PhD Thesis in Department of Mechanical Engineering at UKZN : S. Shaikh 961129282
 

2007-04-23

The Chairman
Higher Degrees Committee
University of kwaZulu-Natal
Durban
kwaZulu-Natal
 

PhD Thesis in Department of Mechanical Engineering at UKZN : S. Shaikh 961129282
 
Comparison

Comparing the journal paper entitled :
Refined Theory of Laminated Anisotropic Shells for the Solution of Thermal Stress Problems
 
by authors V.E. Verijenko, T.R. Tauchert, C. Shaikh, P.Y. Tabakov, submitted 30 January 1998,
to the thesis entitled :
Development of higher-order theories for the analysis of laminated composite structures under static and thermal loading
 
submitted by S. Shaik in November 2002 :
Analysis

1.      Pg 75 Abstract of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg i, Para. 4 of Thesis.

2.      Pg 75 Para. 1 of Paper almost word-for-word identical to Pg 1, Para. 2 of Thesis.

3.      Pp 75 to 76 Para. 2 of Paper almost word-for-word identical to Pg 2, Para. 1 of Thesis.

4.      Pg 76 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pp 4 to 5, Para. 4 of Thesis.

5.      Pg 76 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 191, Para. 2 of Thesis.

6.      Pg 76 Para. 4 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 132, Para. 2 of Thesis.

7.      Pg 76 Para. 5 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 133, Para. 3 of Thesis.

8.      Pg 77 Figure 1. of Paper identical to Figure 4.1 Pg 131 of Thesis.

9.      Pg 77 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 134, Para. 1 of Thesis.

10.     Pg 77 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 153, Para. 2 of Thesis.

11.     Pg 78 Paras 1 to 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 153, Paras 2 to 3 of Thesis.

12.     Pg 78 Para. 4 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 154 Para. 1 to 3 of Thesis.

13.     Pg 79 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 154 Para. 4 of Thesis.

14.     Pg 79 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 155 Para. 1 of Thesis.

15.     Pg 80 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 159 Para. 4 of Thesis.

16.     Pg 80 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 160 Para. 1 of Thesis.

17.     Pg 80 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 163 Para. 2 of Thesis.

18.     Pg 81 Para. 1 of Paper almost word-for-word identical to Pg 159 Para. 4 of Thesis.

19.     Pg 81 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 160 Para. 1 of Thesis.

20.     Pg 81 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 163 Para. 2 of Thesis.

21.     Pg 82 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 164 Para. 1 of Thesis.

22.     Pg 83 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 165 Para. 1 of Thesis.

23.     Pg 83 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 166 Para. 1 of Thesis.

24.     Pg 84 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 168 Para. 1 of Thesis.

25.     Pg 84 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 168 Para. 2 of Thesis.

26.     Pg 84 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 168 Para. 3 of Thesis.

27.     Pg 84 Para. 4 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 169 Para. 2 of Thesis.

28.     Pg 85 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 169 Para. 2 of Thesis.

29.     Pg 85 Figure 2. of Paper identical to Figure 4.6 Pg 170 of Thesis.

30.     Pg 86 Figure 3. of Paper identical to Figure 4.7 Pg 171 of Thesis.

31.     Pg 87 Figure 4. of Paper identical to Figure 4.8 Pg 172 of Thesis.

32.     Pg 88 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 175 Para. 1 of Thesis.

33.     Pg 89 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 175 Para. 3 of Thesis.

34.     Pg 89 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 176 Para. 2 of Thesis.

35.     Pg 90 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 176 Para. 3 of Thesis.

36.     Pg 91 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 177 Para. 2 of Thesis.

37.     Pg 91 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 178 Para. 1 of Thesis.

38.     Pg 92 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 178 Para. 2 of Thesis.

39.     Pg 93 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 178 Para. 3 of Thesis.

40.     Pg 93 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 179 Para. 1 of Thesis.

41.     Pg 93 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 179 Para. 2 of Thesis.

42.     Pg 94 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 179 Para. 3 of Thesis.

43.     Pg 94 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 180 Para. 2 of Thesis.

44.     Pg 94 Para. 4 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 181 Para. 1 of Thesis.

45.     Pg 95 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 181 Para. 2 of Thesis.

46.     Pg 96 Para. 1 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 181 Para. 3 of Thesis.

