Today, I asked my professor for his opinion on the subject I plan to study in my thesis. Turns out, he likes it so much that he's going to steal it from me. FML
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Thanksgiving
Questions about your love life, a burnt turkey and the cousin who knows everything: Thanksgiving, a contact sport.
Today, I held a presentation about my masters thesis. Turns out, my professor never ever actually read the drafts I'd given him, but decided to rip me to pieces in front of everyone, saying that the topic isn't worth researching. I've been working on it for six months. FML
Today, I walked into my office and found my ex-roommate going through my desk. Apparently, despite not wanting to be friends or even speak anymore, he has no qualms about "borrowing" my Master's thesis so he can compare and write his. FML
Today, after six months of writing a 40 page paper criticizing a famous method, I found out the professor who conceived it has transferred to my favorite college to head the department I'm applying to study in. They require I submit the paper with my application. FML
Today, I realized the cute guy in my Spanish class only talks to me so he can steal my answers. He asked if I'd give him the answers for the final as well. FML
Today, after I'd being sick all day, my boyfriend volunteered to do my very long sociology paper. I was later notified by my professor that the paper I'd submitted was completely plagiarized. FML
Today, after I took my first set of exams, my professor posted on Twitter, scoffing at how stupid one student's answer was. The answer he quoted was one that I wrote. FML
Today, I found out that my manager has been stealing my ideas. The worst part? He made me work overtime to complete the project that I originally proposed. FML
Today, the professor I've had a crush on informed me that there's only one way left I could still pass his course. Thinking this was an attempt to flirt with me, I told him I'd do anything he could imagine. He then looked confused when he asked me to write an essay. FML
Today, I got a paper back that was given a zero for suspected plagiarism. Everything I wrote was my own thought and analysis. My instructor basically thinks my paper is smarter than I am. He won't listen, even when I explain my thought processes throughout the piece. FML
Today, I asked my professor what happened to the assignment I gave him several weeks ago. Turns out he lost it, and graded me zero as a result. Now if I want a mark, he says I'll have to hand-write it all over again, but that I "probably shouldn't bother," because it was "a bit shit, really." FML
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Top comments
Immortal_Toaster 23
I don't have anything witty to say, that just sucks. I'd report him to the higher-ups.
bethers_ 22
This happened to my roommate when she started her PhD! It took her an extra 8 months to find another lab after the experience. You need to report that professor for stealing your idea. Don't let the same thing happen to you.
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Comments (83)
Izabushel 65
That's terrible! It took me years to come up with my topic for my honours masters, and if someone had taken my idea, I would have throttled them. It becomes very personal. At a PhD level people have invested a lot of time and effort into finding a suitable topic which is relevant and appropriate. It would be like giving a mentor who is a respected author an outline for a book you have been thinking about for years and them going "Oh what a great idea! I think I will write that". Unfortunately in the academic world 'publish or perish' is all to real and may be why your professor has pulled the rug out from under you. OP I hope you have written a preliminary paper or outline to prove that the idea was yours first and you can still pursue it. Find a new professor.
quesok 22
Maybe beat him to the publish? But either way hopefully you can prove it was your idea
rldostie 19
This happened to me once. It wasn't a thesis but a paper I wrote, which the professor liked so much she asked me to co-write an article with her based off of my idea. I said "sure!" but then didn't hear much else about it. Found out later she just wrote it without me.
byornbyork 8
Can't you both use it? I am sure two people have written a thesis on the same subject before somewhere on this earth.
Izabushel 65
It's not just the same subject, it would be a very specific idea. For example, my subject was about teenage pregnancy. Should my supervisor decided to write a paper about with something to do with teenage pregnancy, no problem. But if they wanted to write a paper comparing management of preeclampsia in the adolescent primigravida to management of preeclampsia in primigravida of advanced maternal age, my topic, that is too specific. Particularly for both studies to come out of the same University. For a PhD thesis you generally need to provide a new insight into a topic, and it's very defined. People spend years deciding on what they will write their thesis on. When discussing the idea with the professor they would have had a very detailed topic or idea they wanted to write about.
vikky538 29
if you are assistant under that professor then I would say you are screwed..personal experience...
Attacksloth 33
If you're doing TA work or research assistance for a professor, then you're likely working with their own ideas, so if you come up with an idea related to their research, by all means they can take it because you're their employee. If we're talking about original work here - OP sounds like he/she was coming up with a thesis proposal for their own program, then the professor has no right to steal that idea. Most universities want you to give a letter of intent, an academic CV, and a bunch of other information including a rough project proposal. It's theft if a professor steals that because a lot of universities (such as the one I'm doing my MA in now) grant you intellectual property rights.
otecasacid 22
That's awful, I hope I don't run into anything similar. Unfortunately these fears make me get so much less out of a classroom experience because I'm guarded about bouncing around ideas
menfearme 10
You better crank that sucker out. That way, if he tries to steal your idea its already published
zykrithium 22
I'd suggest you go to the higher ups, but they'd probably side with the professor anyway... FYL
Attacksloth 33
I'm currently doing a Masters degree. Universities typically have ethics boards that you can report things or people to. This is something that is very serious. Unfortunately it's your word against his unless you have some kind of evidence like emails or recorded phone calls, but do tell someone higher up to at least start an audit. If you're planning on applying to graduate school, also report him to the graduate coordinator of the program. This is academic dishonesty.
saffy66 34
Since it's just an idea so far, it's not 'plagiarism' in its general sense, but make notes about the conversations so far and contact the Dean and/or whatever board oversees these things. Are you sure he wasn't joking? In times of stress we can fail to see when people are trying to be funny.