE)

Every day, decisions are made in universities that affect students. When a decision adversely affects a particular student, what means of redress does that student have? The circumstances in which a student has a legal claim against their university are generally unclear. Courts have traditionally tended to draw a distinction between "purely…

Legal issues in an institution's revocation of a previously-awarded academic degree because of plagiarism or academic dishonesty are examined in light of the public-private sector dichotomy, and the legal processes to which an institution must be alert when seeking degree revocation are discussed. (MSE)

A legal approach to due process in cases of college student cheating is outlined. Issues discussed include severity of the misconduct, need for informal vs. formal procedures, the due process paradigm as reflected in relevant court litigation, and steps in application of the paradigm (preliminary steps, notice and hearing procedures).(MSE)

Current literature and federal agency pronouncements concerning falsification of discovery, theft of discoveries, and violations of accepted research procedures are examined, and internal institutional procedures for addressing these issues are suggested. Particular attention is given to due process afforded to faculty accused of such misconduct.…

Discussion of scientific misconduct, particularly plagiarism, explores the legal issues and compares the processes by which the Office of Research Integrity and the National Science Foundation conduct investigations and evaluate misconduct allegations. Relationships between allegations of plagiarism, copyright infringement, and theft of…