Freakonomics Radio

573. Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?

91 snips
Jan 18, 2024
In a revealing conversation, Ivan Oransky, a doctor and co-founder of Retraction Watch, and Max Bazerman, a Harvard professor specializing in ethics, dissect the rampant issue of academic fraud. They discuss the overwhelming pressures within the $28 billion scholarly publishing industry that foster misconduct. The duo explores the challenges of accountability, the dangers of profit-driven practices in open-access publishing, and innovative solutions for enhancing transparency in research. Together, they uncover systemic issues that undermine trust in scientific integrity.
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ANECDOTE

Stapel's Confession

  • Diederik Stapel, a successful Dutch professor, admitted to fabricating data in many studies.
  • He confessed to being driven by impatience and ambition, wanting to achieve greater success faster.
INSIGHT

Psychology of Fraud

  • Successful academics committing fraud is surprising, suggesting complex motivations.
  • Stapel described his fraud as an addiction to easy success, believing he wasn't causing harm.
INSIGHT

Scale of Misconduct

  • Ivan Oransky, of Retraction Watch, estimates 2% of papers warrant retraction, but only 0.1% are.
  • He cites a survey where 2% of researchers admitted to misconduct.
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