Many Harvard Teaching Hospital Applications Contain Plagiarism, Study Finds

According to a study first published in the Annals of Internal Medicine and reported in the Boston Globe, five percent of applications for residency at Harvard's teaching hospital had evidence of plagiarism.

The Globe reports on how Bringham and Woman's Hospital doctors Brian Gelfand and Scott Segal performed the study:

To reach their conclusion, the authors examined almost 5,000 personal statements submitted as part of applications to the five largest residency programs -- internal medicine, anesthesiology, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency medicine -- at the hospital between September 2005 and March 2007. Depending on the specialty, between 28 and 45 percent of applicants nationwide sent their applications to the Brigham, so the authors believe their results mirror what may be happening across the country.

Gelfand and Segal ran essays through plagiarism-detecting website Turnitin.com to analyze incidences of unoriginal work. They found that often, applicants would tell similar medical anecdotes -- at times with only a few different words from another.

The study also concluded that plagiarism wasn't unique to weaker students and that applicants of all kinds -- even ones with significant honors -- were suspect.

Harvard isn't the only institution using Turnitin.com, a site that checks student work to ensure its originality. Onward State, the Pennsylvania State University blog, reported in April 2010 that Penn State's business school runs student applications through the program as well.

Comments

[pulmonary something]

03:20 AM on 07/22/2010

All you no-nothings placing some sort of blame on Harvard, did you even read the article?

The study was an analysis of medical graduate's residency applications submitted to a Harvard affiliated Hospital. This has nothing to do with Harvard's students...

And those of you ragging on physicians have no idea how stressful and time consuming becoming a qualified undergrad is just to get an interview at a medical school, let alone matching into a high paying specialty to work 80 hour weeks and earn $40k as an intern....

[Bonaboman]

10:35 PM on 07/21/2010

Biden is the king of plagiarists.

[walkawayfrombanks]

11:10 AM on 07/21/2010

"professors" at harvard PAY to teach there, so that they could put a Harvard credential on their office wall and charge double, triple of what others charge for the same service.

i have relatives and friends doing what i described everyday without batting an eye.

yeah, they make a killing with their Harvard credential.

and you the people make that possible by falling all over them, LOL.

[Canajax]

03:14 PM on 07/21/2010

Uhmmm...you have no idea what you are talking about. Fail.

[tissa]

11:07 AM on 07/21/2010

Wow, thought this was old news, in this day and age you would think most students would realize that it is almost impossible to plagarize without being caught...too many ways available to check your work....it is not worth it...

[Bonaboman]

10:34 PM on 07/21/2010

As the head of the law school at Harvard, Kagan allowed professors to plagiarize.

Note: there are two "i"s in plagiarize - me thinks your JUCO degree discloses itself.

[Dtyra]

10:04 AM on 07/21/2010

As a student in college I was acquainted with two TAs who told me about an internet site which their professors used to check papers for plagiarism. It seems the more quotes you include in the paper you have written the higher the possibility of the the paper being reported as plagiarism.

[palindrom]

01:06 PM on 07/21/2010

But, if you quote something and attribute the quote properly -- that is, set it off as a quotation, and accurately say where you got it -- you have nothing to fear. It's only plagiarism if you try to present someone else's work as your own. If for example I say

"Never let another's work evade your eyes!
Dont' shade your eyes,
Plagiarize!" -- Tom Lehrer

I'm not plagiarizing, but if I claimed I'd written it I certainly would be.

[blueballs]

08:01 AM on 07/21/2010

"tell similar medical anecdotes" is their definition of plagiarism, as foretold by some website somewhere??

I have no idea what a "medical anecdote" is, but A) If Harvard is basing its residency program admissions on "I saw an interesting case in medical school" ... I'm thinking that there's a reason the Village Idiot has a Harvard degree. And B) so, "medical anecdotes" cannot be similar?? And C) running these applications through a canned program designed to spot similar words (which is what they apparently did) is about as pathetic of a research plan as it gets.

Nope. I'm ready to believe that this study probably says far more about the quality of the research than it does the ethics of potential Harvard residents.

[LRanger2]

07:58 AM on 07/21/2010

The medical profession may not lend itself to originality or honesty - Is it a mistake to expect the profiles of prospective MD's to surpass those of our heralded politicians?

