Francesca Gino, a professor at Harvard Business School, sued Data Colada following public allegations of research misconduct against her. Data manipulation researchers say the move has had a chilling effect on the field.
Data Colada, run by business school professors Uri Simonsson, Leif D. Nelson, and Joseph P. Simons, announced that Gino A series of accusations of data manipulation were made against him. In August, Gino filed a lawsuit against Harvard University and Data Colada for $25 million, accusing them of gender discrimination and accusing the two of colluding to harm their reputations through false accusations. Ta.
But regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, academic misconduct researchers said it is already having a dampening effect on research integrity efforts.
Sholto David, the data researcher who accused Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers of data fraud in January, said he personally isn’t deterred by the lawsuit, but others may feel the same way. He said it may or may not.
“People may be reluctant to share, discuss, or criticize their research if they know they may be sued for large sums of money,” he says. “On the other hand, I think some people probably won’t change their behavior at all.”
Simine Vazire, a professor at the University of Melbourne whose research focuses on how science corrects itself, said the case “has had a very negative impact on our field”. Ta.
Vazile said Gino’s lawsuit threatens “a sense of security that allows us to participate in discussion, discussion and critique of published work, which previously was already difficult.”
Currently, she says, researchers may be afraid to speak up if they find a mistake.
“Those who were thinking of sharing criticism of published papers, especially through informal channels such as blogs and social media, will think more seriously about doing so now,” Vasile said. “After this case, they’re going to weigh the pros and cons in a completely different way.”
Gino defended his decision to sue Data Colada and Harvard University, writing on his website, “Rather than presenting me with the ‘evidence’ they had collected, Data Colada told me what was right and wrong they found. He went straight to my employer without giving me a chance to address the matter.”
Still, data manipulation expert Elizabeth M. Bick, who last month filed research misconduct claims against scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said the lawsuit will stop people looking into Gino’s research. He said that was the purpose.
“The intended effect is not to make money, but to silence the critics,” Bick said in a March 18 interview with The Crimson. “That’s because it scares everyone so much.”
“There’s no question that these types of lawsuits are aimed at killing free speech and preventing communication between the various parties,” said David Sanders, an associate professor at Purdue University.
Sanders, who researches data integrity, was sued in 2017 by a professor who accused him of falsifying the data, but the court ultimately ruled in his favor.
Bazair said Data Colada is “vulnerable to lawsuits, threats, and intimidation, which this lawsuit shows is true for all of us, because more than they are. “You have to be very careful all the time.”
Last year, a group of academics including Bick helped organize a fundraiser to help pay for Data Colada’s legal costs, raising about $400,000.
“I think almost every scientist I talked to said, ‘This is outrageous and we support the data colada,’ and some supported it financially,” Bic said. he said.
Gino’s multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the university comes at a time of intense scrutiny of research integrity and misconduct in higher education. Four more black Harvard faculty members are facing anonymous accusations of academic misconduct since former Harvard University President Claudine Gay came under fire for allegedly plagiarizing academic papers.
Scientists at several Harvard-affiliated Boston institutions, including Dana-Farber Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, have also come under fire for manipulating data in published papers. In response to the allegations, the Broad Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital announced a new institutional data integrity tool.
Some experts point to the pressure that lawsuits like Gino’s put on universities like Harvard.
“Everyone is concerned about the legal implications, but universities don’t necessarily do a proper investigation for fear of litigation,” Sanders said. “People don’t necessarily speak up because they’re afraid of being sued.”
“All sectors are struggling with the balance of how to avoid humane personal attacks while still leaving enough room for discussion and debate,” Vasile said.
“This is already a very sensitive part of the scientific ecosystem, and in my opinion, no good solutions have been found,” she said. “We haven’t really created an environment that balances the different needs for critique as well as professionalism.”
Gino’s case awaits its first major ruling, with the judge scheduled to hold a hearing on Harvard’s motion to dismiss on April 26.
—Staff writer Kyle Baek can be reached at kyle.baek@thecrimson.com. X Follow him at @KBaek53453.
—Staff writer Benjamin Isaac can be reached at benjamin.isaac@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @Benjamini sack_1.
