The dean of the Harvard Business School, Srikant Datar, sent an email to all faculty on August 14 as the data manipulation affair developed. It is reproduced below:
To: HBS Faculty
From: Srikant Datar
Re: Research Misconduct Case
Earlier this month, Professor Francesca Gino filed a lawsuit in federal district court alleging defamation, breach of contract, and discrimination, and seeking damages of at least $25 million from Harvard University and from the three non-Harvard professors affiliated with the Data Colada blog (who now have identified themselves publicly as the complainant who brought forward research misconduct allegations to HBS, and have written recently about four of Professor Gino’s studies).
As there is ongoing litigation, I hope you understand that I cannot discuss the specifics of Professor Gino’s claims. After hearing from some of you with concerns, however, I do want to clarify a number of aspects of our process- many of which are now described in the lawsuit itself.
The School’s Interim Policy and Procedures for Responding to Allegations of Research Misconduct (available here) hews very closely to federal regulations and is very similar to policies at other schools at Harvard. The process for reviewing allegations at each step strives for thoroughness, fairness, and objectivity. It outlines the rights and responsibilities of the complainants, the respondents, and the institution. It pays particular attention to ensuring that respondents have both procedural rights and multiple opportunities to participate and defend themselves, including by meeting in person with both the inquiry and the investigation committees, by providing written information, and by reviewing and submitting a written response to the draft report.
To the best of my knowledge, the research misconduct allegations we received-serious allegations covering multiple papers, with different co-authors and research associates, over multiple years-were the first formal allegations of data falsification or fabrication the School had received in many years. By definition, they fell directly within the purview of the School’s policy for research misconduct. After a comprehensive evaluation that took 18 months from start to completion, the investigation committee -comprising three senior HBS colleagues–determined that research misconduct had occurred. In reaching their findings, the investigation committee members brought exacting care to their work, gathering extensive information and exploring alternative hypotheses, and looking at the totality of the evidence. After reviewing their detailed report carefully, I could come to no other conclusion, and I accepted their findings. I did this with personal concern for Professor Gino, but also with complete confidence in the investigative work that had been done and knowing I must do what is right for our institution.
I then was required to determine the appropriate institutional actions. I ultimately accepted the investigation committee’s recommended sanctions, which included immediately placing Professor Gino on administrative leave and correcting the scientific record (a measure incumbent on every responsible academic institution when research misconduct is found). I did so after consulting confidentially with a small number of individuals at HBS and Harvard, including senior faculty members here at the School, as is permitted by our policy. The sanctions reflect a shared belief that the misconduct represented a significant violation of academic integrity and that the evidence not only met but surpassed the applicable preponderance of evidence standard. I shared my conclusions with Professor Gino and, in accordance with our policy and consistent with University practice, began implementing the institutional actions. This included requesting the retractions of the relevant papers, as detailed in Exhibits 3, 4, and 5 of Professor Gino’s complaint.
We will engage thoughtfully and comprehensively in responding to the lawsuit Professor Gino has filed, providing facts in response to her assertions and focusing on the evidence. I know that we have been exceedingly diligent and careful thus far in our process, and I have confidence this will be reflected as the litigation moves forward.
I remain committed to ensuring that Harvard Business School is a place where research is carried out with the highest integrity and our community is a place where every individual is able to be their best self and do their best work.
==
No comments:
Post a Comment