Glasgow university to review its hiring of plagiarism row professor Jason Arday

Earlier on Friday Cambridge confirmed it would continue investigating the circumstances surrounding his “appointment and tenure”, adding that findings will feed into a review of the process for appointing senior roles.

Dozens of academics have signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into the processes around Arday’s appointment.

One of the signatories, Prof Priyamvada Gopal, told the Press Association: “We’re saying that the resignation is not the end of the story, that there are potential mistakes and missteps made by the university that need to be investigated.”

Responding to Cambridge’s announcement of a review, the professor of postcolonial studies at Cambridge’s English faculty said: “This cannot be a case of the university marking its own homework.

“We are absolutely clear that the investigation needs to be independent, not in the university’s own hands, and needs to be completely transparent and accountable to the Cambridge community.”

Gopal said the letter asks for the circumstances of the appointment to be investigated given that it was a “very senior appointment” for a professor who was “at a very early stage of his career”.