Bhubaneswar, Nov 27: Utkal University is all set to introduce a software to judge the originality of theses submitted by PhD students.

"Everything is available at your fingertips now," said Utkal University vice-chancellor A.K. Das speaking on the sidelines of the 73rd foundation day of the university.

"Often, students take advantage of this and don't bother to work hard. Many get away with copy-and-paste work. Since the amount of material available on the Internet is huge, it is very difficult for a guide or teacher to make out if the thesis is original and if the student has actually delved deep into the subject. This practice ultimately leads to repetition and low-quality research work," he said.

In order to detect plagiarism, a special software would be installed that will scan the work and theses of research scholars and detect plagiarism. The interactive software will also help improve the writing style of the scholars. A soft copy of the approved dissertation or thesis of a research scholar would also be hosted on the varsity website.

"The academic council of the varsity will determine the amount of relaxation (some varsities overlook 10-20 per cent plagiarism)," said Das, adding that the software would be used from this academic session.

The university has 27 departments and 300 students are awarded PhD every year.

On the occasion, higher education minister Pradeep Panigrahi laid the foundation stone for a digital library annex to Parija Library, a convention centre, a language block and a centre of excellence for linguistic studies.

The digital library annex will have all e-resources in form of books, journals and dissertations that can be accessed by students and teachers. There will be a special section dedicated to disabled students.

Speaking at the foundation day programme today, Panigrahi said land for the university's second campus has already been identified at Chandikhole in Jajpur. Programmes in rural management, entrepreneurship, agriculture business, skill training and education would be provided on the campus.

Announcing completion of the recruitment process for 52 faculty members sanctioned three years ago, the vice-chancellor said that the self-assessment report by the varsity was ready for submission to National Assessment and Accreditation Council for re-accreditation this month. The accreditation for the university had expired in 2009.