[v eyepete]

06:45 AM on 07/21/2010

Isn't this due to the general breakdown of honesty in all areas of American life? Do any of us in our personal or professional life see honesty rewarded? There are outright lies, and then the little white lies we all tell daily to keep our jobs or our friends. Be thankful for the few people who have the courage to tell the truth and find a benefit in doing their own written work. It all flies against great odds favored in the opposite direction.

[supportamerica]

02:13 PM on 07/21/2010

I saw a news article many years ago regarding plagiarism and cheating and the parents of the students were all for it. Their answer was "everybody does it, no big deal." This was in High School, so if it is approved by the parents at that level of education then I suppose they would consider it alright at the college level.

[docmark]

05:00 AM on 07/21/2010

How many of posters actually graduated from Harvard (at any level)? Perhaps the question should be, "How many posters actually graduated from any fully accredied College or University?" I do believe that a few of you may be guilty of plagiarizing Glenn Beck or Sara Palin. They use the term "Elitist" as often as possible in their speeches and commentary because it plays well among the "less educated" segment of our population. It's become the latest buzz-word.
How many of you are Physicians, Residents or Med Students (from any American Medical School & Accredited Teaching Hospital)? How many of you are Lawyers or Law Students? The practice of plagiarism is nothing new and it occurs at virtually every institution of higher learning...at every level and within every discipline. I, for one, am glad that there is a program for detecting plagiarism. But, let's not use this story as an excuse to indict Harvard. And no, I didn't attend Harvard.
I received my undergrad degree from The University of Texas. In Med School, several of my classmates were Harvard grads. They were sharp and well-rounded as were the majority of my classmates. Gaining acceptance to Med School (excellent grades in all subjects, a high MCAT score, Letters of Recommendation) is much harder than graduating from Med School (as it should be). Med School is time-consuming, but the material is no harder than Pre-Med Courses (Organic Chemistry etc.). The competition for a good Residency is fierce.

[v eyepete]

06:52 AM on 07/21/2010

I didn't get the impression the article was chastising only Harvard students. I thought it was saying that if students in such a demanding program were doing it, the implication would be what are the other schools doing, ("so the authors believe their results mirror what may be happening across the country") With Harvard having such traditionally high standards, we just expect more from students who attend.

[docmark]

06:07 PM on 07/21/2010

I'd like to clear something up. A graduate of any Medical School may apply to any Residency program in the United States. The above hospital is one of the teaching hospitals affiliated with Harvard. Prior to graduation, students already know which field they want to pursue. During their 3rd and 4th year, students receive extensive hospital training. During this time, they rotate among the various specialties and are constantly evaluated. Initially, a student may want to be a surgeon, but learn that their talents lie elsewhere. Prior to applying to a Residency program, students are aware of their strengths and weaknesses and choose their specialties and prospective Residencies accordingly. The prospective graduate visits and applies to several teaching instituitons. Every good Residency program receives many applications from students around the country. A student ranks their top 5 choices. Likewise, each Residency program ranks their applicants. On "Matching Day", the prospective graduate learns where they will train. A student is matched with the highest ranking teaching insitution who wants them. It's possible that no Harvard Med School Grad will be accepted to the above program. Many Harvard Med School grads choose do their Residency at a program not associated with Harvard. Students from every Med School probably apply to this program. It appears that a small percentage of Medical Students from Med schools around the nation plagiarize their personal statements to gain an edge at all good Residency programs. In other words, the second half of your second sentence is occurring.

[Hontas Farmer]

10:25 AM on 07/21/2010

I have a BS in Physics and am waiting to defend my thesis for my MS in physics. My thesis is on everything from the big bang to the emission of the Cosmic Microwave Background.

Yes I sometimes watch Glenn Beck. The fact that you took time to insult the people who do shows you lack any real intelligence or imagination. Your education pedigree seems to be testament to how well you can recite from books. Get a real research based doctorate, a PhD., invent something new or discover something, then talk to people. (Even then writing what you did would show a general lack of class and substance.)

