The Nation - News from Aug. 30, 1987

One out of three scientists at major universities suspect a colleague of falsifying scientific data but most scientists do nothing to verify or report their suspicions, a study said. “Researchers may fear that if they raise such questions, they themselves will suffer,” said June Price Tangney, author of the study and a psychologist at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. They might be viewed by colleagues as troublemakers or could face a lawsuit, Tangney said. Tangney, who presented her findings at a symposium on science fraud at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Assn. in New York, said 88% of the scientists surveyed believe fraud is uncommon and likely to be uncovered by subsequent research.