The master’s thesis in question purportedly had sections identical to those of two other academic outputs.
The master’s thesis in question purportedly had sections identical to those of two other academic outputs.
Sandra Borch of the Centre Party has resigned from her position as Norway’s Minister of Research and Higher Education following revelations that her master’s thesis included text from other people’s theses.
Borch acknowledged her error during a brief press conference, stating: “The mistake is mine, and I take full and complete responsibility for it. It has been a great privilege to be a minister in this government”.
Norwegian newspapers E24 and Dagens Næringsliv discovered multiple passages in Borch’s 2014 master’s thesis that are identical to sections in two other master’s theses.
Borch did not attribute these other theses as sources. Additionally, the reports indicate that even spelling errors in the identical passages are present in Borch’s thesis.
“When I wrote my master’s thesis around 10 years ago, I made a big mistake. I took text from other theses without citing the source,” Borch said.
Consequently, she has decided to step down from her ministerial position.
Sandra Borch mentioned that she does not possess a complete overview of the extent of text similarity in the thesis. She acknowledged, “There may be more examples of text similarity in the thesis than what E24 refers to.”
Political history
Borch was already a prominent figure in Norwegian politics, associated with the Center Party, when she submitted her master’s thesis in 2014. Her leadership role within the party included heading its youth organization from 2011 to 2013.
She has been actively involved in Norwegian politics, serving as a member of municipal and county councils in her home region of Troms in Northern Norway. She was also a Member of Parliament when Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, the leader of the Center Party, chose her to assume the role of agriculture minister in the newly formed government by the Center Party and Støre’s Labour Party after the 2021 national elections.
Borch assumed the position of Minister of Research and Higher Education in August 2023, succeeding Ola Borten Moe. Prior to this role, from 2021 to 2023, she served as the Minister of Agriculture and Food. During the press conference, she emphasized that the decision to resign was her own.
The former minister obtained a Master of Jurisprudence from the University of Tromsø in 2014. Her thesis, titled “Safety regulation in Norwegian petroleum law: Fulfillment of HSE obligations in the licensee group on the Norwegian continental shelf,” formed a part of her academic accomplishments.
In her capacity as the head of the Ministry of Research and Higher Education, Borch has adhered to stringent practices in cases involving plagiarism. Despite this, her master’s thesis underwent analysis using a plagiarism detection system at the University of Tromsø and was not identified as fraudulent, as reported by E24.
Future actions
It is anticipated that Borch will resume her position in Parliament, at least for the mandatory duration of her existing four-year term. Typically, Members of Parliament are not permitted to relinquish their seats, except in cases involving a criminal conviction.
The University of Tromsø said it would initiate an investigation into Sandra Borch’s master’s degree, following standard procedures when questions about academic integrity arise.
According to the newspaper Dagens Næringsliv (DN), the plagiarism in Sandra Borch’s thesis was first brought to light by a current student at the business school BI, who reported it on social media.
E24 subsequently picked up the information and utilized a program called Copyleaks, which identifies similarities in documents, to uncover the instances of plagiarism.
Oddmund Løkensgard Hoel (Sp) has been confirmed to assume the position of Minister of Research and Higher Education, as announced by the government on Jan 23.
