Unas Forms Fact-Finding Team to Investigate Alleged Name Forgery by Former Dean

Universitas Nasional (Unas) in Jakarta, Indonesia has formed a fact-finding team to investigate allegations that Kumba Digdowiseiso, the former dean of its Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), added dozens of researchers' names to papers without their permission. Digdowiseiso recently resigned from his position amid the controversy.

Researchers at Universiti Malaysia Terengganu accused Digdowiseiso of including their colleagues' names on publications in international journals without obtaining consent. Digdowiseiso denied the accusation, calling it baseless and saying there was an impression of "bringing down his good name and character assassination."

Digdowiseiso stated that his resignation was a form of "academic responsibility" to Unas and the academic community, so as not to burden the university in carrying out investigations into the problems he was facing. According to his Google Scholar profile, Digdowiseiso had published at least 160 papers in 2024 alone.

Last year, Digdowiseiso visited Universiti Malaysia Terengganu to discuss potential collaboration opportunities such as student mobility, guest lectures, and research partnerships. However, the university was unaware that this authorship issue might arise.

Why this matters: The alleged misconduct raises concerns about academic integrity and the peer review process in scholarly publications. The outcome of Unas' investigation could have implications for international research collaborations and the reputations of the institutions and individuals involved.

Unas has now established a fact-finding team to thoroughly investigate the allegations against its former FEB dean. The university aims to uncover the truth behind the claims of unauthorized name additions to academic papers. As Digdowiseiso stated, his resignation allows Unas to carry out the necessary inquiries without any perceived conflicts of interest or burdens on the institution.

Key Takeaways

• Unas formed a fact-finding team to investigate allegations against former FEB dean Digdowiseiso.
• Researchers accused Digdowiseiso of adding their names to papers without consent, which he denied.
• Digdowiseiso resigned to allow Unas to investigate the allegations without burden on the university.
• Digdowiseiso had published over 160 papers in 2024, raising concerns about academic integrity.
• Unas' investigation could impact international research collaborations and institutional reputations.