Academic fraud is reaching new heights lows. Dutch social psychologist Diederik Stapel (Tilburg University) is the culprit this time. A commission looking into the issue came up with a report [in Dutch] on Monday saying that “the extent of fraud is very significant” (p.5). Stapel fabricated data for at least 30 papers published over a period of at least nine years (the investigation is still ongoing, the number can rise up to 150). Entire datasets supporting his hypotheses were made up from thin air. He also frequently gave fabricated data to colleagues and PhD students to analyze and co-author papers together. Diederik Stapel is was an eminent and ‘charismatic’ scholar whose research made global news on more than one occasion. He has been awarded a Pioneer grant by the Dutch National Science Foundation. He is the man behind all these sexy made-up findings: Power increases hypocrisy Sexy doesn’t always sell Messy surroundings promote stereotyping and discrimination (published in Science!) Meat-eaters are anti-social What a painfully ironic turn of events for Stapel who also published a paper on the way scientists react to a plagiarism scandal. The whole affair first came to light this August when three young colleagues of Stapel suspected that something isn’t quite right and informed the University. What is especially worrisome is that on a number of previous occasions people have implicated Stapel in wrongdoing but their signals had not been followed. In hindsight, it is easy to see that the data is just too good to…
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