High-profile education researcher has papers retracted and corrected, for plagiarism and misuse of references

A high-profile education researcher has lost one paper, and corrected two others, for plagiarism and misuse of references. She may also have lost a fourth article, but the journal disappeared the paper without a notice.  

Constance Iloh, of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), is the creator of the “Iloh Model of College-going Decisions and Trajectories,” which she describes as:

a new and innovative three-component ecological model that illuminates contemporary college decisions and educational narratives while also problematizing the notion of college ‘choice.’

In 2016, Forbes magazine named Iloh one of its “30 Under 30” top figures in education. 

The two retractions involve a 2017 article in the Journal of Latinos and Education, tilted “Paving effective community college pathways by recognizing the Latino post-traditional student,” and a 2018 article in the Journal of Student Affairs titled “Not non-traditional, the new normal: adult learners and the role of student affairs in supporting older college students.”

The Journal of Student Affairs, which is published by Colorado State University, removed Iloh’s article, and the entire issue in which it was published, without any notice. (We have made the article available here.) We’ve asked the journal for an explanation, but have yet to hear back. 

Meanwhile, the notice for the other paper reads:

We, the Editor and Publisher of Journal of Latinos and Education, have retracted the following article:

Iloh, C. Paving effective community college pathways by recognizing the Latino post-traditional student. 

Journal of Latinos and Education, 25 October 2017. DOI: 10.1080/15348431.2017.1371603

The above article has been found to contain a substantial amount of text overlap with the following sources, which were either inaccurately referenced or not referenced within the article:

Hoppes, C. (2014). The New Metrics: Tracking Today’s Post-Traditional Students. HelixEducation.com. Retrieved from http://www.helixeducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/The-New-Metrics-Hoppes-NSSR.pdf

Iloh, C (2019), Does distance education go the distance for adult learners? Evidence from a qualitative study at an American community college, Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 25(2), 217–233. DOI: 10.1177/1477971418785384

Sandoval-Lucero, E., Maes, J.B., and Chopra, R.V. (2011), Examining the Retention of Nontraditional Latino(a) Students in a Career-Based Learning Community, Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 10(4), 300. DOI: 10.1177/1538192711414909

Santiago, D. and Stettner, A. (2013), Supporting Latino community college students: An investment in our economic future. Washington DC: Excelencia in Education. 

One of the two corrections involves a 2018 article in the Journal of Adult and Continuing Education titled “Does distance education go the distance for adult learners? Evidence from a qualitative study at an American community college.” It states: 

Sections throughout the original manuscript have been re-written and updated and this manuscript also includes new references. The online version of the article has been updated.

The second correction is for a 2018 paper in the Harvard Educational Review titled “Toward a new model of college “choice” for a Twenty-First-Century context.” The 2019 correction reads: 

The Editorial Board of the Harvard Educational Review is issuing an errata statement in conjunction with “Toward a New Model of College ‘Choice’ for a Twenty-First-Century Context” (Volume 88, Number 2, pages 227–244, doi:10.17763/1943-5045-88.2.227), by Constance Iloh, due to multiple instances in which the author incompletely attributed previously published material in the introduction and literature review. Given these extensive citation errors, the Editorial Board felt it important to correct the scholarly record. Pages 228–232 of the published article contain the following incompletely attributed materials:

Excerpt lacking quotation marks from Heil, S., Reisel, L., & Attewell, P. (2014). College selectivity and degree completion. American Educational Research Journal, 51(5), 913–935. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831214544298 

Excerpt lacking quotation marks from Cabrera, A. F., & La Nasa, S. M. (2002). Understanding the college‐choice process. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2000(107), 5–22. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ir.10701

Two excerpts lacking quotation marks from Niu, S. X., Tienda, M., & Cortes, K. (2006). College selectivity and the Texas top 10% law. Economics of Education Review, 25(3), 259–272. doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2005.02.006

Excerpt lacking quotation marks from Cabrera, A. F., & La Nasa, S. M. (2000). Understanding the college-choice process. In A. F. Cabrera & S. M. La Nasa (Eds.), Understanding the college choice of disadvantaged students: New directions for institutional research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Excerpt lacking quotation marks from Chen, J. C. (2017). Nontraditional adult learners. SAGE Open, 7(1). doi:10.1177/2158244017697161

Quote lacking quotation marks and citation from Robert Hansen, CEO of University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) as reported in Inside Track. (2015). National study of non-first-time students shows full-time enrollment may not be appropriate for all. Retrieved from https://www.insidetrack.com/national-study-of-non-first-time-students-shows-full-time-enrollment-may-not-be-appropriate-for-all/ 

Excerpt lacking quotation marks and citation from Bidwell, A. (2014, July 29). 31 million in higher education limbo: Some college, no degree. US News & World Report. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/07/29/31-million-in-higher-education-limbo-some-college-no-degree

Excerpt lacking quotation marks from Tudge, J. R. H. (2008). The everyday lives of young children: Culture, class, and child rearing in diverse societies. New York: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/ CBO9780511499890

UCI issued a press release about the publication of the Harvard Educational Review paper.

‘Professional sabotage, abuse, and stalking’

Iloh did not respond to multiple requests for comment. However, we did receive the following email from Eric Lindsay, a composer who teaches at UCI: 

I have received notice that you have been sending harassing and insinuating emails to Constance Iloh. I am writing to inform you that you can’t include her in any part of any of your platforms and legal action will be taken. You also will be included in ongoing legal recourse of professional sabotage, abuse, and stalking.

Lastly, please refrain from sending her any more emails or the authorities will be contacted.

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