Metsola’s thesis contains ‘serious imperfections’, but degree stands: University of Malta

A fact-finding exercise by the University of Malta has revealed that European Parliament President Roberta Metsola’s law degree dissertation contained elements of “plagiarism/uncredited or improperly cited material”, but the degree awarded to her stands.

“The foregoing is of the following nature - failure to cite original/ primary sources; citing incorrect sources; 'patchwork' (information copied from other writers and rearranged without proper citation); and 'cut and paste' passages,” University of Malta (UoM) statement read.

A spokesperson for the EP President told MaltaToday she is pleased the process is over, and there will be no change to her 2003 law degree.

“Re-reading her dissertation with the benefit of twenty-two years of experience, there are naturally a number of improvements that the President would suggest to her younger self to avoid some unintentional citation errors,” he said.

The errors found by the UoM investigation appeared to result from mistaken procedure, and while the said imperfections “reduce the worth of the dissertation as a scholarly piece of work, they do no invalidate it entirely.”

“In light of the above considerations, Senate decided that the LL.D. degree awarded to Roberta Metsola remains valid,” the UoM statement read.

German tabloid Bild had published a report claiming Roberta Metsola had "astonishing’ plagiarism" in her law course dissertation. The UoM investigation had been launched after the report. 

The university also clarified she did not read for a Ph.D. with the University of Malta; rather she studied for a law degree and was awarded the professional title of Doctor of Laws, LL.D., which was a legacy degree title classified at Level 7 of the Malta/European Qualifications Framework, since replaced by the Master in Advocacy.

It also said her dissertation was submitted prior to the introduction of plagiarism detection software at the university.

“The dissertation was one component within a wider professionally-oriented three-year degree of which research skills were not the dominant learning outcome,” the UoM said.

Metsola rejects ‘unfounded allegations’ of intentional wrongdoing – spokesperson

In a reaction, a spokesperson for the EP President said Metsola is pleased this process is over and that the University has clarified that her LL.D degree awarded in 2003 stands.

“There is to be no change to the grade awarded to her dissertation written and defended before an Academic panel 22 years ago. There was no misuse of the title of “Doctor”. The imperfections in her dissertation stemmed primarily from a mistaken procedure,” the spokesperson said.

He also insisted the standards, teaching, requirements and tools made available to students 22 years ago are very different to the ones today and any errors in the referencing in the dissertation were unintentional.  

“The President reiterates her rejection of the unfounded and ill-motivated allegations of any intentional wrongdoing or misconduct,” he said. “These allegations were never about the defence of academic integrity but an attempt by the President’s political opponents to damage her reputation and that of the Institution she was elected to lead.”

He said the EP President, like the rest of the country, is also acutely aware of the manufactured outrage of the Malta Labour Party on this issue. “The President remains focused on the future and believes that people in Malta and Gozo would prefer to discuss and debate her current actions and positions rather than her writings as a young student growing up in the 1990s and early 2000s.”