[Canajax]

03:21 PM on 07/21/2010

I too have a BSc in the Hard sciences and am nearly to my MSc. I too watch glen beck occasionally, but I liken it to a sort of kabuki theatre of american conservative culture. sort of the same reason some learned folks used to watch jerry springer. You get to the point where you have to either laugh or cry when presented with the crazy level of partisanship down in the states. Good ol' Beck helps me laugh.

[docmark]

06:58 PM on 07/21/2010

Nice reply. I would expect nothing less from a budding Physicist. However, Medicine is both an art and a science. I didn't enter medicine because of the science (although I love science...especially Physics). We don't have the luxury of learning via inanimate objects. We take our basic science knowledge and learn to apply it to human beings. This requires the practicing Physicians to be well-rounded. The intangibles are enormous. If we make a mistake, we can't alter the experiment. I'm not a research Physician. Depending on the speciality, Physicians are required to make split-second decisions based on years of training. Physicians work with colleages and patients from all walks of life. A good memory is an advantage during an exam and National Board Exams. It also comes in handy when a patient presents with a a rare, obscure ailment that rated a footnote in a textbook. I've known a few Med students who had perfect recall, but were unable to apply the knowledge to a real world situation. This becomes evident when they begin their hospital training (3rd and 4th years). Your post didn't surprise me. I have good friends who are Ph.D's. There is always good-natured ribbing among us (involving the merits of our Doctorates). The same holds true among Surgeons and the "Medical guys" (Diagnosticians etc.). Good luck with your studies. Perhaps your research will lead to a medical breakthrough. Physicists have given medicine so many tools to work with.

[lightist]

03:02 AM on 07/21/2010

Just a passing consideration:
I think I'll be a bit more aware of the wisdom of medical advice I seek from now on. I always assume that all doctors I consult practice with the highest possible moral integrity. I've been quite sensitive to this issue for decades. I will be more sensitive still.

[Canajax]

02:21 AM on 07/21/2010

I've seen this at my school too. "I had patient w, who had condition x, who taught me the value of y, and made me want to pursue z."

[IDIOTA]

02:08 AM on 07/21/2010

Plagiarism is linked to roots that mean "snare, net, kidnap." The competition is stiff to get into the best schools. I am old and recall that most of the kids that I went to school with were interested in learning. Today, kids are interested in getting a high test score or admission to a great school -- at any cost. Learning is secondary, perhaps tertiary. Plagiarizers not only ensnare themselves but also they ruin the institutions that they attend.

Harvard is a name that is losing luster quickly.

[SSCHIEFRSHA]

11:30 PM on 07/20/2010

The impertinence of HP! How dare you? HuffPo needs to get off Harvard's back. It's not journalism, it's a blatant rejection of elitist ideals.

[lightist]

02:51 AM on 07/21/2010

Funny! Keep it up!

[blueballs]

08:06 AM on 07/21/2010

Or not. Yeah, I'm going with not.

[Bonaboman]

11:11 PM on 07/20/2010

When Kagan was there she passed on a few blatant; yet, left wing professors who plagiarized. At Harvard Law if you were leftist and plagiarized you were fine.

[leopoldmozart]

02:38 AM on 07/21/2010

Huh?

[deridaa]

07:26 PM on 07/20/2010

note - Harvard undergrad is getting rid of exams- great preparation for grad school???? I guess pushing a political agenda is more important then meritocracy.

[MarauderF]

10:35 PM on 07/20/2010

Yeah I'm sure you know more about pedagogy than the professors at Harvard.

[Bonaboman]

11:17 PM on 07/20/2010

Harvard has always been more difficult to get into than to graduate from. Undergrad is a piece of cake and is losing its value. The true value of Harvard is in its Masters and doctorate programs. A studies degree from Harvard without an following "hard studies" grad school program qualifies one to be a community organizer; unless daddy is a Upper East Side tribal dude.

[lightist]

02:55 AM on 07/21/2010

"tribal dude" ... what's that mean in this context?

Perhaps fanning you will guilt trip you into answering... perhaps not.

[blueballs]

08:09 AM on 07/21/2010

The issue isn't school, it's a Residency program. Big difference. And, yep, there's (likely) a huge difference in future income when one can claim a Residency program at Harvard on their c.v.

But such really isn't the point