The Unraveling of Academic Integrity: A Scandal in Behavioral Science

The Francesca Gino scandal shook the academic world, exposing fraudulent research practices at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions, Harvard Business School. This episode unpacks the details of the case, from the initial discoveries to the implications for science.

You’ll learn:

How a PhD student uncovered data manipulation in a high-profile study (feat. Zoe Xani’s investigation).

The critical role of whistleblowers in exposing fraud (feat. Data Colada’s analysis).

Key findings from Harvard’s 1,300-page report on research misconduct.

Which studies were faked and what they claimed to find.

How self-correcting mechanisms can strengthen trust despite scandals.

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Sources:

Data Colada. (2023). [109] Data falsificada (Part 1): “Clusterfake”. https://datacolada.org/109

Data Colada. (2023). Data falsificada (Part 1): Evidence that Francesca Gino fabricated data. Data Colada. Retrieved from https://datacolada.org/110

Data Colada. (2023). Data falsificada (Part 3): The cheaters are out of order. Data Colada. Retrieved from https://datacolada.org/111

Data Colada. (2023). Data falsificada (Part 4): Forgetting the words. Data Colada. Retrieved from https://datacolada.org/112

Data Colada. (2024). [116] Our (first?) day in court. https://datacolada.org/116

Data Colada. (2024). [118] Harvard’s Gino Report Reveals How A Dataset Was Altered, Data Colada. https://datacolada.org/118

Dalton, R. (2023, October 18). Embattled Harvard honesty professor accused of plagiarism. Science. Retrieved January 6, 2025, from https://www.science.org/content/article/embattled-harvard-honesty-professor-accused-plagiarism

Dubner, S. J. (2024). Why is there so much fraud in academia? (Update) [Audio podcast episode]. In Freakonomics Radio. Freakonomics, LLC. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/why-is-there-so-much-fraud-in-academia-update/

Dubner, S. J. (2025). Can academic fraud be stopped? (Update) [Audio podcast episode]. In Freakonomics 

Radio. Freakonomics, LLC. https://freakonomics.com/podcast/can-academic-fraud-be-stopped-update/

Gino, F., Kouchaki, M., & Galinsky, A. D. (2015). The moral virtue of authenticity: How inauthenticity produces feelings of immorality and impurity. Psychological Science, 26(7), 983–996. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797615575277

Gino, F., & Wiltermuth, S. S. (2014). Evil genius? How dishonesty can lead to greater creativity. Psychological Science, 25(4), 973–981. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614520714

Gino, F., Kouchaki, M., & Casciaro, T. (2020). Why connect? Moral consequences of networking with a promotion or prevention focus. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fpspa0000226

Harari, Y. N. (2024). Nexus: A brief history of information networks from the Stone Age to AI. Fern Press.

Judo, P. (2024). It’s over – Gino vs Harvard fake data scandal [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Q9tgyVPytBk

Konnikova, M. (2023). They studied dishonesty. Was their work a lie? The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/10/09/they-studied-dishonesty-was-their-work-a-lie

Lewis-Karus. (2024). How a scientific dispute spiraled into a defamation lawsuit. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-a-scientific-dispute-spiralled-into-a-defamation-lawsuit

Shu, L. L., Mazar, N., Gino, F., Ariely, D., & Bazerman, M. H. (2012). Signing at the beginning makes ethics salient and decreases dishonest self-reports in comparison to signing at the end. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(38), 15197–15200. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1209746109