47.     Pg 96 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 181 Para. 5 of Thesis.

48.     Pg 96 Para. 2 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 182 Para. 1 of Thesis.

49.     Pg 96 Para. 3 of Paper word-for-word identical to Pg 182 Para. 4 of Thesis.

50.     Pg 97 Figure 6. of Paper identical to Figure 4.9 Pg 183 of Thesis.

51.     Pg 98 Summary of Paper identical to Summary Pp 184 to 185 of Thesis.

52.     Pg 99 Lines 5 to 7 of Paper identical to Pg 160 last three lines of Thesis.

53.     Pg 99 Lines 8 to 13 of Paper identical to Pg 161 first six lines of Thesis.

54.     The claim made in the introduction on Page 75 of the Paper is essentially the same and almost identically worded as the claim made on Page 184 in Para. 1 of Chapter 4 Section 4.4 Summary and repeated on Page 191 Para. 2 in Chapter 5 Conclusions of the Thesis, i.e. the main claim.

55.     Pg 100 References Item 1. of Paper identical to Pg 196 Bibliography Item [49] of Thesis.

56.     Pg 100 References Item 2. of Paper identical to Pg 198 Bibliography Item [68] of Thesis.

57.     Pg 100 References Item 4. of Paper identical to Pg 197 Bibliography Item [61] of Thesis.

58.     Pg 100 References Item 5. of Paper identical to Pg 192 Bibliography Item [3] of Thesis.

59.     Pg 100 References Item 6. of Paper identical to Pg 197 Bibliography Item [59] of Thesis.

60.     Pg 100 References Item 7. of Paper identical to Pg 198 Bibliography Item [67] of Thesis.

61.     Pg 100 References Item 7. of Paper identical to Pg 198 Bibliography Item [68] of Thesis.

62.     Pg 100 References Item 8. of Paper identical to Pg 193 Bibliography Item [14] of Thesis.

63.     Pg 100 References Item 9. of Paper identical to Pg 195 Bibliography Item [34] of Thesis.

64.     V.E. (Victor) Verijenko was at the relevant times a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Natal and the candidate's PhD supervisor.

65.     T.R (Theodore) Tauchert is Professor Emeritus of Department of Mechanical Engineering College of Engineering, University of Kentucky.


Conclusions

1.      Almost the entire paper has been regurgitated in the thesis, primarily into Chapter 4 thereof, but also into the Abstract (Page i), Introduction and Literature Survey Pp 1 to 5, Conclusions (Pg 191) and Bibliography Pp 192 to 201.

2.      This finding is entirely congruent with my initial written opinion dated 28 March 2007 that :
"The overall thesis appears to be more like a concatenation of two or three journal papers authored over a period of time by a group of professional academic researchers in the field of strength of materials and then given to the candidate to wordprocess (and not very well besides) into a self-standing thesis."
3.      It is clear that the thesis includes material previously drafted by other authors, in this case V.E. Verijenko, T.R. Tauchert and P.Y. Tabakov.

4.      The journal paper was submitted for publication very nearly five years before the thesis was submitted for examination.

5.      Although Shaik is identified as an author of this journal article, he is only the third of four authors and would certainly not have been the primary author or even the secondary author.

6.      Chapter 4 of the thesis is the culmination of the development of the higher-order theory relevant to both mechanical and thermal stresses and the basis for the main claim of the thesis, i.e. the simultaneous treatment of both mechanical and thermal stresses.

7.      The conclusions of the thesis are identical, on a word-for-word basis, with those of a journal paper submitted five years previously.

9.      The primary author of the journal paper is the thesis author's own supervisor who would or should have known that this work was simply regurgitated for the thesis.

10.     The contribution of the secondary author is not directly acknowledged in the thesis, only indirectly by mean of the entire journal paper appearing in the Bibliography.

11.     If Shaik had been the primary developer of this theory by the time the paper was submitted for publishing in January 1998, then there would be absolutely no reason to wait another five years to submit the thesis.

12      Shaik registered for a PhD degree in 1997 or 1998. By the time the journal paper was submitted in January 1998 it is unlikely that he would have had very little personal expertise in the subject matter.

13.     Beyond any reasonable doubt it can be concluded that this is not the own unaided work of the PhD candidate as attested in his declaration on Page ii of the thesis.

14.     These conclusions, plus the fact that pages were missing from the two library copies of the thesis and the particularly poor quality of the presentation of the thesis are more than sufficient evidence to initiate a full formal enquiry into the award of the PhD degree, including the conduct of both the candidate and his supervisor.


Richard Young 
PrEng, MSc(Eng), PhD