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Freakonomics Radio

573. Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?

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.
01:02:32

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Quick takeaways

  • Academic research industry plagued with fraud due to lack of transparency and low accountability.
  • Pressure to publish and competition for limited spots contribute to fraudulent practices in academia.

Deep dives

Academic fraud is prevalent and often goes unpunished

Academic research industry is plagued with misconduct, including fraud, at various levels, from individual researchers to academic journals. The scale of fraud is difficult to quantify precisely, but it is estimated that around 2% of papers should be retracted due to fraud or severe error, while the actual retraction rate is only about 0.1%. The slow investigation process, lack of transparency in retraction notices, and universities' tendency to protect fraudsters contribute to the low accountability in the industry.

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