Bulgaria’s Ministry Clears Sofia University Dean of Plagiarism Claims

SOFIA, Bulgaria — The Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science has ruled that a dean at Sofia University is not guilty of plagiarism following investigations into his published work.

The dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences, Asen Zamfirov, faced accusations in December regarding a 2021 paper alleged to have “significant overlap” with two other works. The claims were brought to the ministry by two researchers who suggested Zamfirov had improperly cited multiple papers.

The ministry appointed three reviewers for an assessment of Zamfirov’s articles. A report released on July 9 showed conflicting opinions among the reviewers. The first reviewer concluded that Zamfirov was guilty of plagiarism, while the other two disagreed. One of the evaluators, Petar Chukurliev, a researcher at New Bulgarian University, confirmed this conclusion in a statement to Retraction Watch.

Chukurliev argued that the evidence provided was not enough to claim plagiarism and labeled the complaint “contrary to academic practice.” He remarked that the complainants should have confirmed allegations of plagiarism with external experts first. “I do not know the content of the other two reviews and cannot comment on any differences,” Chukurliev stated in an email.

When contacted regarding further actions, another official at Sofia University, who wished to remain unnamed, said the ministry’s academic ethics commission is still investigating. This follows a June ruling from Bulgaria’s supreme administrative court that several plagiarism investigations were terminated without due legal process.

Despite these concerns, last May, the Ministry of Education and Science awarded Zamfirov a plaque, diploma, and a cash prize of 8,000 BGN (approximately $4,300) during the prestigious Pythagoras Science Awards.

Zamfirov has not publicly responded to requests for comment regarding the allegations or the findings of the ministry’s investigation.