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In an age of intense scholarly competition, experts say academic fraud is rising

Some experts reject the notion that misconduct has gotten more prevalent within academia, instead claiming that fraud has merely gotten easier to detect

Varsity Hall, which houses the Office of the Vice President for Research, photographed Oct. 3.
Varsity Hall, which houses the Office of the Vice President for Research, photographed Oct. 3.

Research is core to the University’s mission as a top research institution. According to the Office of the Vice President for Research’s 2025 annual report, the University spent $829 million on research and development in the last fiscal year, yielding 56 patents and 2,319 awards. Now, some experts say that mission could be challenged. 

In early August, five researchers, four from Northwestern University and one from the University of Sydney concluded a study claiming that the rise in fraudulent academic publications is growing at a much higher rate than the growth of legitimate publications. The study adds fuel to the growing concern within academia about research integrity. 

Research fraud involves the falsification or fabrication of data at any stage of the research process. Data can be falsified or fabricated by changing the values in tables or graphs or by manipulating images, among other means. 

At the University, allegations of research misconduct are handled by the Office of the Vice President for Research and fall under University Policy RES-004. RES-004 requires that all University affiliates report observed, suspected or apparent research misconduct and that the University conduct a thorough investigation. 

The concern over fraud and misconduct in published research is not a newfound one, according to Brian Nosek, professor of psychology at the University and co-founder of the Center for Open Science. COS advocates for the “process, content and outcomes of research” to be made accessible for all. The Center is part of the wider open science movement, which more generally advocates that all scholarly work and research be freely accessible to the public. 

In a statement to The Cavalier Daily, Lori McMahon, professor of neuroscience and vice president for research, said the University’s response to allegations of research misconduct consists of three stages — the initial assessment, inquiry and the investigation. The initial assessment asks if the allegation falls within the scope of RES-004, the inquiry asks if there is sufficient evidence to warrant an investigation and the investigation looks for specific proof of misconduct and often uses forensic evidence. 

On why academic fraud occurs, McMahon turned to the “fraud triangle,” a term coined by sociologist Donald R. Cressey.   

“Fraud occurs when three elements converge: Pressure (a perceived need or motivation for fraud), Opportunity (a circumstance allowing for fraud to occur without being caught) and Rationalization (a justification for the dishonest act),” McMahon said.

The pressure McMahon referred to comes as competition for spots in journals and grant funding within academia is rising, according to Nosek. 

“[The] emphasis on publication, the emphasis on getting grant funding, these create some of the pressures on researchers to ultimately do things like commit misconduct,” Nosek said. 

According to Nosek, more cases of fraud are being detected, but that could possibly be due to the open science movement, not an actual increase in the incidence of fraud. 

“A number of the recent fraud cases that have been high profile have been revealed because the researchers shared their data,” Nosek said. “You would’ve never detected it if you couldn’t access the data.” 

Nosek pointed to the case of former Harvard Business School professor Francesca Gino as an example of the open science movement making fraud easier to detect. Gino was accused of falsifying data in several published papers about honesty and ethical behavior. Harvard decided to revoke Gino's tenure, an action the school hadn’t taken in over 80 years. 

“[Gino] posted her data on the Center for Open Science's infrastructure, called the Open Science Framework, OSF,” Nosek said. “[Gino’s fraud] seems very deliberate, but also audacious in that she shared her data.” 

The Northwestern study connected some of the growth in fraudulent research activities to organizations known as “paper mills.” “Paper mills” sell low-quality and fraudulent research en masse to researchers, who often face pressure to publish a certain number of academic works. 

McMahon said that she has not seen a difference in the rate of research misconduct fraud in the past five years at the University, although these cases have risen in the broader field of research. 

“There have been fewer cases in the Office of Research Integrity for the Department of Health and Human Services so far this year than in the past five years,” McMahon wrote. “More broadly, scientific misconduct has been on the rise in the field of publishing, largely because of 'paper mills' disrupting the industry.” 

Research fraud can affect students at the University in several ways. McMahon said that faculty lead students, especially undergraduates, through teaching ethics and principles in the classroom.

“Our faculty works to set the example of responsible research by teaching ethics, mentoring and supporting our responsible conduct of research program[s],” McMahon wrote. “Undergraduates can benefit from a wide variety of other opportunities to learn about research compliance online, at workshops, in the classroom and in the lab.” 

Nile Liu, Medical student and Honor Committee vice chair for the graduate community, said that rigorous detection and enforcement of rules against academic fraud is valuable for students in pre-professional schools at the University.

The Honor Committee only has jurisdiction over students, not faculty or staff, however it does not oversee students in some graduate schools, including the School of Medicine. Instead, the Academic Standards and Achievement Committee handles research fraud committed by Medical students. 

According to Liu, the Honor Committee can still open cases against Medical students after they go through the ASAC.

The alarm over research fraud occurs as higher education is under heavy scrutiny from the federal government. Although the level of public trust in higher education averaged at 42 percent in a recent poll, this marked an increase from 36 percent last year.. 

On the challenges facing research funding from the federal government, McMahon reported that the University has had 46 grants terminated, though eight of which have been fully restored and an additional grant has been partially restored. 

“The federal environment has posed significant challenges, but our research community is resilient,” McMahon wrote. “Despite uncertainty, researchers continue to draft and submit proposals, adapt to shifting federal guidance and advocate for the value and critical importance of their work.” 

While concerning to Nosek, he said that the uncertainty surrounding the University’s relationship with the federal government could be an opportunity to recenter integrity in its research activities. 

“I think there’s actually an opportunity here in asserting what real credible, rigorous research is,” Nosek said. “... But right now, the federal government isn’t an ally in that process.” 

Despite the rocky academic climate, many at the University remain optimistic about the power of scientific inquiry and the University’s role in advancing it. McMahon said that while some cases of misconduct in research occur, those cases do not undermine the core values.

Nosek notes that, to his knowledge, the University does not have a significant academic fraud problem. He said he remains optimistic because he does not believe many within academia are misaligned with the core values of research integrity.

“U.Va., I think, is among the leaders of trying to think about how is it that we can continue to improve the credibility and rigor of the research that’s conducted,” Nosek said.

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