Plagiarism Scandal at Brock University: Charles Conteh’s Paper Retracted for Uncredited Use of Amy Lemay’s Work

Plagiarism Scandal at Brock University: Charles Conteh’s Paper Retracted for Uncredited Use of Amy Lemay’s Work

Charles Conteh, a political scientist at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, has been found to have plagiarized the work of his postdoctoral fellow, Amy Lemay. This conclusion came from a university inquiry and led to the retraction of Conteh’s paper from the journal “Outlook on Agriculture.”

The Incident

In October 2023, a paper by Charles Conteh was published in Sage’s “Outlook on Agriculture.” The paper, which has garnered one citation according to Clarivate’s Web of Science, came under scrutiny after Lemay discovered that it contained her work without proper credit. An inquiry by Brock University, finalized in March 2024, identified instances of plagiarism and uncredited authorship in the article. The university report emphasized that such actions can significantly harm post-doctoral fellows, both reputationally and financially.

Background

Amy Lemay, now a science analyst and founder at VISTA Science & Technology Inc., served as Conteh’s postdoctoral fellow from August 2020 to January 2023. In March 2023, Conteh had sought feedback from Lemay and another faculty member on a draft of the article. Conteh later expressed reservations about Lemay’s suggestion to publish separate papers based on their policy reports for Niagara’s Community Observatory platform. Conteh eventually decided not to proceed with the project collaboratively.

Discovery and Reaction

Lemay accidentally found the published paper months later and realized it included her work without acknowledgment. Feeling betrayed, she reached out to Conteh, requesting to be added as a co-author. Conteh reluctantly agreed but framed his decision as an act of nobility rather than one of merit. Despite this, the journal editor at “Outlook on Agriculture” informed them it was too late to update the authorship.

Retraction Process

Lemay then requested the journal retract the paper due to misrepresented authorship and the use of her unpublished work without citation. In response, Conteh argued that Lemay had no basis for claiming co-authorship, comparing her role to that of a research assistant. He contended that acknowledgment in the manuscript should suffice.

Lemay criticized Conteh’s stance on authorship, arguing it undermines fundamental academic principles and poses a risk to the integrity of academic contributions by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The paper was ultimately retracted in May 2024, with a notice stating that unattributed text called into question the author’s contributions.

Aftermath

Conteh maintained his disagreement with the retraction and reiterated his role as the principal investigator. Meanwhile, Lemay highlighted that the retraction citations inaccurately credited Conteh as the lead author instead of her. Sage Publications is reportedly working on correcting these citations.

Broader Implications

Lemay, who has extensive experience in academia, stressed that the power imbalance in academic settings often deters younger scholars from challenging such issues. She believes that addressing these attitudes is crucial to protecting the rights and contributions of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

This case underscores the importance of ethical conduct in academia and highlights the need for clear guidelines and enforcement to protect the intellectual contributions of all researchers, regardless of their position.

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