Miltenberg: “Harvard Probe Finds Honesty Researcher Engaged in Scientific Misconduct,” The Wall Street Journal

A Harvard University probe into prominent researcher Francesca Gino found that her work contained manipulated data and recommended that she be fired, according to a voluminous court filing that offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at research misconduct investigations. It is a key document at the center of a continuing legal fight involving Gino, a behavioral scientist who in August sued the university and a trio of data bloggers for $25 million. The case has captivated researchers and the public alike as Gino, known for her research into the reasons people lie and cheat, has defended herself against allegations that her work contains falsified data. The investigative report had remained secret until this week, when the judge in the case granted Harvard’s request to file the document, with some personal details redacted, as an exhibit … In court filings and public statements, Gino and her attorney have denied wrongdoing. “The silver lining is that people can see for themselves that this investigation was a charade,” Andrew Miltenberg, Gino’s attorney, said in an emailed statement. “Harvard found no evidence that Prof. Gino modified data, not a single co-author or research assistant interviewed believed she did it, and their own forensics firm did not claim they proved Prof. Gino’s guilt.” “I do take integrity seriously,” Gino wrote in a submission to the committee dated Nov. 11, 2022, included in the report. “I have not manipulated nor fabricated data, and I’ve not written papers that intend to mislead readers with the way studies are described.”

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