Weekly Briefing: A dishonesty expert is accused of fraud

Francesca Gino, a rising star at Harvard Business School, was a prolific researcher. What now? ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. You can now read The Chronicle on [Apple News]( [Flipboard]( and [Google News](. Dishonesty in honesty research Francesca Gino, a rising star and Harvard Business School professor who studies dishonesty, is on administrative leave from the institution amid accusations that research she co-authored is based on fabricated data. The Chronicle [reported these assertions]( last Friday. A day later, three academics [wrote on their blog]( that they’d found “evidence of fraud” in four of Gino’s papers, and said that Harvard was seeking to have them retracted. The researchers added that more papers with “fake data” might emerge. Though research-misconduct controversies are not particularly new in the behavioral sciences, and the replication crisis has been around for more than a decade, this controversy strikes a different chord. For one, Gino’s research is all over the field; [according to one count]( she has 148 collaborators. In her résumé dated August 2022, she wrote that she has published more than 135 articles since 2007, many in the field’s top journals. And dozens of her papers about ethical leadership and workplace behavior — done in collaboration with scholars at other elite business schools — have led to speaking and consulting gigs for Gino at Fortune 500 corporations, including Disney and Google. Now two of the four papers investigated by Harvard have been identified. A paper first published in 2012 found that signing an honesty pledge at the top of a form discouraged cheating. That paper [was retracted]( in 2021 because of [fraudulent data]( in one experiment. A different experiment in that same 2012 paper, handled in part by Gino, is prompting Harvard to request an update to the retraction notice, [according to one of Gino’s co-authors.]( The three watchdog scholars on Tuesday [wrote on their blog]( called Data Colada, about possible signs of data-tampering in the second paper, published in 2015 by Gino and two other professors. Neither Gino nor her co-authors responded to The Chronicle’s request for comment. A Harvard spokesman declined to comment, as did the editor of Psychological Science, the journal that published the 2015 paper, saying only that the process was confidential. This week the organizers of a forthcoming business conference in Oslo said they had [cut Gino]( from their list of speakers and were “monitoring the situation closely.” The latest revelations have shaken the behavioral-science community. Gino’s collaborators are rereading old papers, spreadsheets, and emails, and contacting each other. Gino was a prolific researcher, produced headline-grabbing results, and was dedicated to running her own experiments. Some scholars are wondering: Were her quick results a warning sign? Psychology’s replication crisis has prompted scholars to develop ways to improve their transparency and research quality — like posting data and [preregistering]( studies. It’s unclear if the scrutiny of Gino could have lasting effects on the field, but it’s an added ironic twist to the story. [Read our story by Stephanie M. Lee and Nell Gluckman here.]( NEWSLETTER [Sign Up for the Teaching Newsletter]( Find insights to improve teaching and learning across your campus. Delivered on Thursdays. To read this newsletter as soon as it sends, [sign up]( to receive it in your email inbox. Lagniappe - Read. This year a local lifeguard [won surfing’s most prestigious big-wave competition]( in Hawaii. After winning, he said he doesn’t want to keep competing or land lucrative sponsorships; he wants affordable rent. (GQ) - Listen. Though this list was published 2020, Rolling Stone’s [500 greatest albums of all time]( are worth revisiting. I recommend randomly picking an album to listen to all the way through. (Rolling Stone) —Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads 'UPHILL BATTLE' [Florida’s Governor Escalates a Yearslong Fight With College Accreditors]( By Zachary Schermele [STORY IMAGE]( Ron DeSantis, a Republican running to be the party’s presidential nominee in 2024, sued the Biden administration this week, arguing that accreditation agencies have too much power. A NEW APPROACH [This Year, One Major College Ranker Is Turning From Rankings to Ratings]( By Francie Diep [STORY IMAGE]( Colleges can get anything from two-and-a-half to five stars. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY [Michigan’s Striking Graduate Students Ask: Where Did These Grades Come From?]( By Emma Hall [STORY IMAGE]( As the grading deadline loomed, grad-student instructors allege the university pressured faculty to submit falsified grades. Now the university’s accreditor is investigating. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Reimagining the Student Experience - The Chronicle Store]( [Trouble at the Top]( Many leaders and industry observers say it has been decades since the heat on presidents has been this intense. [Order your copy today]( to explore what today’s presidents are up against, how things are changing, and how to navigate new challenges. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK [Please let us know what you thought of today's newsletter in this three-question survey](. This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2023 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037